Dark clouds hang over Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
[People News] Regardless of the actual cause of death, the controversies surrounding Xu Qiliang, the former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, have reached a temporary conclusion with a wisp of blue smoke rising over Babaoshan on June 8. Perhaps, at this moment as a spirit, he finally realises that the conflicts and loyalty to certain individuals during his lifetime were not the true purpose of life, and the numerous secrets of the Communist Party that he took with him will one day be revealed to the public.
According to reports from CCTV, all seven members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party attended Xu Qiliang's farewell at Babaoshan on the 8th. CCTV also reported that during Xu Qiliang's illness and after his passing, in addition to the seven members, Han Zheng, Hu Jintao, and others visited him in the hospital or expressed their condolences in various ways to his family. It remains unclear what Hu Jintao thinks about the early death of the air force general he once valued.
From the footage aired by CCTV, an unusual observation can be made: Xu Qiliang's widow appears to convey her sentiments through her differing attitudes towards the seven members of the Standing Committee.
As per custom, after Xi Jinping and others performed three bows and paid their respects to the deceased, the next step is to shake hands with the family and offer words of "condolences, take care." When Xi shook hands with Xu Qiliang's widow, she stood upright without bowing, and while speaking with Xi, she kept her gaze down and did not make eye contact. Her responses to Xi's comforting words were limited to nods of acknowledgement or brief replies. What does such behaviour signify?
Interestingly, CCTV omitted the footage of Li Qiang shaking hands with Xu Qiliang's widow, instead showing him shaking hands with Xu's daughter. It is clear that Xu's daughter bent down slightly, reflecting their differing social statuses. Due to this omission, we cannot determine the widow's attitude. The author speculates that the decision was made to focus on another family member of Xu, as the footage of Xi featured him shaking hands with a family member, and Li Qiang, adhering to protocol, could not overstep, which is why the footage shown was of him with Xu's daughter.
Following this, CCTV aired footage of Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, all shaking hands with Xu's widow. An intriguing pattern emerged. When Xu's widow shook hands with Zhao Leji, she leaned forward slightly; with Wang Huning, she leaned nearly 30 degrees; and when shaking hands with Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, she also leaned forward slightly. This suggests that, based on the footage released by CCTV, Xu's widow displayed the most 'respect' towards Wang Huning in terms of etiquette, while showing the least regard for Xi. What could be the reason for this?
As Xu Qiliang's partner, she likely knows some secrets within the military and the party, including the rumours from earlier this year about Xi Jinping's intentions to investigate Xu Qiliang and the reasons behind Xi's arrests of numerous generals. Xu Qiliang's widow's demeanour may reflect the dissatisfaction of Xu and some military officials towards Xi's arbitrary actions, and the Xu family might even attribute part of the reason for Xu's sudden death to Xi. While she cannot openly express dissatisfaction, the coldness evident in her body language is unmistakable.
Furthermore, the widow of Xu Qiliang may be cold towards Xi Jinping for another reason: she is likely aware that Xi's influence in both the military and the party has diminished, suggesting that he is merely putting on an act. Alternatively, it is possible that this time a stand-in is playing Xi's role.
As for why she shows the most 'respect' towards Wang Huning, it could be because she has heard some insider information about the new power center.
Whatever the reason, the coldness that Xu Qiliang's widow conveys through her body language towards Xi reveals certain issues. There are still some unknown secrets surrounding Xu Qiliang's death. △
(First published in People News)
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