Renowned Chinese historian Zhang Lifan has died of illness at the age of 74. Some sources suggest he passed away as early as September 2024, but his death remained hidden for a long time. Sources claim authorities strictly suppressed news of his death, putting his family under immense pressure. Neighbors were forbidden from sharing the news, and his ashes were buried in a highly discreet manner, sparking widespread skepticism.
Last weekend, news of Zhang Lifan's death suddenly spread throughout Beijing's academic and social circles, sparking public outcry and raising questions about the authorities' concealment of the historian's death. Multiple online media outlets and scholars reported that Zhang Lifan died of illness in March 2025, and his ashes were recently interred at the Jiugongshan Cemetery in Huairou, Beijing. However, no public ceremony or memorial photos were observed.
However, a neighbor of Zhang Lifan recently revealed that Zhang Lifan had died as early as mid-to-late September 2024. On Monday (June 9th), a Beijing resident who declined to be named for security reasons told this station: "We heard from neighbors that Zhang Lifan passed away last September. We heard his ashes were buried in Huairou the day before yesterday, but we don't know who went, and we haven't seen any photos."
The insider added: "Zhang Lifan's neighbor, Yang Tuan, knocked on his door several times, but his wife, Yang Jie, refused to open it, which shows how much pressure she was under. If Zhang's ashes were truly buried the day before yesterday, it's impossible for a neighbor to have no idea. It's clear someone is deliberately concealing the news of Zhang Lifan's death."
Academic neighbors mourned the great pressure he suffered during his lifetime
Zhang Lifan's upstairs neighbor, Yang Tuan, a retired member of the Communist Youth League of China, posted a message on WeChat Moments on Sunday mourning Zhang Lifan. She wrote, "Zhang Lifan and I were upstairs and downstairs neighbors, and we were very close, especially during those turbulent times. I learned of his passing around September of last year, but I haven't been able to contact his family, so I can't confirm the details, and I've been devastated for a long time. I always feel that this person is a rare talent among our generation, and he shouldn't be forgotten. I'm deeply saddened." She also mentioned Professor Mao Shoulong's biography of Zhang Lifan, which praised his "precious spirit of freedom and independence," saying he "spoke frankly about current ills and stood up for justice." "I deeply agree with that, and it comforts me."
A Beijing-based academic friend of Zhang Lifan, Mr. Zhang, told this station that he had recently asked several academics in Beijing about Zhang's death and the burial of his ashes, but no one knew the details. "I asked a lot of people yesterday, and they all said Zhang Lifan's ashes had been buried, but they didn't know the exact location, and no one knew who had gone there."
Recently, an obituary signed by "Chen Liqun" circulated on the Internet, stating that Zhang Lifan died of illness on March 22, 2025. However, the person involved, Chen Liqun, immediately denied having issued the obituary and said that he did not know about Zhang's situation, further arousing the outside world's suspicion of a blockade behind the information confusion.
Zhang Lifan's friend Li Yuxiao recalled that when her husband Du Gao passed away in November 2023, Zhang Lifan privately revealed that he had been bedridden for over two years due to a cerebral infarction, which suggests the onset of the disease was April 2021. In April 2024, he was still able to walk at home with crutches. She said the last WeChat contact was on August 11, 2024, and there was no response after that.
Li Yuxiao also mentioned: "Mrs. Zhang, Yang Jie, is tall and elegant. She has been with her husband for a long time and is not a 'girlfriend'. I have sent WeChat messages to Zhang Lifan many times but have not received a reply."
The last social media post stopped in September last year
Our station searched social platforms and found that Zhang Lifan’s last post on Platform X was on September 8, 2024, titled "Some Anecdotes about the Mansion at No. 51, Shijia Hutong (formerly No. 24)."
Veteran media personality Cai Shenkun recently wrote that Zhang Lifan is "well-educated, sharp and insightful in his conversation, and very popular among netizens." He is the son of Zhang Naiqi, one of the "Seven Gentlemen" during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Zhang Naiqi was a founder of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, labeled a rightist in 1957 but rehabilitated in 1980.
According to Hong Kong's Ming Pao on June 8, Zhang Lifan's ashes have been buried in the Jiugongshan Cemetery in Huairou, but the report also mentioned that his family was under tremendous pressure and the entire process was extremely secretive and not made public.
Zhang Lifan was imprisoned early in life due to political stigma stemming from his family background. After the Cultural Revolution, he joined the Institute of Modern History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In 1989, he left the political system to become an independent historian after his involvement in mediating the Tiananmen Square incident. He frequently gives interviews to overseas media, commenting on Chinese political and historical issues, and is one of the few historical intellectuals who remains active and vocal in recent years.
The posthumous silence sparked outrage among intellectuals
Recently, Mao Shoulong, director of the Institute of Public Policy at Renmin University of China, published a message of condolences, saying that Zhang Lifan "passed away more than a month ago" and "died suddenly, leaving many regrets in the world."
Beijing's academic community is generally outraged by the authorities' blockade of information. One scholar told this station, "The recent contradictory and inconsistent reports about Zhang Lifan's death reflect the strict control over even the death of an intellectual. This practice is shocking and sad. Zhang Lifan, who throughout his life insisted on independent thinking and spoke out for justice, now cannot rest in peace even after his death."
