The Chinese economy experienced a slowdown after the April 15, 1989 death of Hu Yaobang, a former leader of Chinese Communist Party who supported reforms. On the evening before his funeral, 100,000 Chinese citizens, primarily students and intellectuals, began six weeks of protests to encourage continued economy reform. The international community disapproved of the Chinese government's handling of the situation and responded with condemnation; the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank suspended foreign loans to China, and commitments of foreign direct investment (FDI) were cancelled. Some within the Chiese government attempted to curtail free market reforms and reinstitute administrative economic controls. These efforts, however, were met with resistance from provincial government, and China;s economic growth continued.