So, at last former Chinese Premier and Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang has died. But the political agenda that he espoused while in office passed away long ago, on May 19, 1989, when he appeared in Tiananmen Square just before dawn to beg tearfully for the forgiveness of protesters.
中国前总理兼共产党总书记赵紫阳终于去世了，但他在位时力主的政治议程早在1989年9月19日他在黎明前来到天安门广场，声泪俱下地请求对抗议者手下留情的时候就已经不复存在了。“我很抱歉，”他对目瞪口呆的人群说。“我来得太晚了。”从那以后，他的存在更像一头史前怪兽，而不是一个活生生的人。