Former Chinese Communist Party head Zhao Ziyang has been in a Beijing hospital for about a month, and sources close to his family say he is in generally poor health.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Kong Quan, confirmed the 85-year-old former leader's hospitalization and said he is in stable condition.

Mr. Zhao was a leading advocate of democratic and political reforms in China. He has been confined to his home in Beijing for more than 15 years. The former party leader was sacked after Chinese troops stormed Tiananmen Square and brought pro-democracy protests to a violent end.

Mr. Zhao was last seen in public on May 19,1989, tearfully begging student protesters to leave the square.