Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, who died on Wednesday age 97, was never one to mince his words.

When the four-volume selection ?of his speeches came out in 2011, they shocked readers with his description of ¡°tofu dregs¡± flood dykes built by ¡°parasites,¡± and erring bankers labeled as ¡°half-wits.¡±

It was little wonder that his blunt comments from his years in power became best-sellers, finding eager readers in a nation whose then leaders were seen as wary and cautious, prone to often bland public pronouncements.