Mao Zedong’s Personal Secretary Dead at 101; Declined Burial With Communist Party Leaders

Li Rui suffered political persecution and, in his later years, was a prominent critic of the dictator he served

Li Rui, former secretary to Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, poses during an interview in Beijing on Sept. 5, 2006. GOH CHAI HIN/AFP/Getty Images

Li Rui, Mao Zedong’s personal secretary, died on Feb. 16 at the age of 101.

According to his family,  Li declined a resting place at Beijing’s Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, an honor traditionally reserved for high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials and other prominent figures in the regime’s history.