The passing of Li Keqiang has been a major topic on the Chinese internet. Censors have strictly monitored all discussions about his death. A recent directive instructed media outlets to be cautious about excessively praising Li. Despite the tight censorship, there has been a significant amount of discussion about Li’s legacy online, although some of it has been subtle. Many of his supporters have gathered in the “Wailing Wall” in the comments section of late Wuhan doctor Li Wenliang’s Weibo post. They expressed their grief for both Li Keqiang’s death and the censorship they faced while trying to express their sorrow.

The Season of Melbourne: Today, it appears that another person with the last name Li who speaks the truth has left.

豹豹环游记·: For mainland internet users, even expressions of grief are censored—I hate it to my core. I love the land beneath my feet more than any other, yet I dream of the chance to escape it. 

Prior to this, he had only been retired for six months. His hardworking life abruptly ended without the opportunity to enjoy a peaceful retirement.

The male morality office: The comment section on remembrances is locked! It seems that this country is truly beyond redemption. We are plunging deeper into darkness without any sign of stopping. Attempting to beautify this situation is futile, as I believe this country is doomed.

“Frantically running Little Li: 🕯️During my rush, I made sure to come visit you, Doctor Li. On behalf of us, the average citizens, please inquire about him up in heaven. Your Weibo account is our only outlet for expressing our grievances as Chinese people.”

Please try to go to bed early: I was right, everyone else also thought of you! // Cosywang: I had a feeling that everyone would gather here, it was the only option. Oh, Dr. Li!

On Weibo, many referred to Li as the “wall breaker,” a term coined in a 2014 article in Boke Tianxia magazine. The article praised Li as the “drummer of the market economy,” who was willing to break down barriers between China and the rest of the world. This was in stark contrast to how some viewed Xi Jinping’s legacy. Others shared a famous quote from Li, “the Yellow River and the Yangtze River will not flow backward,” which he said while standing in front of Deng Xiaoping’s statue in Zhenzhen before stepping down as premier.

Censors targeted comments suggesting that Xi Jinping, not Li, should have been the one to pass away. Many people shared a song by Malaysian singer Fish Leong called “Too Bad It Wasn’t You,” similar to what happened after Shinzo Abe’s death. Censors removed most posts mentioning Fish Leong and her song, and limited search results to “Blue V” accounts associated with official organization accounts run by the government, media, schools, business, or other registered websites. The hashtag “The one who should die hasn’t” was also censored. Several universities issued directives to students not to post about Li’s death on their personal social media accounts. Censors also deleted a WeChat article suggesting that Li’s death was due to inadequate care at a Chinese medicine hospital instead of one of Shanghai’s top cardiac care hospitals.