Word: hued
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...Instead of his customary Western- style coat and tie, the anchorman was dressed in a somber blue-gray Mao suit. Behind his head, a backdrop of Chinese characters spelled out the legend AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM AN ENLARGED MEETING OF THE POLITBURO. The newscaster's report was brief -- and startling. Hu Yaobang, the man widely expected to succeed Deng Xiaoping, 82, at China's helm, had resigned. Moreover, he had quit as Communist Party chief "after making a self-criticism of his mistakes on major issues." Hu would remain a member of the Politburo and retain his post on the powerful...
...suddenly called into question. A country that has gone through several abrupt changes of political direction in the past 40 years was perhaps about to face another major shift. During the past decade, Deng led the most adventurous economic reform program ever undertaken by a Communist country, and Hu, 71, was his steadfast second in command. The two pushed through economic liberalizations that freed the country from the iron hand of central planners and opened a road that appeared to lead eventually to more personal liberties...
...change while remaining wary of political reforms. Personal experiences during the chaotic Mao years, particularly the anarchy of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), convinced Deng that even a modest amount of dissent could rapidly spin out of control. Uneasily, he let his protege explore possible avenues of change. Under Hu, members of the Communist Party went so far as to question the party's right to rule, and they encouraged greater freedom of expression among artists and intellectuals...
There seems little doubt that Deng personally engineered Hu's downfall. The two men, who have been friends and ideological allies for 40 years, are said to have bitterly quarreled in recent weeks. Deng reportedly berated Hu for failing to take effective and decisive action to stop the student protests. Hu also crossed Deng by standing up for writers who have been critical of the party and its rigid policies...
However rancorous the exchanges between China's two top leaders may have been, it is unlikely that Deng acted impetuously over a clash of wills. In pushing Hu from the No. 2 spot, Deng knew he would destroy his own carefully crafted succession scheme and fuel a conservative backlash that could present serious obstacles for his economic reforms. Deng's move may have been defensive, a pre-emptive strike designed to stop conservative forces, which were revving up to exploit the student demonstrations by seeking to roll back the economic and social reforms. In short, it is quite possible that...