Without viable opposition, the ideal for a democratic China remains only a dream by a few enlightened Chinese intellectuals.

FORBES: Viable Oppositions for Democracy in China?

In recent weeks some Chinese intellectuals as well as official newspapers have engaged in heated debate about the dangers of populism.

ECONOMIST: Populist politics in China

Lobbying on his behalf by Chinese intellectuals may have helped.

ECONOMIST: Businessmen are starting to challenge the authorities

"Chinese intellectuals academics, architects and planners are now in very hot discussion about how best to pursue preservation, " said Li Xiangning, a professor of history and criticism at Tongji University in Shanghai.

WSJ: Ancient Village Rises in Shanghai; The Shock of the Old

Many Chinese intellectuals expected new measures of political change particularly democratic reform within the party to be unveiled in his speech on July 1st marking the official anniversary of the party's founding.

ECONOMIST: Politics in China

Some netizens mentioned the fact Mr Xu's suicide happened just days after the Burmese government said it was lifting its censorship, and lamented the sad state of affairs for Chinese intellectuals and journalists.

BBC: China editor's suicide sparks web debate

Chinese intellectuals elsewhere have similar feelings.

CNN: MAO NOW

Founded in 1998 and owned by a group of Chinese intellectuals notably Wang Boming, the son of a former deputy foreign minister who earlier helped to set up China's stockmarkets, Caijing combines investigative reporting with the sort of critical commentary that a decade ago would have landed its journalists in jail.

ECONOMIST: How scared should corporate China be of Hu Shuli?

Artists and intellectuals increasingly view Chinese life differently from the party line.

CNN: VIEWPOINT

Habibie heads an association of Muslim intellectuals, known as ICMI, that some believe threatens Indonesia's Chinese community -- at a time when resentment against the minority has turned violent.

CNN: A Perception Problem