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Wu Bangguo 吴邦国
10th Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
In office 10th National People's Congress 11th National People's Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 March 2003
Deputy	Wang Zhaoguo
Preceded by	Li Peng
Member of the 16,17th CPC Politburo Standing Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 November 2002
General Secretary	Hu Jintao
Member of the National People's Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 June 1988
Constituency	Shanghai At-large (88–98) Anhui At-large (98-)
Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
In office March 1995 – March 2003
Premier	Li Peng Zhu Rongji
12th CPC Shanghai Committee Secretary
In office 1991–1994
Deputy	Huang Ju (Mayor)
Preceded by	Zhu Rongji
Succeeded by	Huang Ju
Personal details
Born	July 1941 (age 70) Feidong, Hefei, Anhui, China
Nationality	Chinese
Political party	Communist Party of China
Spouse(s)	Zhang Ruizhen
Alma mater	Tsinghua University
Signature

Wu Bangguo (born July 1941) is a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China. He is currently Chairman and Party secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, a position that makes him China's chief legislator. He is also ranked second in official rankings of state and party leaders according to his qualifications in the Party. A native of Anhui, Wu is an electrical engineer by profession, and rose to national fame through regional work as the party chief of Shanghai and as Vice-Premier.

Early life[link]

Wu was born at Feidong County in Anhui. He entered Tsinghua University in 1960, majoring in electron tube engineering at the Department of Radio Electronics, where he graduated in 1967. He subsequently was employed as a worker and technician at Shanghai's No. 3 Electronic Tube Factory, and then deputy chief and chief of the technical section from 1976 to 1978. He would eventually go on to lead the factory as its party secretary. In 1978 he was assigned to become the deputy manager of Shanghai Electronic Elements Company, and between 1979 and 1981 the deputy manager of Shanghai Electron Tube Company. Between 1981 and 1983 he worked as the deputy secretary of Shanghai Meters, Instruments and Telecommunications Bureau.

Political life[link]

Wu's work in electronics companies earned him a tenure in the city's upper echelons of power. He became part of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai party committee in 1983, effectively becoming part of Shanghai's political inner circle, and was put in charge of work related to science and technology. Between 1985 and 1991, Wu was elevated to Deputy secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and subsequently as CPC party chief of Shanghai, the city's first-in-charge.

As Shanghai's political and economic stature grew due to economic reforms, Wu gained a seat on the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, China's ruling council, in 1992. He was subsequently elevated to Vice-Premier of the State Council in 1995 under Premier Li Peng, where he served in a portfolio dealing with industry and reforming state-owned enterprises, ranking third. He continued as Vice-Premier under Zhu Rongji, and served in the role until the 2003 National People's Congress.

At the 16th Party Congress in November 2002, Wu entered the highest power elite in the country, ranking second in the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China. Since 2003, he has served as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, a position which is roughly equivalent to that of a Speaker of a legislative assembly. At the 11th National People's Congress, he was re-elected as Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee on 15 March 2008.^[1] In his capacity as NPCSC chair, Wu delivers an annual address each year at the National People's Congress sessions in March. These speeches have always noted that China will not adopt multiparty democracy, separation of powers, or a federal system.^[2]

During a speech about the Basic Law of Hong Kong in the territory in June 2007, Wu warned that Hong Kong will only have as much authority as granted from Beijing, and that the Special Administrative Region's government is an executive-led model and should not blindly follow Western systems.^[3][4] He also stated that the Central Government supported Hong Kong's development of democracy, so long as it is within the boundaries of the Hong Kong Basic Law. Although the remarks were left open to interpretation, they generated significant controversy in Hong Kong, with pro-democracy politicians calling it a challenge on the autonomy of the territory.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Wu Bangguo biography at China Vitae (online database of Chinese officials)

v t e Members of the 17th Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China General Secretary 1. Hu Jintao Other members 2. Wu Bangguo 3. Wen Jiabao 4. Jia Qinglin 5. Li Changchun 6. Xi Jinping 7. Li Keqiang 8. He Guoqiang 9. Zhou Yongkang

v t e Members of the 16th Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China General Secretary 1. Hu Jintao Other members 2. Wu Bangguo 3. Wen Jiabao 4. Jia Qinglin 5. Zeng Qinghong 6. Huang Ju 7. Wu Guanzheng 8. Li Changchun 9. Luo Gan

v t e Chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Liu Shaoqi · Zhu De · Soong Ching-ling · Ye Jianying · Peng Zhen · Wan Li · Qiao Shi · Li Peng · Wu Bangguo Italics denote acting Chairman

Coordinates: 29°12′N 120°30′E / 29.2°N 120.5°E / 29.2; 120.5

Zhejiang Province
Chinese : 浙江省 Zhèjiāng Shěng Wu Romanization: Tsek Kaon Sang
Abbreviations: 浙  (pinyin: Zhè, Wu: Tsek)
Origin of name	Old name of Qiantang River
Administration type	Province
Capital (and largest city)	Hangzhou
CPC Ctte Secretary	Zhao Hongzhu
Governor	Xia Baolong
Area	101,800 km2 (39,300 sq mi) (25th)
- Latitude	27° 09' to 31° 11' N
- Longitude	118° 02' to 122° 57' E
Population (2010)  - Density	54,426,891 (10th) 495 /km2 (1,280 /sq mi) (8th)
GDP (2011[1])  - per capita	CNY 3.20 trillion US$ 495.45 billion (4th) CNY 58,665 US$ 9,083 (5th)
HDI (2008)	0.841 (high) (5th)
Ethnic composition	Han: 99.2% She: 0.4%
Languages and dialects	Wu
Prefectural level	11 divisions
County level	90 divisions
Township level*	1570 divisions
ISO 3166-2	CN-33
Official website http://www.zj.gov.cn(Chinese)(English)(Japanese)
Source for population and GDP data: 《中国统计年鉴—2005》 China Statistical Yearbook 2005 ISBN 7503747382 Source for nationalities data: 《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》 Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China ISBN 7105054255 *As at December 31, 2004
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Zhejiang (Chinese: 浙江; pinyin: Zhèjiāng; Wade–Giles: Che-chiang or Chekiang) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang (crooked river) was the old name of the Qiantang River,^[2] which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital. The name of the province is often abbreviated to its first character, "浙".

Zhejiang borders Jiangsu province and Shanghai municipality to the north, Anhui province to the northwest, Jiangxi province to the west, and Fujian province to the south; to the east is the East China Sea, beyond which lie the Ryukyu Islands of Japan.

History[link]

Early[link]

The area of modern Zhejiang was outside the major sphere of influence of early Chinese civilization during the Shang Dynasty (sixteenth century to eleventh century BC). Instead, this area was populated by peoples collectively known as the Yue, such as the Dongyue and the Ouyue. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the state of Yue emerged in northern Zhejiang. The Yue state was heavily influenced by the Chinese civilization further north. Under King Goujian of Yue, Yue reached its zenith and was able to wipe out the powerful state of Wu to its immediate north, in 473 BC. Then, in 333 BC, Yue was in turn conquered by the state of Chu, which was to the west. In 221 BC, the state of Qin completed the conquest of the last of the formerly independent states of China, including the state of Chu. This conquest made what is now Zhejiang part of a unified Chinese empire.

Qin, Han, and Three Kingdoms[link]

Throughout the Qin Dynasty (221 to 206 BC) and Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD), Zhejiang was under the control of a unified Chinese state. However, the area of today's Zhejiang was still on the fringe of the empire, at best. Southern Zhejiang was under no more than nominal control. Its Yue inhabitants largely retained their own political and social structures. Near the end of the Han Dynasty, Zhejiang was home to the minor warlords Yan Baihu and Wang Lang. These two were defeated by Sun Ce and Sun Quan, who established the Kingdom of Wu (222–280), one of the three kingdoms of the Three Kingdoms era.

Six Dynasties[link]

From the fourth century onwards, China experienced invasions from the north by nomadic peoples, who succeeded in conquering much of the territory of North China. This ushered in the era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Southern and Northern Dynasties. As part of this process, massive numbers of refugees fled the north and arrived in South China. The large numbers of refugees from the north accelerated the sinicization of South China, including Zhejiang, as people from the northern areas became incorporated into the kingdom of the Eastern Jin Dynasty or the other Southern Dynasties states of the time. Though the capital of the Southern Dynasties kingdoms was (almost by definition) Jiankang, in the location of modern Nanjing, in the province of Jiangsu; nevertheless, the Zhejiang area was home to the major metropolis and cultural center of Hangzhou, formerly known as Qiantang, but renamed in 589. Jiankang and Hangzhou together with Chengdu were the three major cities of southern China in this period, and Hangzhou was the main city of what is now Zhejiang.

Sui and Tang[link]

The Sui Dynasty reestablished unity and rebuilt and expanded the Grand Canal of China, which linked Hangzhou to the North China Plain, providing Zhejiang with a vital link to the other centers of Chinese civilization. The Tang Dynasty (618–907) presided over a golden age of China. Zhejiang was, at this time, part of the Jiangnandong Circuit, and there began to appear references to its prosperity. Later on, as the Tang Dynasty disintegrated, Zhejiang constituted most of the territory of the regional kingdom of Wuyue.

Northern Song[link]

The Northern Song Dynasty re-established unity in around 960. Under the Song Dynasty, the prosperity of South China began to overtake that of North China. After the north was lost to the Jurchens in 1127, Zhejiang had its heyday. The modern provincial capital, Hangzhou, was the capital of the Han Chinese Southern Song Dynasty which remained in power in South China. Renowned for its prosperity and beauty, it may have been the largest city in the world at the time.^[3] Ever since then, north Zhejiang has, together with neighboring south Jiangsu, been synonymous with luxury and opulence in Chinese culture. The Mongol conquest and the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty in 1279 ended Hangzhou's political clout, though Hangzhou continued to prosper. Marco Polo visited the city, which he called "Kinsay"; he called it the "finest and noblest city" in the world".^[4]

Southern Song[link]

The Zhejiang province, particularly the Longquan district, became renowned during the Southern Song and Yuan dynasty for its production of a particular celadon (greenware) ceramic. The Southern Song Longquan celadon is characterized by a thick unctuous glaze of a particular bluish-green tint over an otherwise undecorated light-grey porcellaneous body that is delicately potted. Yuan Longquan celadons feature a thinner, greener glaze on increasingly large vessels with decoration and shapes derived from Middle Eastern ceramic and metalwares. These were produced in large quantities for the Chinese export trade to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and during the Ming Dynasty, Europe. Ming wares are mainly noted for a decrease in quality. It is in this period that the Longquan kilns declined, to be eventually replaced in popularity and ceramic production by the kilns of Jingdezhen, in neighboring Jiangxi province.^[5]

Ming[link]

This tripod planter from the Ming Dynasty was found in Zhejiang province. It is housed in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

The Ming Dynasty, which drove out the Mongols in 1368, created the province of Zhejiang. The borders of the province have changed little since it was founded.

Modern[link]

Under the late Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty that followed it, Zhejiang's ports were important centers of international trade.

"In 1727 the to-min or "idle people " of Cheh Kiang province (a Ningpo name still existing), the yoh-hu or " music people " of Shan Si province, the si-min or "small people " of Kiang Su province, and the tan-ka or "egg-people" of Canton (to this day the boat population there), were all freed from their social disabilities, and allowed to count as free men."^[6] "Cheh Kiang" is another romanization for Zhejiang.

During the First Opium War, the British navy defeated Eight Banners forces at Ningbo and Dinghai. Under the terms of the Treaty of Nanjing, signed in 1843, Ningbo became one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened to virtually unrestricted foreign trade. Much of Zhejiang came under the control of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom during the Taiping Rebellion, which resulted in a considerable loss of life in the province. In 1876, Wenzhou became Zhejiang's second treaty port.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, which led into World War II, much of Zhejiang was occupied by Japan and placed under the control of the Japanese puppet state known as the Reorganized National Government of China. Following the Doolittle Raid, most of the B-25 American crews that came down in China eventually made it to safety with the help of Chinese civilians and soldiers. The Chinese people who helped them, however, paid dearly for sheltering the Americans. The Imperial Japanese Army began the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign to intimidate the Chinese out of helping downed American airmen. The Japanese killed an estimated 250,000 civilians while searching for Doolittle’s men.^[7]

After the People's Republic of China took control of Mainland China in 1949, the Republic of China government based in Taiwan continued to control the Dachen Islands off the coast of Zhejiang until 1955, even establishing a rival Zhejiang provincial government there, creating a situation similar to Fujian province today. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), Zhejiang was in chaos and disunity, and its economy was stagnant, especially during the high tide (1966–69) of the revolution. The agricultural policy favoring grain production at the expense of industrial and cash crops intensified economic hardships in the province. Mao’s self-reliance policy and the reduction in maritime trade cut off the lifelines of the port cities of Ningbo and Wenzhou. While Mao invested heavily in railroads in interior China, no major railroads were built in South Zhejiang, where transportation remained poor.^[8]

Zhejiang benefited less from central government investment than some other provinces due to its lack of natural resources, a location vulnerable to potential flooding from the sea, and an economic base at the national average. Zhejiang, however, has been an epicenter of capitalist development in China, and has led the nation in the development of a market economy and private enterprises.^[8] Northeast Zhejiang, as part of the Yangtze Delta, is flat, more developed, and industral.^[8] South Zhejiang is mountainous and largely ill-suited for farming and has traditionally been poor and underdeveloped. The economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping, however, have brought change to that region unparalleled across the rest of China. Driven by hard work, an entrepreneurial spirit, low labor costs, and an eye for the world market, south Zhejiang (especially cities such as Wenzhou and Yiwu) has become a major center of export. This, together with the traditional prosperity of north Zhejiang, has allowed Zhejiang to leapfrog over several other provinces and become one of the richest provinces of China.

Contrary to traditional Confucian ideas, intellectuals in Zhejiang, such as Shi Ye of the Yongjia School, promoted commercial activity. Over the years, Zhejiang has developed a tradition of commercial activity and entrepreneurship.

Geography[link]

View of the West Lake in Hangzhou.

Zhejiang consists mostly of hills, which account for about 70% of its total area. Altitudes tend to be the highest to the south and west, and the highest peak of the province, Huangmaojian Peak (1,929 metres (6,329 ft)), is located in the southwest. Mountains and mountain ranges in the province include the Yandang Mountains, Tianmu Mountain, Mount Tiantai, and Mount Mogan, which reach altitudes of 700 to 1,500 metres (2,300 to 4,900 ft).

Valleys and plains are found along the coastline and rivers. The north of the province lies just south of the Yangtze Delta, and consists of plains around the cities of Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou, where the Grand Canal of China enters from the northern border to end at Hangzhou. Another relatively flat area is found along the Qujiang River around the cities of Quzhou and Jinhua. Major rivers include the Qiangtang and Oujiang Rivers. Most rivers carve out valleys in the highlands, with plenty of rapids and other features associated with such topography. Well-known lakes include the West Lake of Hangzhou and the South Lake of Jiaxing.

There are over three thousand islands along the rugged coastline of Zhejiang. The largest, Zhoushan Island, is Mainland China's third largest island, after Hainan and Chongming. There are also many bays, of which Hangzhou Bay is the largest.

Zhejiang has a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Spring starts in March and is rainy with changeable weather. Summer, from June to September is long, hot, rainy, and humid. Fall is generally dry, warm and sunny. Winters are short but cold except in the far south. Average annual temperature is around 15 to 19°C (59 to 66°F), average January temperature is around 2 to 8°C (35 to 46°F), and average July temperature is around 27 to 30°C (81 to 86°F). Annual precipitation is about 1000 to 1900 mm (40 to 75 inches). There is plenty of rainfall in early summer, and by late summer Zhejiang is directly threatened by typhoons forming in the Pacific.

Administrative divisions[link]

Zhejiang is divided into eleven prefecture-level divisions, all of them prefecture-level cities:

Map	#	Name	Administrative Seat	Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010)
	— Sub-provincial city —
	1	Hangzhou	Gongshu District	杭州市 Hángzhōu Shì	8,700,400
	2	Ningbo	Haishu District	宁波市 Níngbō Shì	7,605,700
	— Prefecture-level city —
	3	Huzhou	Wuxing District	湖州市 Húzhōu Shì	2,893,500
	4	Jiaxing	Nanhu District	嘉兴市 Jiāxīng Shì	4,501,700
	5	Jinhua	Wucheng District	金华市 Jīnhuá Shì	5,361,600
	6	Lishui	Liandu District	丽水市 Líshuǐ Shì	2,117,000
	7	Quzhou	Kecheng District	衢州市 Qúzhōu Shì	2,122,700
	8	Shaoxing	Yuecheng District	绍兴市 Shàoxīng Shì	4,912,200
	9	Taizhou	Jiaojiang District	台州市 Tāizhōu Shì	5,968,800
	10	Wenzhou	Lucheng District	温州市 Wēnzhōu Shì	9,122,100
	11	Zhoushan	Dinghai District	舟山市 Zhōushān Shì	1,121,300

The eleven prefecture-level divisions of Zhejiang are subdivided into 90 county-level divisions (32 districts, 22 county-level cities, 35 counties, and one autonomous county). Those are in turn divided into 1570 township-level divisions (761 towns, 505 townships, 14 ethnic townships, and 290 subdistricts).

Politics[link]

The politics of Zhejiang is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China.

The Governor of Zhejiang is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Zhejiang. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Zhejiang Communist Party of China Provincial Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Zhejiang CPC Party Chief". Zhejiang was home to Chiang Kai-shek and many high ranking officials in the Nationalist Party, who fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Civil War.

Economy[link]

The province is traditionally known as the "Land of Fish and Rice". True to its name, rice is the main crop, followed by wheat; north Zhejiang is also a center of aquaculture in China, and the Zhoushan fishery is the largest fishery in the country. The main cash crops include jute and cotton, and the province also leads the provinces of China in tea production. (The renowned Longjing tea is a product of Hangzhou.) Zhejiang's towns have been known for handicraft production of goods such as silk, for which it is ranked second among the provinces. Its many market towns connect the cities with the countryside.

Ningbo, Wenzhou, Taizhou and Zhoushan are important commercial ports. The Hangzhou Bay Bridge between Haiyan County and Cixi, is the longest bridge over a continuous body of sea water in the world.

Zhejiang's main manufacturing sectors are electromechanical industries, textiles, chemical industries, food, and construction materials. In recent years Zhejiang has followed its own development model, dubbed the "Zhejiang model", which is based on prioritizing and encouraging entrepreneurship, an emphasis on small businesses responsive to the whims of the market, large public investments into infrastructure, and the production of low-cost goods in bulk for both domestic consumption and export. As a result, Zhejiang has made itself one of the richest provinces, and the "Zhejiang spirit" has become something of a legend within China. However, some economists now worry that this model is not sustainable, in that it is inefficient and places unreasonable demands on raw materials and public utilities, and also a dead end, in that the myriad small businesses in Zhejiang producing cheap goods in bulk are unable to move to more sophisticated or technologically more advanced industries.^[9] The economic heart of Zhejiang is moving from North Zhejiang, centered on Hangzhou, southeastward to the region centered on Wenzhou and Taizhou.^[8] The per capita disposable income of urbanites in Zhejiang reached 24,611 yuan (US$3,603) in 2009, an annual real growth of 8.3%. The per capita pure income of rural residents stood at 10,007 yuan (US$1,465), a real growth of 8.1% year-on-year.^[10] Zhejiang's nominal GDP for 2011 was 3.20 trillion yuan (US$506 billion) with a per capita GDP of 44,335 yuan (US$6,490).^[11] In 2009, Zhejiang's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 116.2 billion yuan (US$17 billion), 1.1843 trillion yuan (US$173.4 billion), and 982.7 billion yuan (US$143.9 billion) respectively.^{[12][13][14][15]}

Zhejiang was the first province of China without any counties in the poverty-county list of the central government.^{[citation needed]} Zhejiang has become one of the most commercial and richest provinces in China. Compared to many other Chinese provinces, the development of different regions in Zhejiang is more balanced. While the countyside still lags behind, in 2006, the per capita disposable incomes of all eleven prefecture-level divisions in Zhejiang ranked among the top 30 in Chinese cities.

Economic and Technological Development Zones[link]

• Huzhou Economic Development Zone
• Dinghai Industrial Park
• Hangzhou Economic & Technological Developing Area
• Hangzhou New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
• Hangzhou Export Processing Zone
• Hangzhou Zhijiang National Tourist Holiday Resort
• Jiaxing Export Processing Zone
• Ningbo Economic and Technical Development Zone
• Ningbo Daxie Island Development Zone
• Ningbo Free Trade Zone
• Ningbo Export Processing Zone
• Quzhou Industrial Park
• Shenjia Economic and Technological Development Zone
• Wenzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone
• Xiaoshan Economic and Technological Development Zone
• Zhejiang Quzhou Hi-Tech Park
• Zhejiang Zhoushan Economic Development Zone
• Zhejiang Donggang Economic Development Zone

Economic and technological development concerns[link]

Waste disposal[link]

Zhejiang Jinko Solar Co, Ltd, founded in 2006, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-invested JinkoSolar Holding Co, Ltd (NYSE Stock Code: JKS), produces mono- and multi-crystalline photovoltaic panels, cells, and wafers for solar panels. The company employs more than 10,000 professionals in two factories in east China and has offshore offices and warehouses in the United States and Europe, according to the company website (www.jinkosolar.com). On Thursday, September 15, 2011, more than 500 people from Hongxiao Village protested over the large-scale death of fish in a nearby river. Angry protesters stormed the factory compound, overturned eight company vehicles, and destroyed the offices before police came to disperse the crowd. Protests continued on the two following nights with reports of scuffles, officials said. Chen Hongming, a deputy head of Haining's environmental protection bureau, said the factory's waste disposal had failed pollution tests since April. The environmental watchdog had warned the factory, but it had not effectively controlled the pollution, Chen added.^[16]

Ethnicity[link]

Han Chinese make up the vast majority of the population, and the largest Han subgroup are the speakers of Wu varieties of Chinese. There are also 400,000 members of ethnic minorities, including approximately 200,000 She people and approximately 20,000 Hui Chinese^{[citation needed]}. Jingning She Autonomous County in Lishui is the only She autonomous county in China.^[17]

Media[link]

The Zhejiang Radio & Television, Hangzhou Radio & Television Group, Ningbo Radio & Television Group are the local broadcasters in Zhejiang Province. Programs are produced by Guinness of China Television, and entertainment is produced by Wenzhou Television.

Culture[link]

A boat on one of Shaoxing's waterways, near the city center. North Zhejiang, known as the "Land of Fish and Rice", is characterized by its canals and waterways.

Languages[link]

Zhejiang is mountainous and has therefore fostered the development of many distinct local cultures. Linguistically speaking, Zhejiang is extremely diverse. Most inhabitants of Zhejiang speak Wu, one of the Chinese languages, but the Wu dialects are very diverse, especially in the south, where one valley may speak a dialect completely unintelligible to the next valley a few kilometers away. Non-Wu dialects are spoken as well, mostly along the borders; Mandarin and Huizhou dialects are spoken on the border with Anhui, while Min dialects are spoken on the border with Fujian. (See Hangzhou dialect, Shaoxing dialect, Ningbo dialect, Wenzhou dialect, Taizhou dialect, Jinhua dialect, and Quzhou dialect for more information).

Throughout history there have been a series of lingua francas in the area to allow for better communication. The dialects spoken in Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Ningbo have taken on this role historically. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Mandarin, which is not mutually intelligible with any of the local dialects, has been promoted as the standard language of communication throughout China. As a result, most of the population now can, to some degree, speak and comprehend Mandarin and can code-switch when necessary. A majority of the population educated since 1978 can speak Mandarin. Urban residents tend to be more fluent in Mandarin than rural people. Nevertheless, a Zhejiang accent is detectable in almost everyone from the area communicating in Mandarin, and the home dialect remains an important part of the everyday lives and cultural identities of most Zhejiang residents.

Music[link]

Zhejiang is the home of Yueju (越劇), one of the most prominent forms of Chinese opera. Yueju originated in Shengzhou and is traditionally performed by actresses only, in both male and female roles. Other important opera traditions include Yongju (of Ningbo), Shaoju (of Shaoxing), Ouju (of Wenzhou), Wuju (of Jinhua), Taizhou Luantan (of Taizhou) and Zhuji Luantan (of Zhuji).

Cuisine[link]

Longjing tea (also called dragon well tea), originating in Hangzhou, is one of the most prestigious, if not the most prestigious Chinese tea. Hangzhou is also renowned for its silk umbrellas and hand fans. Zhejiang cuisine (itself subdivided into many traditions, including Hangzhou cuisine) is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine.

Place names[link]

Since ancient times, north Zhejiang and neighbouring south Jiangsu have been famed for their prosperity and opulence^{[citation needed]}, and simply inserting north Zhejiang place names (Hangzhou, Jiaxing, etc.) into poetry gave an effect of dreaminess, as was indeed done by many famous poets. In particular, the fame of Hangzhou (as well as Suzhou in neighbouring Jiangsu province) has led to the popular saying: 上有天堂，下有苏杭 ("Above there is heaven; below there is Suzhou and Hangzhou"), a saying that continues to be a source of pride for the people of these two still prosperous cities.

Notable people[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Politics and military[link]

• Gou Jian, king of Yue.
• Sun Quan (182–252), founder of Wu in the Three Kingdoms period.
• Ling Tong (189-217/237), general of Sun Quan during later Han and early Three Kingdoms era.
• Qian Liu (852–932), king of Wuyue.
• Liu Ji (1311–1375), legendary military strategist.
• Yu Qian (1398–1457), Ming Dynasty Minister of Defence and a national hero.
• Chiang Kai-shek (1887–1975), President of the Republic of China.
• Qiu Jin (1875–1907), revolutionary heroine.
• Chen Cheng (1897–1965), Kuomintang (KMT) general, Premier of the Republic of China on Taiwan.
• Hu Zongnan (1896–1962), KMT general.
• Tang Enbo (1898–1954), KMT general.
• Zhou Enlai (1898–1976), Premier of the People's Republic of China.
• Chiang Ching-kuo (1910–1988), son of Chiang Kai-shek and President of the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Arts[link]

• Wang Xizhi (303–361), most revered calligrapher.
• Xie Lingyun ((385–433)), early exponent of the landscape poetry genre.
• He Zhizhang (659–744), Tang Dynasty poet.
• Zhou Bangyan (1056–1121), Song Dynasty poet
• Wang Meng (1308–1385), Yuan Dynasty painter.
• Wang Shouren (1472–1529), Ming Dynasty neo-Confucianism philosopher.
• Xu Wei (1521–1593), Ming Dynasty painter.
• Chen Hongshou (1598–1652), Ming Dynasty painter.
• Huang Zongxi (1610–1695), neo-Confucianism philosopher.
• Wu Changshuo (1844–1927), painter.
• Lu Xun (1881–1936), prominent writer, founder of modern Chinese literature.
• Zhou Xinfang (1895–1975), Peking Opera actor.
• Mao Dun (1896–1981), novelist.
• Xu Zhimo (1893–1931), poet.
• Jinyong (born 1924), Wuxia writer.

Sciences[link]

• Shen Kuo (1031–1095), scientist, general, statesman, author, mathematician.
• Zhang Binglin (1868–1936), linguist.
• Cai Yuanpei (1868–1940), educator and late president of Peking University.
• Zhu Kezhen (1890–1974), meteorologist and late president of Zhejiang University.
• Su Buqing (1902–2003), mathematician and late president of Fudan University.
• S. S. Chern (1911–2004), mathematician, Wolf Prize winner.
• Tsien Hsue-shen (1911-2009), the "Father of Chinese Rocketry".

Tourism[link]

The Hall of Five Hundred Arhats at Guoqing Temple

Tourist destinations in Zhejiang include:

• Baoguo Temple, one of the oldest intact wooden structures in Southern China, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Ningbo.
• Mount Putuo, one of the most noted Buddhist mountains in China. Chinese Buddhists associate it with Guan Yin.
• Qita Temple, Ningbo.
• Shaoxing, site of the Tomb of Yu the Great, Wuzhen and other waterway towns.
• The ancient capital of Hangzhou.
• Mount Tiantai, (天台山), a mountain important to Zen Buddhism.
• West Lake, in Hangzhou.
• Yandangshan, a mountainous scenic area near Wenzhou.
• Qiandao Lake, lit. Thousand-island lake.
• Guoqing Temple, founded in the Sui Dynasty, the founding location of Tiantai Buddhism
• Mount Mogan, a scenic mountain an hour from Hangzhou with many pre-WWII villas built by foreigners, along with one of Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang compounds

Sports[link]

Professional sports teams based in Zhejiang include:

• Chinese Football Association Jia League
  • Zhejiang Lücheng
• Chinese Basketball Association
  • Zhejiang Wanma
  • Bayi Rockets (in Ningbo)

Education[link]

Colleges and universities[link]

• Zhejiang Sci-Tech University (浙江理工大学) (Hangzhou)--(原“浙江丝绸工学院”、“浙江工程学院”)
• China Academy of Art (中国美术学院) (Hangzhou)
• Hangzhou Dianzi University (杭州电子科技大学) (Hangzhou)
• Hangzhou Normal University (杭州师范大学)(Hangzhou)
• Ningbo University (宁波大学) (Ningbo)
• University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China (诺丁汉大学宁波校区) (Ningbo)
• Zhejiang Agricultural University
• Zhejiang University (浙江大学) (Hangzhou)
• Zhejiang University of Technology (浙江工业大学) (Hangzhou)
• Zhejiang Medical University
• Zhejiang Normal University (浙江师范大学) (Jinhua)
• Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics (浙江财经学院) (Hangzhou)
• Zhejiang Gongshang University (浙江工商大学) (Hangzhou)
• Shaoxing University (绍兴文理学院) (Shaoxing)
• Zhejiang Forestry University (浙江林学院) (Lin'an 临安)
• Wenzhou Medical College (温州医学院)
• Wenzhou Teachers College
• Shaoxing College of Arts and Science
• Zhejiang Institute of Education
• Hangzhou Institute of Electronic Engineering
• Hangzhou University of Commerce
• Hangzhou Institute of Financial Managers

Schools[link]

• Hangzhou Foreign Language School 杭州 外国语 学校
• Hangzhou High School 浙江省 杭州 高级 中学
• Hangzhou Xuejun High School 杭州 学军 中学
• Jiashan Senior High School 嘉善 高级 中学
• Ningbo Middle School 宁波 中学
• Xiaoshi Middle School 效实 中学
• Zhenhai High School 镇海 中学

References[link]

• Economic profile of Zhejiang at HKTDC

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zhejiang

• Zhejiang Government website (Chinese) (English) (Japanese)
• Zhejiang Hangzhou (English)
• Zhejiang travel guide from Wikitravel

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President of Iran
Emblem of Iran
Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since 3 August 2005
Residence	Sa'dabad Palace
Appointer	Popularly Elected
Term length	Four years renewable once
Inaugural holder	Abulhassan Banisadr
Formation	4 February 1980
Website	www.president.ir

Iran

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Iran

Constitution Constitution (1979) Constitution (1906) Leadership Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Assembly of Experts Speaker Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani Executive President (List) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Vice President First (List): Mohammad-Reza Rahimi Others Cabinet 90th Government Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution Legislative Islamic Consultative Assembly Speaker Ali Larijani Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Supreme Audit Court City and Village Councils Judicial Supreme Court Sadeq Larijani Attorney General Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei General Inspection Office Ministry of Justice Human rights Elections Elections in Iran Guardian Council Political parties Political parties in Iran Reformists Conservatives Foreign policy Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Politics of Iran Iran in Africa Unit 400 of Iran's al-Quds Force

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The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state. According to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran the president is responsible for the "functions of the executive", such as signing treaties, agreements etc. with other countries and international organizations; the national planning and budget and state employment affairs; appointing ministers, governors, and ambassadors subject to the approval of the parliament.^[1]

Unlike some other countries, for example the United States, in Iran the office of president does not bestow full control over foreign policy, the armed forces, or the nuclear policy of the Iranian state, which are ultimately under the control of the Supreme Leader.^[2]

The President of Iran is elected for a four-year term by the direct vote of the people and may not serve for more than two consecutive terms.

The President of Iran is the only President of a state that is not Head of State.

The current President of Iran is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since the 2005 Iranian presidential election. He was re-elected after the disputed 2009 Iranian presidential election.

Background[link]

1st and 2nd Presidents of Iran

Banisadr, the first president

Rajai, the second president

After the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and referendum to create the Islamic Republic on March 29 and 30, the new government needed to craft a new constitution. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, ordered an election for the Assembly of Experts, the body tasked with writing the constitution.^[3] The assembly presented the constitution on October 24, 1979, and Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini and Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan approved it.

The 1979 Constitution designated the Supreme Leader as the head of state and the President and Prime Minister as the heads of government. The post of Prime Minister was abolished in 1989.

The first Iranian presidential election was held on January 25, 1980 and resulted in the election of Abulhassan Banisadr with 76% of the votes. Banisadr was impeached on June 22, 1981 by Parliament. Until the early election on July 24, 1981, the duties of the President were undertaken by the Provisional Presidential Council. Mohammad-Ali Rajai was elected President on July 24, 1981 and took office on August 2. Rajai was in office for less than one month because he and his prime minister were both assassinated. Once again a Provisional Presidential Council filled the office until October 13, 1981 when Ali Khamenei was elected president.

Ali Khamenei, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami and current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were each elected president for two terms.

Qualifications and election[link]

The President of Iran is elected for a four year term in a national election by universal adult suffrage for everyone of at least 18 years of age.^[4] Candidates for the presidency must be approved by the 12-member Council of Guardians. Half of the Council's members are appointed by the Supreme Leader and are intended to preserve the values of the Islamic Republic. According to the constitution of Iran candidates for the presidency must possess the following qualifications:

• Iranian origin;
• Iranian nationality;
• administrative capacity and resourcefulness;
• a good past record;
• trustworthiness and piety; and
• convinced belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the official madhhab of the country.^[5]

Within these guidelines the Council vetoes candidates who are deemed unacceptable. The approval process is considered to be a check on the president's power, and usually amounts to a small number of candidates being approved. In the 1997 election, for example, only four out of 238 presidential candidates were approved by the council. Western observers have routinely criticized the approvals process as a way for the Council and Supreme Leader to ensure that only conservative and like-minded Islamic fundamentalists can win office. However, the council rejects the criticism, citing approval of reformists in previous elections. The council rejects most of the candidates stating that they are not "a well-known political figure", a requirement by the current law. The President must be elected with a simple majority of the popular vote. A runoff election may be required to achieve this. The President serves for a term of four years and is eligible for a second term.

Sa'dabad Palace, office of President

Presidential council[link]

According to the Iranian constitution, when the President dies or is impeached, a special provisional Presidential Council temporarily rules in his place until an election can be held. The President automatically becomes the Head of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution and the Head of the Supreme Council of National Security.

Powers and responsibilities[link]

• Head of Government and Cabinet
• Head of the Council of National Security
• Head of the Council of Cultural Revolution
• Sends and receives all foreign ambassadors
• Selection of Vice Presidents

Oath of office[link]

I, as the President, upon the Holy Qur'an and in the presence of the Iranian nation, do hereby swear in the name of Almighty God to safeguard the official Faith, the system of the Islamic republic and the Constitution of the country; to use all my talents and abilities in the discharge of responsibilities undertaken by me; to devote myself to the service of the people, glory of the country, promotion of religion and morality, support of right and propagation of justice; to refrain from being autocratic; to protect the freedom and dignity of individuals and the rights of the Nation recognized by the Constitution; to spare no efforts in safeguarding the frontiers and the political, economic and cultural freedoms of the country; to guard the power entrusted to me by the Nation as a sacred trust like an honest and faithful trustee, by seeking help from God and following the example of the Prophet of Islam and the sacred Imams, peace be upon them, and to entrust it to the one elected by the Nation after me.

Last election[link]

Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009,^[6][7] with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election with 62% of the votes cast,^[8] and that Mir-Hossein Mousavi had received 34% of the votes cast.^[9][10] The European Union,^[11] the United Kingdom^[12] the United States, and several western countries expressed concern over alleged irregularities during the vote,^[11] and many analysts and journalists from the United States, Europe and other western based media voiced doubts about the authenticity of the results.^{[13][14][15][16]} Meanwhile many OIC member states, as well as Russia, China, India, and Brazil, have congratulated Ahmadinejad on his victory.

Mousavi issued a statement saying, "I'm warning that I won't surrender to this charade," and urged his supporters to fight the decision, without committing acts of violence.^[14] Protests, in favour of Mousavi and against the alleged fraud, broke out in Tehran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad, labeling his victory as a "divine assessment".^[17] Mousavi lodged an official appeal against the result to the Guardian Council on 14 June.^[18] On 15 June, Khamenei announced there would be an investigation into vote-rigging claims, which would take seven to ten days.^[19] On 16 June, the Guardian Council announced it will recount the votes. However, Mousavi stated that 14 million unused ballots were missing, giving a chance to manipulate the results.^[20] On 29 June, Iran's electoral board completed the partial recount, and concluded that Ahmadinejad won the election, amidst protest from the opposition.^[21]

The President of Iran is the highest official elected by direct popular vote, but does not control foreign policy or the armed forces. Candidates have to be vetted by the Guardian Council, a twelve member body consisting of six clerics (selected by Iran's Supreme Leader) and six lawyers (proposed by the head of Iran's judicial system and voted in by the Parliament).^[22]

The inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was held on 5 August in Tehran amid protests held outside the Parliament.^[23]

See also[link]

• List of Presidents of Iran
• Vice President of Iran
• Politics of Iran

References[link]

External links[link]

• The President's Office
• Iran's Presidential Office of Scientific and Industrial Studies
• Ahmadinejad's blog
• Iran Electoral Archive - President

v t e Iran topics History Pre-Islamic Prehistory Proto-Elamite civilization BCE 3200– BCE 2800 Elamite dynasties BCE 2800– BCE 550 Bactria-Margiana Complex BCE 2200– BCE 1700 Kingdom of Mannai BCE 10th– BCE 7th cent. Median Empire BCE 728– BCE 550 Achaemenid Empire BCE 550– BCE 330 Seleucid Empire BCE 330– BCE 150 Greco-Bactrian Kingdom BCE 250– BCE 125 Parthian Empire BCE 248–CE 224 Kushan Empire CE 30–CE 275 Sassanid Empire CE 224–CE 651 Hephthalite Empire CE 425–CE 557 Kabul Shahi kingdom CE 565–CE 879 Islamic Patriarchal Caliphate 637–651 Umayyad Caliphate 661–750 Abbasid Caliphate 750–1258 Tahirid dynasty 821–873 Alavid dynasty 864–928 Saffarid dynasty 861–1003 Samanid dynasty 819–999 Ziyarid dynasty 928–1043 Buyid dynasty 934–1055 Ghaznavid Empire 975–1187 Ghori dynasty 1149–1212 Seljuk Empire 1037–1194 Khwarezmid dynasty 1077–1231 Ilkhanate 1256–1335 Kartids dynasty 1231–1389 Ottoman Empire 1299–1923 Muzaffarid dynasty 1314–1393 Chupanid dynasty 1337–1357 Jalayerid dynasty 1339–1432 Timurid Empire 1370–1506 Qara Qoyunlu Turcomans 1375–1468 Aq Qoyunlu Turcomans 1378–1508 Safavid Empire 1501–1722 or 1736 Hotaki dynasty 1722–1729 Afsharid dynasty 1736–1750 Zand Dynasty 1750–1794 Durrani Empire 1794–1826 Qajar Dynasty 1794–1925 Modern Pahlavi dynasty 1925–1979 Interim Government of Iran 1979 Islamic Republic of Iran 1979–present See also Ancient Iran Iranian Cultural Continent Indo-Iranians (languages) Jiroft civilization Aryans Persian peoples Tajik people Iranian peoples Kings of Persia Military history Years in Iran Politics Government Intellectual movements Women's movement Elections Constitution Supreme Leader President Judicial system Assembly of Experts Parliament Guardian Council Expediency Discernment Council Supreme National Security Council City and Village Councils Human rights LGBT Officials Provincial governors Reformists Principlists United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747 Ambassadors Foreign relations Ministry of Intelligence Terrorism Military Army Air Force Navy Censorship Nuclear program Allegations of state terrorism Iranian Green Revolution Anglo-Iranian Oil Company Operation Ajax White Revolution Iranian Revolution Embassy siege Iran-Iraq war Iran Air Flight 655 1987 massacre of Iranian pilgrims Chicago's Persian heritage crisis History of the Islamic Republic of Iran Iranian Presidential Election, 2009 Persian Constitutional Revolution Propaganda Demographics Iranian citizens abroad Religion Muslims Bahá'ís Christians Azerbaijanis Armenians Persian Jews Ethnic minorities Religious minorities Zoroastrians persecution Women Languages Persian language Iranian Languages Azerbaijani Language Armenian Language Indo-Iranian languages Geography Cities list Iranian Azerbaijan Iranian Balochistan Iranian Kurdistan Iranian Plateau Islands Mountains Provinces Earthquakes Wildlife Economy Economic history of Iran Agriculture Fruit Industry Water and sanitation Health care Central bank Companies automobile manufacturers Banks Research centers Brain drain Iran Electronics Industries (IEI) Military equipment IDRO National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) Space Milad Tower and complex Military exports Rial Tehran Stock Exchange Electronic banking Intellectual property International Oil Bourse Bonyad Asalouyeh industrial corridor Kish Island Free Trade Zone Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone Labor and tax laws Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Mining Construction Privatization Foreign Direct Investment Supreme Audit Court Communications Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) Transport Railways Metro Airlines Iran Shipping Lines Energy Petroleum industry Nuclear program Tourism Environmental issues Economic Reform Plan Middle East economy List of major economic laws in Iran Iran and WTO Economic history of Iran Society Culture Iranian nationality Iranology Education Higher Science Scientists and scholars Universities Philosophy List of Iranians Literature Media News agencies student newspapers Architecture architects Achaemenid architecture Art modern/contemporary Persian gardens Cinema Cuisine Public holidays National symbols Opium consumption Music Ey Iran Heavy metal Persian traditional music Folk Pop Rap and hip-hop Rock and alternative Blogs Mythology Folklore Islam Islamization Scouting Sport Football Other topics Calendar Persian New Year Crown jewels Anti-Iranianism Persian names Tehrangeles International rankings of Iran Sorood-e Shahanshahi Iran Portal