Hu Yaobang (胡耀邦) was an important figure in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), holding the position of general secretary from 1980 to 1987 and briefly serving as chairman from 1981 to 1982. As a protege of former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平), Hu was a strong proponent of political and economic reforms, and advocated for the rehabilitation of those who suffered during Mao Zedong’s (毛澤東) Cultural Revolution. He is fondly remembered as a reformist leader who championed freedom of speech, anti-corruption initiatives and limited democratic reforms, earning him admiration from students and intellectuals throughout China. Hu in May 1980 led a working group from the CCP Central Committee to visit and inspect Tibet. During this visit, he did three unprecedented things that earned him lasting respect among Tibetans, who fondly referred to him as Sku-zhabs Hu, or “Gentleman Hu.” First, he publicly acknowledged the failure of CCP policies in Tibet. Second, he called for reducing the overwhelming presence of Chinese cadres, who dominated all political and military institutions in the region. Third, he proposed a six-point plan aimed at letting Tibetans “truly be the masters of their own lives.”