The term “revolutionary” disappears but “martyr” remains. A draft bill would include industrialists and civilian heroes in the government’s list of heroes thus breaking with the past.

Beijing (AsiaNews) – China is changing its rules for the “beatification” of Communist heroes. The party is changing its definition of who is a hero, removing “revolutionary” from the title it uses to honour those who died for the cause of Communism. From now on the latter will be plain “martyrs” and might include industrialists as well as civilian heroes.

Draft proposal was released by the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office yesterday and will be open to “public debate” for a week.

The new martyrs will not necessarily be Socialist: anybody who died as a publicly accepted hero could qualify for martyrdom.

The new regulation stresses the need for financial compensation and humanitarian aid to be offered to martyrs' families and—mentioned in mainland legislation for the first time—the protection of Chinese martyrs' monuments at overseas locations.

These benefits are not however retroactive. Families of revolutionary martyrs and heroes who died in past wars during the modern era will not get any compensation.

For some analysts, the draft is a clear signal that Beijing wants to dispense with the associations of the "communist state" and soften the impact of social conflict in the country.

For various legal experts, the proposal gives greater recognition to those social sectors that have been ignored hitherto.

Until 1980 only those soldiers who died for socialism could be called “revolutionary martyrs”. In the early 1980s criteria for admissions broadened to include successful political and industrial leaders but only if they were party members.

One of the most cited examples is that of Lei Feng, a “model soldier” who helped old ladies and cleaned the streets. He became an example for new generations, rising to the status of “martyr” even though he died in an accident in 1962.

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