他推开的那扇门，我们一起走了很远——送别朱镕基总理

Premier Zhu Rongji has passed away.

On August 12, 2026, he left this world at the age of ninety-eight. Today, August 18, the nation holds memorial activities in his honor.

I am not a politician, not a scholar, and not a person of any significant standing. I am just an ordinary person born in 1978, currently an entrepreneur running a presales training business. In the grand scheme of things, the distance between me and the Premier spans more than a thousand mountains and rivers.

Yet these past few days, something heavy and warm has been lodged in my chest. I want to write something—not for any grand purpose, but simply to see him off—to offer a sincere bow as an ordinary member of the younger generation.

I

I was born in 1978.

That was the year Comrade Deng Xiaoping opened the curtain on reform and opening-up. I was fortunate—born right as the nation was awakening from its slumber. In my childhood memories, life improved bit by bit—from food scarcity to abundant goods, from black-and-white televisions to color screens, from "Made in China" to "the world's factory."

I am a contemporary of the reform era, and more importantly, a beneficiary of it. That is why I am deeply grateful to General Secretary Deng Xiaoping. I remember during my years working in Shenzhen, I made multiple trips to Lianhua Hill to bow before his statue in tribute.

But what truly allowed my generation to "take flight" was the endeavor Premier Zhu Rongji championed with unwavering resolve—China's accession to the World Trade Organization.

In 2000, I graduated from university and stepped into the workforce. At that time, the WTO accession negotiations were in their final sprint. China stood at the world's doorstep; the door was heavy, and pushing it open required immense courage and determination. And the person standing at the very front was Zhu Rongji.

He pushed that door open.

From that moment on, China truly integrated into the global economic system. Capital flowed in, technology flowed in, standards flowed in, competition flowed in, andopportunities flowed in. Countless young people like me moved from county towns to cities, from domestic to international arenas, from ordinary employees to entrepreneurs. My entire career—joining globally renowned companies (IBM, HP, Cisco, Ericsson, BMC, etc.) in presales, leading teams, and founding PresalesChina Community (售前青云荟)—all of it grew in that golden era that followed WTO accession.

Without that door, there would be no job for me, no clients for me, no ground beneath my feet today.

Individual destiny is tightly bound to the times. And what made that era an era was the fact that someone was out front, carving the path, gritting their teeth, and refusing to back down.

That person was Zhu Rongji.

II

Later, I had the privilege of pursuing an MBA at Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management.

This was profoundly meaningful to me. And the school itself has an inseparable connection to Premier Zhu Rongji. He was its founder and long-time champion, establishing its advisory board and inviting the world's top business leaders and scholars. He didn't want just another business school; he wanted a high ground that could truly engage with the world and cultivate leaders for China.

I studied there—not as an outstanding graduate by any means—but I genuinely cherish that platform and that experience. It gave me perspective, it gave me a way of thinking, and it gave me the frameworks and confidence to tackle complex problems.

Looking back now, isn't this a gift Premier Zhu left for an entire generation? He wasn't just designing systems at the top; he was also "planting people" for the nation's future—people who could understand the world, engage with the world, and lead Chinese enterprises onto the global stage.

I am a small blade of grass that grew from one of those seeds. Not tall enough, not strong enough, but I know exactly which soil I'm rooted in.

III

During Premier Zhu Rongji's years in office, he accomplished so much.

State-owned enterprise reform—he took it head-on. Fiscal and tax reform—he went all in. Financial risk mitigation—he showed no mercy. Anti-corruption—he was iron-fisted and impartial. Every single one of these was a thankless task that made enemies. Every single one was a "success that need not be credited to me" endeavor.

He said many powerful words. But for me, what matters most isn't any single quote—it's the spirit he embodied: bold reform, unyielding perseverance, and unwavering integrity.

That spirit is still precious in today's world.

Reform has never been a dinner party. It means someone loses, someone feels the pain, someone curses you. But without reform, there is no tomorrow. Premier Zhu Rongji chose to "disregard praise or criticism," placing the interests of the nation and its people above all else, and his own gains and losses last.

When we—the younger generation—face difficulties in our startups, our businesses, and our teams, we think about the pressure and resistance he faced, and our own struggles suddenly seem small.

He didn't give us answers; he gave us thecourage to face problems head-on.

IV

Today, my own career has reached a new crossroads.

Building on years of foundation with PresalesChina Community, we are about to announce a major strategic decision—internationalization. We will enter the global market, showing more countries and companies what Chinese professional expertise looks like, and the confidence and capability of Chinese talent.

I often ask myself: where does this confidence come from?

The answer is simple: because China has already proven itself.

The reform and opening-up of 1978 proved China could stand up. WTO accession in 2001 proved China could run. Decades of rapid development proved China could become strong. None of this fell from the sky—it was earned through the hard work of successive generations of leaders and the entire nation. Deng Xiaoping gave us the starting point; Zhu Rongji gave us the runway.

And now, it's our turn—the "children of reform and opening-up"—to run the next leg.

I want more people to know that China has not only manufacturing, but also wisdom; not only scale, but also expertise; not only a past, but also a future. That is the best tribute I can offer to this country, to this era, and to the man who pushed open that door.

V

Today, the national flag will be lowered to half-mast in his honor.

I am in Beijing, and I will find a quiet place to stand in silence for a while.

Premier Zhu Rongji's life was magnificent and full of remarkable achievements. Historians will write many weighty volumes about his legacy. I cannot write those. All I can offer is a sincere tribute from an ordinary person to a great statesman.

He gave us ordinary people—especially the generation born after reform and opening-up, who grew up on the dividends of WTO accession—a stage, a direction, and the confidence to step onto the world stage.

Great figures eventually depart. But the door he pushed open—we are still walking through it.

The light on the other side of that door is still bright.

We will keep walking, carrying the spirit he embodied—boldness, resilience, integrity, and an unwillingness to compromise—to widen the path and spread the light even further.

Premier Zhu, may you rest in peace!

Zhao Chengdong
August 18, 2026
Beijing