国内英语新闻:Chinese president bids farewell to famous educator

BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao Tuesday paid his final respects to renowned educator and social activist Sun Qimeng as his body was taken away to be cremated at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing.

Sun died in Beijing on March 2. He was 100.

Chinese President Hu Jintao shakes hands with a relative of renowned Chinese educator and social activist Sun Qimeng at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing, capital of China, March 9, 2010. Sun died in Beijing on March 2 and his body was cremated on Tuesday.

Top legislator Wu bangguo, Premier Wen Jiabao and Sun's friends joined Hu in the farewell ceremony.

Other senior leaders, including top political advisor Jia Qinglin, senior leader Li Changchun, vice president Xi Jinping, vice premier Li Keqiang, senior leader He Guoqiang, and senior leader Zhou Yongkang also expressed their condolences.

Sun was vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the seventh and eighth National People's Congresses and honorary chairman of the seventh and eighth China Democratic National Construction Association Central Committee.

Sun graduated in 1929 from the Politics Department of Soochow University in Suzhou city, and joined the Communist Party of China in 1950.

He has made outstanding contributions to vocational education in China as well as to the country's development of social democracy and the legal system, said an official statement.