Retired life comes easy for China's former leaders
A few still flex political muscle, but others are happy to pursue the arts, write books or travel
"Every man should confine himself to his own duties", the Chinese saying goes, and when state leaders retire they often vow to refrain from interfering in the nation's politics and seek more time to pursue personal interests.
Former president Jiang Zemin, though never a man to shy away from publicity, appeared for a long time to be in the former camp.
When he retired 10 years ago he said he was a "carefree person" because he was relieved of all official duties, according to a report by .
Jiang returned to Shanghai, where he served as a mayor in 1985, after retirement, and toured the country.
Shortly after his retirement, he visited the Bailin Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple in Hebei province that has a history of more than 1,700 years, and vowed to visit at least one religious venue every year.
In 2010, he went to Wuxi, visiting the memorial hall of Gu Yuxiu, a renowned educator and artist, and the old home of Qu Qiubai, a late leader of the Communist Party. He also went to Nanjing and Yangzhou that year, hosting a banquet for Singaporean Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.
