Li Xiannian
| Li Xiannian 李先念 |
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| 3rd President of the People's Republic of China | |
| In office 18 June 1983 – 8 April 1988 |
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| Premier | Zhao Ziyang Li Peng |
| Vice President | Ulanhu |
| Leader | Deng Xiaoping |
| Preceded by | Vacant, (last: Liu Shaoqi) |
| Succeeded by | Yang Shangkun |
| 5th Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee | |
| In office April 1988 – March 1993 |
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| Member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China |
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| In office 15 September 1956 – 25 March 1988 |
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| Preceded by | Deng Yingchao |
| Succeeded by | Li Ruihuan |
| Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China | |
| In office 1954–1983 |
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| Premier | Zhou Enlai Hua Guofeng Zhao Ziyang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 June 1909 Hong'an, Huanggang, Hubei, Qing Dynasty |
| Died | 21 June 1992 (aged 82) Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Political party | Communist Party of China |
| Spouse(s) | Lin Mei |
| Children | Li Xiaolin |
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| Chinese | 李先念 | ||||||||
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Li Xiannian (pronounced [lì ɕjánnjân]; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992) was a Chinese political leader and economic reformer. He served as President of the People's Republic of China between 1983 and 1988 and then Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference until his death. He was one of the most influential political figures throughout the PRC, having been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1956. Li was especially close with Chen Yun, with whom he worked 40 years. Li and Chen are considered the most powerful elders and economic reformers in Communist-era China.[1] Li was one of China's most powerful hard-line leaders.[2] He is one of the architects of China's economic recovery after the Cultural Revolution and is considered one of the Eight Immortals of Communist Party of China.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early career
Li joined the Communist Party of China in 1927, and served as an army captain and political commissar for the Chinese Red Army during the Long March.
[edit] Maoist politician
After the Communists victory in China, Li was appointed Party Secretary of Hubei Province in China from 1949–1954, and Commander of the Hubei Province's military garrison and political commissar. In 1950, Li was elected the first Chairman of the Hubei People's Government. While he was working in Hubei, Li was appointed Party Secretary of Wuhan and Vice-Chairman of the PRC's Military Commission South-Central China.
In 1954, Li was appointed China's Minister of Finance, and held on to this position for 13 years, until the Cultural Revolution. Li was also appointed Deputy Prime Minister during 1954–1967. In 1967, he fell out of favour during the Cultural Revolution.Li Xiannian considered himself lucky in the Cultural Revolution. He was not "pulled down" although it was a close thing. He was "set aside," protected by both Zhou Enlai and Mao himself.In February 1967,Li met with prominent officials and army generals,like Chen Yi,Ye Jianying and Nie Rongzhen and they critcized Cultural Revolution.Then,they were called "lizards,but not big dragons". [3]
Li was notable as the only civilian official to serve with Premier Zhou Enlai throughout the entire Cultural Revolution.[4] In 1976, during the final days of the Cultural Revolution. Li played an instrumental role in destroying the Gang Of Four.At a meeting of leading party mens in late 1976, the same table sat the chief men of the party: Hua Guofeng, Li Xiannian and Ye Jianying. Since it was common knowledge that the Li Xiannian is big opponent of Jiang Qing and the whole Gang of Four, and they are after Mao's death in September of that year were still quite influential, was founded fear of Li Xiannian of eavesdropping of part of his table. Li then came up, took the paper, wrote a plan for breaking the Gang of Four, and gave Ye Jianying, who sat beside him. Soon Hua Guofeng called a secret meeting with Ye and Li, and then together they devised a plan posthumous arrest and removal from membership of the Communist Party of the other former senior officials who, together with the Gang of Four are responsible for the deaths and executions of tens of millions of people.[4] Then, Li was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Politburo and a member of the Central Military Commission.
[edit] Post-Mao politician
When Hua Guofeng rose to leadership after the death of Mao Zedong, Li became Hua's chief economic adviser. If Hua had been successful in his efforts to achieve supreme power, Li would have become one of the most powerful officials in China, but Li's political career stalled when Deng Xiaoping eclipsed Hua as China's "paramount leader". For the rest of his career, Li grumbled that his own achievements during the brief Hua interregnum were not sufficiently recognized as the basis of the progress experienced in China during the 1980s.Although Hua lost power, Li has remained one of the leading men in the country.[4]
Li resented the younger officials who Deng promoted above Li, most notably Zhao Ziyang. Li was a prominent opponent of Zhao's efforts to reform the Chinese economy, and disliked Zhao personally for Zhao's appreciation of "foreign stuff" and for Zhao's willingness to learn from the economic models that had been successful for the Asian Tiger economies and for the West. According to Zhao, Li "hated me because I was implementing Deng Xiaoping's reforms, but since it was difficult for him to openly oppose Deng, he made me the target of his opposition."[5] Li played a key role in shifts of Zhao Ziyang and Hu Yaobang. Li's fight against Hu and Zhao was supported by other leaders who were close to him, such as Chen Yun, Bo Yibo, Wang Zhen, Peng Zhen, Hu Qiaomu, Wang Renzhong and Deng Liqun.[citation needed] After shift of Hu and Zhao,[clarification needed] Li, with Chen's support, fought Jiang Zemin's selection as leader of the Communist Party of China.[citation needed]
In 1983, after the passing of a new Constitution, Li was appointed President at the age of 74. In the political environment of China in the 1980s, the role of President was "largely ceremonial", but recognized Li's role as a respected and powerful Party elder. In 1984, Li Met with US President Ronald Regan during Regan's visit to China, notably discussing the status of Taiwan with the President.[6] Li visited the United States in July 1985, the first time a Head of State from the People's Republic China visited the USA.
In 1988, Li resigned from his position as President of the People's Republic Of China and was replaced by Yang Shangkun. Li was then named Chairman of the CPPCC. During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, Li was one of the hardline Party elders who pushed for a strong response to the demonstrations, and supported Li Peng's desire to use military force to suppress the protests. Li continued to serve in government until his death in 1992.
[edit] Death
Li died on 21 June 1992 at the age of 83. His funeral was held on 27 June 1992, and was attended by thousands of people, including Jiang Zemin, Yang Shangkun and other top Chinese leaders of the era. An official obituary released by the Chinese government praised Li as "a great proletarian revolutionary, statesman and strategist, a firm Marxist and an outstanding party and state leader."[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Brandt, Loren; Rawski, Thomas G. (2008). China's Great Economic Transformation. Cambridge University Press. p. 102. ISBN 9780521885577. "In economic policy, the most important elders were Chen Yun and Li Xiannian. These two men had enormous prestige and power."
- ^ Holley, David (23 June 1992). "Li Xiannian, Ex-President of China, Dies at 83". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-06-23/news/mn-1067_1_li-xiannian.
- ^ [1].
- ^ a b c MacFarquhar xviii
- ^ MacFarquhar xviii–xix
- ^ Anderson 3
- ^ Holley, David (23 June 1992). "Li Xiannian, Ex-President of China, Dies at 83". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-06-23/news/mn-1067_1_li-xiannian.
[edit] Sources
- Anderson, Kurt."History Beckons Again". TIME Magazine. 7 May 1984. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- MacFarquhar, Roderick. "Foreword". In Zhao Ziyang, Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang. New York, NY: Simon and Shuster. 2009. ISBN 1-4391-4938-0.
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