The opening image on the Chinese evening news program last week showed instantly that something major was afoot. Instead of his customary Western- style coat and tie, the anchorman was dressed in a somber blue-gray Mao suit. Behind his head, a backdrop of Chinese characters spelled out the legend AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM AN ENLARGED MEETING OF THE POLITBURO. The newscaster's report was brief -- and startling. Hu Yaobang, the man widely expected to succeed Deng Xiaoping, 82, at China's helm, had resigned. Moreover, he had quit as Communist Party chief "after making a self-criticism of his mistakes on major issues." Hu...
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