Jiang Zemin was a former president of China who led the country from 1989 to 2002. He retained the military chairmanship after giving up his other roles, demonstrating that a leader could cling to the most powerful position even after a formal handover—a precedent that Xi Jinping later exploited when abolishing presidential term limits.
Mr Jiang died in 2022 and, as befits a leader of the Communist Party described by official media as a "thoroughgoing materialist", was cremated and had his ashes scattered into the ocean off Shanghai. The city of Shanghai has since cited his example in promoting "sea burials" to its residents.
A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain.