From Reuters, via the International Herald Tribune:
The 100th birth anniversaries of China’s leaders are traditionally marked with public fanfare, but Lin Biao, who once wielded power second only to Mao Zedong before he died in a mysterious plane crash in 1971, is an exception.
Lin’s death shocked and embarrassed China and was not announced until several months later when state media accused him of trying to flee to the Soviet Union after a plot to assassinate Mao was uncovered. Lin’s name became taboo.
His birth centennial occurred Wednesday and a major celebration might rock the Communist Party’s foundations. [Full Text]
[Image source: vietsciences.free.fr]
