China will observe a national mourning period with flags lowered to half-mast as the country bids farewell to Zhu Rongji, the visionary former premier whose economic reforms fundamentally reshaped the nation's trajectory toward market mechanisms. His cremation ceremony in Beijing on Tuesday marks the end of an era characterized by bold structural transformations that positioned China as a modern economic power. Zhu's legacy encompasses crucial privatization initiatives, financial sector modernization, and institutional reforms that established foundations for contemporary Chinese prosperity and global economic influence.

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