Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Hu Jintao (1st, R) condoles a relative of Xiao Ke at Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing, on Nov. 2, 2008. Senior Chinese leaders on Sunday turned out to bid a final farewell to Xiao Ke, a veteran army general, who died of illness on Oct. 24 at the age of 102. Xiao, former vice defense minister, former president of the Military Academy, vice chairman of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and a member of the Standing Committee of the former Central Advisory Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), was cremated at the Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing on Sunday. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

Former Party leader and Chinese President Jiang Zemin (1st, R) condoles a relative of Xiao Ke at Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing, on Nov. 2, 2008. Senior Chinese leaders on Sunday turned out to bid a final farewell to Xiao Ke, a veteran army general, who died of illness on Oct. 24 at the age of 102. Xiao, former vice defense minister, former president of the Military Academy, vice chairman of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and a member of the Standing Committee of the former Central Advisory Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), was cremated at the Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing on Sunday.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese leaders on Sunday turned out to bid a final farewell to Xiao Ke, a veteran army general, who died of illness on Oct. 24 at the age of 102.

    Xiao, former vice defense minister, former president of the Military Academy, vice chairman of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and a member of the Standing Committee of the former Central Advisory Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), was cremated at the Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing on Sunday.

    Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Hu Jintao and his predecessor Jiang Zemin attended the funeral.

    Other state and party leaders, including Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao,Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, also came to pay their respects.

    Xiao was described as "an excellent CPC member, a time-tested, faithful communist fighter, and a proletarian revolutionary and strategist", according to an official statement released after his death.

    He participated in revolution in March 1927. Two months later, he joined the CPC.

    In 1955, he became a general when the People's Republic of China introduced the military ranking system for the first time.