CHINA: China's former leader Jiang Zemin has become a publishing sensation as a weighty, three-volume edition of his selected works goes on sale, with the Xinhua news agency reporting queues outside bookshops.
The publication of a compendium of speeches and articles is common practice for former leaders in communist China, and is similar to the way Mao Zedong's or Josef Stalin's every ideological utterance would have been published in the Cold War era.
Dozens of trucks ferried shipments of the books to government departments, universities and army barracks during the day, Xinhua reported, while bookstores were festooned with red banners to hail the publication of Jiang's works.
The book opens in August 1980 with a speech on special economic zones and ends with his speech to the Central Military Commission in September 2004, after he resigned as its head, the year after he handed over the presidency to Hu Jintao.
Mr Jiang guided China's transformation from political isolation following the bloody crackdown on democracy activists in 1989 into one of the world's most powerful countries and biggest economies.
China-watchers are scrutinising the three simply-bound books, tied with red ribbon and including 203 articles, letters and decrees, to see if Mr Jiang plans a comeback or is retiring gracefully with his legacy assured.
The book contains insights into current policy. One letter from 2002 shows Mr Jiang urging Mr Hu to press ahead with market reforms. Under Mr Jiang, China entered the World Trade Organisation and the economy grew strongly. There are said to be internal disagreements within the Communist Party over reform, which have pitted Mr Jiang and his still influential supporters against Mr Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao's faction.
Some believe the books mark a desire to revive Mr Jiang's political influence in the run-up to the 17th Communist Party Congress, where he might want to influence leadership changes.
In the last few months he has made some notable appearances, to climb the sacred mountain, Taishan, and to attend anniversary celebrations at his university in Shanghai. A book about his overseas travels was published last month.
The books could also symbolise the end of Mr Jiang's strategic ambitions and function as a way of celebrating his political and economic achievements during his 13-year journey from Shanghai to Zhongnanhai, Beijing's top leadership compound. He celebrates his 80th birthday next Thursday.
Despite questions about what the works are intended to achieve, state media were in little doubt of their importance. The propaganda machine cranked out the rave reviews - the People's Daily described the book as "a powerful weapon of ideology for China's construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics".
Mr Jiang also said he would not "sell off" Hong Kong, even for £100 billion, after Britain suggested it would pay Beijing £1 billion a year to renew its lease on Hong Kong after 1997.