Hu Dehua Says His Father Wanted to “Perish Together” with Mao—Viral Video Gains Attention

On June 16, 1986, Hu Yaobang was photographed in Paris. (AFP)

[Dajiyuan] Hu Dehua, the son of former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Hu Yaobang, passed away on March 30. A video from a recent dinner before his death has gone viral online, in which he revealed that his father had once wanted to “perish together” with Mao Zedong, if not for the sake of his children.

In the video circulating on X (formerly Twitter), Hu Dehua recounts a story about his father, Hu Yaobang:
“(My dad said), ‘If it weren’t for you kids, if it weren’t for this family, I would have long ago…’” The implication was that he would have had a yǔ sǐ wǎng pò (魚死網破) moment with Chairman Mao, meaning a mutually destructive showdown. (Video link: https://x.com/zhihui999/status/1920483675348545939)

Some overseas independent commentators noted that Xi Jinping, the current CCP leader, is often referred to as “Mao Zedong II,” and many factions within the Party deeply resent him. The release of this video is seen as reflecting growing internal sentiment that wishes to “perish together” with Xi.

Hu Dehua was the third son of Hu Yaobang and a well-known “second-generation red” figure. He formerly headed the Software Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and in 1994 founded Beijing Tellit Technologies, which developed software systems for finance, banking, and office use. He also served as deputy editor-in-chief of Yanhuang Chunqiu, a magazine considered a bastion for Party reformists.

In 2016, the editorial staff of Yanhuang Chunqiu was forcibly reshuffled by the authorities. Hu Dehua tried to defend the magazine’s independence, confronting censorship officials and even engaging in physical altercations. Nevertheless, the publication was ultimately taken over, and its entire original staff was dismissed.

One X user posted a video from that period, showing Hu Dehua firmly standing his ground when CCP officials sent by Xi Jinping forcibly took over Yanhuang Chunqiu. The caption read: “Let us not forget that Hu Yaobang was a great benefactor to Xi Jinping, and yet Xi showed no gratitude, ruthlessly eliminating Hu’s legacy while bowing to Mao Zedong!”(Video link:  https://x.com/zheng850349/status/1910661732189823363)

According to Hong Kong’s Ming Pao on April 1, 2024, Hu Dehua had already publicly criticised the CCP’s top leader (Xi Jinping) back in April 2013 during a gathering at Yanhuang Chunqiu. He questioned whether China would continue with reform and opening, and mocked the leadership for its lack of intellectual depth. His remarks angered the authorities, who then warned him not to “recklessly comment on the central leadership.”

Edited by: Lin Congwen