Peng Zhen

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Peng.

Peng Zhen 彭真
4th Chairman of the NPCSC
In office 1983–1988
Preceded by	Ye Jianying
Succeeded by	Wan Li
1st Secretary of CPC Central Political and Legislative Committee
In office 1980–1982
Succeeded by	Chen Pixian
Personal details
Born	October 12, 1902(1902-10-12) Houma, Linfen, Shanxi, Qing Dynasty
Died	April 26, 1997(1997-04-26) (aged 94) Beijing, People's Republic of China
Nationality	Chinese
Political party	Communist Party of China
Spouse(s)	Zhang Jieqing

Peng Zhen
Chinese	彭真
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Péng Zhēn - Wade–Giles P'eng Chen

Peng Zhen (pronounced [pʰə̌ŋ tʂə́n]; October 12, 1902 – April 26, 1997) was a leading member of the Communist Party of China.

Biography

Born in Houma (a town in Shanxi province), Peng was originally named Fu Maogong. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1923 as a founding member of the Shanxi Province CP. Arrested in 1929, he continued underground political activities while imprisoned. He was released from prison in 1935 and began organizing a resistance movement against the invading Japanese forces. Around the same time, he was appointed the Organization Department Director of the North Bureau of CPC. He also served on a number of positions as vice-president of the Central Party School and director of the CPC Policy Research Office. In 1945 he served in the history research committee and the organizing committee of the Communist Party's 7th National Congress. He is credited with substantial efforts towards the 1948 capture of Beijing by Communist forces in the Chinese Civil War.

Peng was a member of the CPC Central Committee starting from 1944 as well as member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee. He also held the positions of First Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee, and Mayor of Beijing (1951). He was Politburo member from 1956 to 1966.

Peng Zhen with Li Xiannianin 1986.

Peng was appointed head of the Five Man Group in charge of preparing the cultural revolution, but he fell out of favor with Mao Zedong in the April 1966 when he attacked Mao's belief that all literature should support the state. He was accused of being an associate to Wu Han's counter-revolutionary clique and deposed at a May conference, along with Lu Dingyi, Luo Ruiqing and Yang Shangkun, at the very start of the Cultural Revolution.

Peng survived to be rehabilitated under Deng Xiaoping. He subsequently became Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee (1980), a post he already held from late 1950s in the capacity of leader of a Central Politics and Law Leading Group. As Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress (1983), he sought to increase the NPC's power. Peng retired from his leading political positions in 1988.

He is considered one of the Eight Immortals of the Communist Party of China.

References

• Original text based on marxists.org article (GNU FDL)

External links

• The Peng Zhen Reference Archive

Political offices
Preceded by Nie Rongzhen	Mayor of Beijing 1951–1966	Succeeded by Wu De Acting
New title	Secretary-General of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress 1954–1965	Succeeded by Liu Ningyi
Preceded by Ji Pengfei	Secretary-General of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress 1979–1980	Succeeded by Yang Shangkun
Preceded by Ye Jianying	Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress 1983–1988	Succeeded by Wan Li
Party political offices
Preceded by Chen Yun	Head of the Central Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Acting from 1944–1945 1944–1953	Succeeded by Rao Shushi
New title	Secretary of the CPC Beijing Committee 1948–1966	Succeeded by Li Xuefeng
	Secretary of the CPC Central Political and Legislative Affairs Commission 1980–1982	Succeeded by Chen Pixian