Vice-premier of the State Council from 1993 to 2003, overseeing education among other areas, and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee from 1997 to 2002. After retiring he wrote popular books on classical music.
Besides music, he took up 篆刻, seal carving, at 71, carved over 400 seals and showed them at more than 20 exhibitions. One of his books on it is called 《原来篆刻这么有趣》, 'So seal carving is this much fun'.