President Jiang Zemin yesterday expressed his condolences over the death of his former teacher, Yu-hsiu Ku, saying his noble spirit will always inspire generations of Chinese.
Premier Zhu Rongji also sent a letter of condolence to Ku's widow.
Ku, a famous teacher and scientist, taught in prestigious Chinese universities like Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University and Peking University.
He was Jiang's teacher in Shanghai in the late 1940s.
Aged 100, Ku died at a hospital in the US state of Oklahoma on Monday morning local time.
Jiang, in his letter of condolence, said Ku was "learned and well-informed with a knowledge of the past and present, of China and the West" and was "a teacher of all ages."
Ku, an assiduous life-long learner, paid close attention to the motherland's reunification and had offered his suggestions on the matter, Jiang said.
(China Daily September 10, 2002)
