Jiang, the poet

8220;It is an attempt to fuel a cult of Jiang Zemin8217;s personality,8221; one Western diplomat said of a man whose fellow leaders rarely make a speech on what China will do without saying it will be done 8220;with Jiang Zemin at the core8221;. Jiang, the poet, called for China8217;s revival. Revival,in Chinese, alludes to a return to the strength and power of the earlier years of a dynasty. Some excerpts from the poem:

8220;Spring has come to China once more.

Meeting in fellowship in Beijing to discuss thenation.

The entire hall discusses one thing, the revival of China.

Every word and every syllable is an expression of loyalty.8221;

Geremie Barme, an Australia-based Sinologist, said: 8220;Here we have yet another Chinese leader trying to prove his literary attainment by writing poetry. Mao was a better poet. Hitler was a better artist.8221;