Son of late Communist Party chief warns China against slipping back to Mao era ideology

Twenty-six years after the death of liberal Communist Party chief Hu Yaobang, his son says he should be remembered for having tried to bring China onto the path of democracy and rule of law - and warns against slipping back to Mao-era ideology.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post ahead of today's anniversary of the former leader's death, Hu Dehua said his father's legacies included freeing people from the torment of the Cultural Revolution and steering China into an era of reform.

"He ended a disaster like the Cultural Revolution, put a stop to class struggles, focused on building the country and embarked on democracy and the rule of law so people would no longer be incriminated for what they said," Hu Dehua said. "So today, we shouldn't go backwards."

Since taking power, President Xi Jinping has alarmed liberals by invoking many Mao-era slogans and practices, such as the "rectification" anti-graft campaign and a "mass line" ideology movement. He has also denounced Western democratic ideals and escalated a crackdown on government critics. Xi has also said "one should not use post-reform history to negate the pre-reform years" - which many see as an indication of his endorsement of Maoist ideology.

Hu Yaobang is most remembered for his liberal thinking, which freed China from the strictures of Maoist dogma but led to his removal from the top post by paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in January 1987.

Hu Dehua said he was "grateful" that the party would commemorate the centenary of his father's birth this November, but said this did not amount to a reversal of the official verdict in 1987 that the liberal leader had made "grave mistakes".

"The commemoration and the verdict on him are not the same thing," his son said. "He was a party chief who was toppled for having made grave mistakes … On this issue, they haven't said those party documents in 1987 [which condemned him] have been 8revoked."