Hu Dehua, Son of Former Chinese Leader Hu Yaobang, Dies at 76

[para. 1] Hu Dehua, youngest son of former Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Yaobang, passed away at age 76 due to a heart attack. [para. 2] Throughout his life, Hu maintained humility and simplicity, reflecting his father's legacy of public service. His professional and personal demeanor demonstrated consistent respect for everyone, irrespective of their social status. [para. 3] In his professional life, Hu began at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Software Research Center in 1986 and later took up directorship. Moving into the private sector, he founded technology firms that specialized in financial and office automation software solutions. [para. 4] Despite his accomplishments in the corporate world, Hu devoted much of his later years to documenting his father's contributions and the broader context of China's reform era, culminating in multiple publications, including a comprehensive biography of his father.

[para. 5] Born in November 1948, Hu Dehua entered the world during the Taiyuan Campaign of the Chinese Civil War, a period of significant conflict when the People's Liberation Army made critical advances against Nationalist forces. His father was on the front lines serving as political director, while his mother was evacuated, giving birth to him during this perilous journey. [para. 6] In 1950, after his father's appointment as party secretary in Sichuan province, young Hu moved with his family to the southwest. By 1952, when Hu Yaobang became Secretary of the Chinese New Democratic Youth League, the family relocated to Beijing. [para. 7] Due to the demands of his parents' official roles, Hu lived away in a boarding kindergarten, visiting his parents roughly once a month. [para. 8] His sister, Man Mei, noted in her memoir how their father was a distant figure due to work commitments, while their mother was deeply entrenched in her factory duties.

[para. 9] Hu Dehua pursued his education at Yuying School and later Tsinghua University High School, fostering an early interest in radio electronics, a field that directed much of his educational and professional aspirations. [para. 10] During the Cultural Revolution, while his father faced banishment to participate in forced labor, Hu had just completed his first high school year and was placed in a construction job. [para. 11] In the 1970s, he joined the military and attended the Chongqing Communication Institute, eventually teaching at the Nanjing Communication Institute, where he met his future wife.

[para. 12] Returning to civilian life in 1986, Hu took on a role at the Chinese Academy of Sciences as director before venturing into entrepreneurship by establishing Beijing Talent Technology in 1994. [para. 13] He kept a low profile, embodying the values of humility imparted by his father. [para. 14] His sister recalls an instance where she sought their father's influence for academic advancement, only to be advised to rely on her own abilities, reflecting Hu Yaobang's philosophy of self-reliance for family members. [para. 15] Hu Dehua exemplified his father's teachings, displaying his father's calligraphy that read: "Though positioned in the lowest stream, aim for the highest level," symbolizing an aspirational ethos.