Liu Yunshan (simplified Chinese: 刘云山; traditional Chinese: 劉云山; pinyin: Liú Yúnshān; born July 1947) is a leader in the Communist Party of China.

Biography[link]

Liu worked in Inner Mongolia for 20 years, beginning with his appointment there in 1968.

Mr. Liu is the Director of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. But because of party seniority, he serves behind Li Changchun. He is one of 24 members of the Politburo, the most influential group of politicians in the Communist Party.

External links[link]

• (Chinese) Biography of Liu Yunshan, People's Daily Online.
• Biography, China Vitae

Lei Feng (18 December 1940 – 15 August 1962) was a soldier of the People's Liberation Army in the People's Republic of China. After his death, Lei was characterised as a selfless and modest person who was devoted to the Communist Party, Chairman Mao Zedong, and the people of China. In 1963, he became the subject of a nationwide, posthumous propaganda campaign "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng" (向雷锋同志学习)^[1]. Lei was portrayed as a model citizen, and the masses were encouraged to emulate his selflessness, modesty, and devotion to Mao. After Mao's death, Lei Feng remained a cultural icon representing earnestness and service; his name entered daily speech and his imagery appeared on t-shirts and memorabilia.^[2]

The accounts of Lei Feng's life as depicted by Party propaganda have been disputed,^[3][4] with a segment of the Chinese populace questioning his existence.^[5] Nevertheless, Lei Feng's image as a role model serviceman has survived decades of political change in China. ^[6]

Life[link]

Born in Wangcheng, Hunan (near the town of Leifeng, Changsha, Hunan, named in his honour), Lei was orphaned at an early age and raised under the wings of the Communist Party. He became a member in the Communist youth corps when he was young and joined a transportation unit of the People's Liberation Army at the age of twenty. According to his official biography, Lei died in 1962 at the age of 21 (22 by East Asian age reckoning, by which a newborn is one year old at birth), when a telephone pole, struck by an army truck, hit him while he was directing the truck in backing up.^[7]

Lei Feng in propaganda[link]

Lei Feng was not widely known until after his death. In 1963, Lei Feng's Diary was first presented to the public by Lin Biao in the first of many "Learn from Lei Feng" propaganda campaigns.^[8] The diary was full of accounts of Lei's admiration for Mao Zedong, his selfless deeds, and his desire to foment revolutionary spirit.^[4] Lin's use of Lei's diary was part of a larger effort to improve Mao's image, which had suffered after the Great Leap Forward.^[9] Many Western scholars believe that the diary was forged by Party propagandists under Lin's direction.^[8][4]

The diary contains about 200,000 words describing selfless thoughts with enthusiastic comments on Mao and the inspiring nature of the Party.^[10] The campaign began at a time when the Chinese economy was recovering from the Great Leap Forward campaign. During 1964 the Lei Feng campaign shifted gradually from doing good deeds to a cult of Mao.

Lei Feng as an icon[link]

When Lei Feng died in the line of duty, he was only 22, but his short life gives concentrated expression to the noble ideals of a new people, nurtured with the communist spirit, and also to the noble moral integrity and values of the Chinese people in the new period. These are firm faith in communist ideals, political warmheartedness for the party and the socialist cause, the revolutionary will to work arduously for self-improvement, the moral quality and self-cultivation of showing fraternal unity and taking pleasure in assisting others, the heroic spirit of being ready to take up cudgels for a just cause without caring for one's safety, the attitude of seeking advancement and studying hard, and the genuine spirit of matching words with deeds and enthusiastically carrying out one's duties.

— Editorial, People's Daily 5 March 1993^[11]'

Chinese leaders have praised Lei Feng as the personification of altruism. Leaders who have written about Lei Feng include Deng Xiaoping, Zhou Enlai, and Jiang Zemin. His cultural importance is still reproduced and reinforced by the media and cultural apparatus of the Chinese party-state, including emphasizing the importance of moral character during Mao's era. Lei Feng's prominence in school textbooks has since declined, although he remains part of the national curriculum. The term "活雷锋/Huó Léi Fēng" (literally "living Lei Feng") has become a noun (or adjective) for anyone who is seen as selfless, or anyone who goes out of their way to help others.

The CCP's construction of Lei Feng as a celebrity soldier is unique to the PRC and differs from the more typical creation of military heroes by governments during times of war. In the PRC, Lei Feng was part of continuing public promotion of soldiers as exemplary models, and evidence of the People's Liberation Army's role as social and political support to the Communist government.^[6]

Controversy[link]

Details of Lei Feng's life, as presented in the official propaganda campaign, have been subject to dispute. While someone named Lei Feng may have existed, scholars such as John Fraser believe the person depicted in the campaign was almost certainly a fabrication.^[3][8][4] Some observers noted, for instance, that the campaign presented a collection of twelve photographs of Lei Feng performing good deeds. The photographs were of exceptionally high professional quality, and depicted Lei—supposedly an obscure and unknown young man—engaging in mundane tasks.^[3] In a 1977 essay, Susan Sontag noted that these photographs of Lei Feng's good deeds "depict scenes in which, clearly, no photographer could have been present."^[12]

The impossible details of Lei Feng's life according to official propaganda led him to become a subject of derision and cynicism among segments of the Chinese populace.^[3] As John Fraser recalled, "Any Chinese I ever spoke to outside of official occasions always snorted about Lei Feng."^[3] In a 2012 interview with the New York Review of Books, for instance, Chinese dissident blogger Ran Yunfei remarked on the moral and educational implications of the Lei Feng campaigns, noting the counterproductive nature of teaching virtues with a fabricated character. ^[13]

A 2008 Xinhua survey noted that a large number elementary school students have vague knowledge of Lei Feng's life, with 68 percent of the surveyed having not read Lei Feng's diary.^[14]

Cultural importance[link]

Lei Feng's tomb

Inside the Lei Feng Museum

Lei Feng is an icon who continues to resonate in mainland China. 5 March has become the official "Learn from Lei Feng Day" (Chinese: 学雷锋日; pinyin: Xué Léi Fēng Rì). This day involves various community and school events where people go to clean up parks, schools, and other community locations. Local news on that day usually has footage from these events.^[15]

Lei Feng is especially honoured in Changsha, Hunan, and in Fushun, Liaoning. The Lei Feng Memorial Hall (in his birthplace, now named for him, Leifeng) and Lei Feng statue are located in Changsha. The local hospital carries his name. There is also a Lei Feng Memorial Hall, with a museum, in Fushun. Lei Feng's military unit was based in Fushun, and it was here where he met his death. His tomb is located on the memorial grounds. To commemorate Lei Feng, the city of Fushun named several landmarks in honor of him. There is a Lei Feng Road, a Lei Feng Elementary School, a Lei Feng Middle School and a Leifeng bank office.

Lei Feng's story continues to be referenced in popular culture. A popular song by Jilin singer Xue Cun (雪村) is called "All Northeasterners are Living Lei Fengs" (东北人都是活雷锋; Dōngběi Rén Dōu Shì Huó Léi Fēng)^[16] A 1995 release^{[citation needed]}, originally notable only for its use of Northeastern Mandarin, it shot to nationwide fame when it was combined with kitsch animations on the Internet in 2001.^[17] In March 2006, a Chinese organization released a game titled Learn From Lei Feng Online in which the player has to do good deeds, fight spies, and collect parts of Mao Zedong's collection. If the player wins, he or she gets to meet Chairman Mao in the game.^[18]

See also[link]

• Alexey Stakhanov
• Pavlik Morozov
• Herbert Norkus
• Zhang Side
• Dong Cunrui
• Horst Wessel
• List of campaigns of the Communist Party of China

Notes[link]

Further reading[link]

• Edwards, L. (2010) ‘Military Celebrity in China: The Evolution of 'Heroic and Model Servicemen' in Jeffreys, Elaine. & Edwards, Louise (eds.), Celebrity in China, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong pp. 21–44. ISBN 962-209-088-5

External links[link]

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

• Lei Feng T-Shirt Design
• Lei Feng Museum Website in Fushun, Liaoning (Chinese)
• Lei Feng – chineseposters.net, International Institute of Social History
• Modern art depiction of Lei Feng
• Chinese Heroism Effort Is Met With Cynicism March 5, 2012

Xi Jinping 习近平
First Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 October 2007
General Secretary	Hu Jintao
Preceded by	Zeng Qinghong
Vice President of the People's Republic of China
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 March 2008
President	Hu Jintao
Preceded by	Zeng Qinghong
Member of the 17th CPC Politburo Standing Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 October 2007
General Secretary	Hu Jintao
Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 October 2010 Serving with Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou
Leader	Hu Jintao
President of the CPC Central Party School
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 December 2007
Deputy	Li Jingtian
Preceded by	Zeng Qinghong
Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai
In office 15 March 2007 – 27 October 2007
Deputy	Han Zheng
Preceded by	Han Zheng (Acting)
Succeeded by	Yu Zhengsheng
Personal details
Born	(1953-06-01) 1 June 1953 (age 59) Beijing, China
Political party	Communist Party
Spouse(s)	Peng Liyuan
Children	Mingze
Alma mater	Tsinghua University
Signature

Xi Jinping (pronounced [ɕǐ tɕînpʰǐŋ] English approx.:SHEE JIN PING; born 1 June 1953) is a high-ranking politician of the People's Republic of China. He currently serves as the top-ranked member of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, ^[1]the country's Vice President, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission, President of the Central Party School and the 6th ranked member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top power organ.

Son of communist veteran Xi Zhongxun, Xi Jinping served mostly in Fujian province in his early career. He was later appointed party chief of the neighboring Zhejiang province, and then was appointed as Shanghai's party chief following the dismissal of Chen Liangyu. Known for his tough stance on corruption and a frank openness about political and market economy reforms,^[2] Xi's combination of positions makes him the presumptive heir to current General Secretary and President Hu Jintao and the Paramount leader of the Communist Party of China's fifth generation of leadership.^[3]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Xi Jinping was born on June 1st, 1953 in Beijing and is, by Chinese convention, a native of Fuping County, Shaanxi. His ancestral home is at Xiying, Dengzhou of Henan.^[4] He is the second son of Xi Zhongxun, one of the founders of the Communist guerrilla movement in Shaanxi Province in northern China and former Vice-Premier. At the time his father served as the head of the Communist Party's propaganda department and later Vice-Chairman of the National People's Congress. When Xi was 10, his father was purged and sent to work in a factory in Luoyang.^[5] Xi was 15 when his father was jailed in 1968, during the Cultural Revolution. Without the protection of his father, Xi went to work in Yanchuan County, Yan'an, Shaanxi, in 1969 in Mao Zedong's Down to the Countryside Movement. He later became the Party branch secretary of the production team. When he left in 1975, he was only 22 years old. When asked about this experience later by state television, Xi recalled it saying, "It was emotional. It was a mood. And when the ideals of the Cultural Revolution could not be realised, it proved an illusion."^[6]

From 1975 to 1979, Xi studied chemical engineering at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University. From 1979 to 1982 he served as secretary for his father's former subordinate Geng Biao, the then vice premier and Secretary-General of the Central Military Commission. This gained Xi some military background. In 1985 he visited the town of Muscatine, Iowa as a part of a Chinese delegation to study American agriculture.^[7]

Ascent[link]

Xi joined the Communist Youth League in 1971 and the Communist Party of China in 1974.^[8] In 1982 he was sent to Zhengding County in Hebei as Deputy Secretary to the CPC Zhengding County Committee, and was promoted in 1983 to Secretary of the CPC Zhengding County Committee.^[9] Xi subsequently served in four provinces during his political career: Shaanxi, Hebei, Fujian and Zhejiang.

Xi held Party positions in the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee, and became the president of the Party School in Fuzhou in 1990. In 1999 he was promoted to the Deputy Governor of Fujian province, then became Governor a year later. While there he made efforts to attract investment from Taiwan and to boost free market economy. In February 2000 he and provincial Party Secretary Chen Mingyi were called before the top four members of the Party Central Politburo Standing Committee – General Secretary, President Jiang Zemin, Premier Zhu Rongji, Vice-President Hu Jintao and Discipline Inspection head Wei Jianxing to explain aspects of the Yuanhua scandal.^[10]

In 2002 Xi took up senior government and Party positions in Zhejiang Province, and eventually took over as party chief after several months as acting Governor, becoming the first-in-charge in the economically successful coastal province. Xi was then made an alternate member of the 15th CPC Central Committee and holds the membership of the 16th CPC Central Committee, marking his ascension to the national stage. While in Zhejiang, one of China's most affluent provinces and a center of China's successful economic development, Xi provided the economic environment which secured growth rates averaging 14% per year. His career in Zhejiang was marked by tough and straightforward stance against corrupt officials, which earned him a name on the national media and drew the attention of China's top leaders.

Following the dismissal of Shanghai Party Chief Chen Liangyu in September 2006 due to a social security fund scandal, Xi was transferred to Shanghai in March 2007 to become the new Party Chief of Shanghai. Xi's appointment to one of the most important regional posts in China was clearly a sign of confidence from the Central Government. While in Shanghai he was careful not to touch any controversial issues while largely echoing the line of the central leadership. Xi's career is notable in that during his regional tenures, he was never implicated in any serious scandals, nor did he face serious political opposition.

Joining the Standing Committee and Vice-Presidency[link]

Xi Jinping greeting U.S. President George W. Bush in August 2008.

Xi Jinping with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in September 2010.

Xi's appointment to the Party Secretary post in Shanghai was seen as a stepping stone for him to become an emerging member of the fifth generation of Chinese leadership. This was solidified by his appointment as a member of the nine-man Politburo Standing Committee at the 17th Party Congress in October 2007. Xi was ranked above Li Keqiang, which made him the most likely candidate for China's next core figure – the paramount leader. In addition, Xi also held the top-ranking membership of the Communist Party's Central Secretariat. This assessment was further supported at the 11th National People's Congress, Xi was elected as Vice-President of the People's Republic of China on 15 March 2008.^[11] Some suggest this was because Xi had kept friendly relations with both Hu Jintao and the other power figure in the central leadership, Zeng Qinghong.

Since his elevation Xi has held a broad range of portfolios. He was put in charge of the comprehensive preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as well as being the central government's leading figure in Hong Kong and Macau affairs. In addition, he also became the new President of the Central Party School, the cadre-training and ideological education wing of the Communist Party. In the wake of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, Xi visited disaster areas in Shaanxi and Gansu. Xi made his first foreign visit after his vice presidency to visit North Korea, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Yemen from 17 to 25 June 2008.^[12] After the Olympics, Xi was assigned the post of Committee Chair for the preparations of the 60th Anniversary Celebrations of the founding of the People's Republic of China. He was also reportedly at the helm of a top-level Communist Party committee dubbed the 6521 Project, which was charged with ensuring social stability during a series of political sensitive anniversaries in 2009.^[13]

Xi is considered to be one of the most successful members of the Crown Prince Party, a quasi-clique of politicians who are descendants of early Chinese revolutionaries. Senior leaders consider Xi to be an emerging figure that is open to serious dialogue about deep-seated market economic reforms and even political reform, although Xi's personal political views are relatively murky.^{[clarification needed]} He is generally popular with foreign dignitaries, who are intrigued by his openness and pragmatism. Former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, when asked about Xi, said he felt he was "a thoughtful man who has gone through many trials and tribulations."^[2] Lee also commented: "I would put him in the Nelson Mandela class of persons. A person with enormous emotional stability who does not allow his personal misfortunes or sufferings affect his judgment. In other words, he is impressive".^[14] Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson described Xi as "the kind of guy who knows how to get things over the goal line."^[15]

Tours as Vice President[link]

In February 2009, in his capacity as Vice-President, Xi Jinping embarked on a Latin American foreign trip to Mexico, Jamaica, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil to promote Chinese ties in the region and boost the country's reputation in the wake of the global financial crisis. Xi met with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

On 11 February, while visiting Mexico, Xi spoke in front of a group of overseas Chinese and explained China's contributions to the financial crisis, saying that it was "the greatest contribution towards the whole of human race, made by China, to prevent its 1.3 billion people from hunger".^[16] He followed with a rather direct accusation for "foreigners" trying to interfere in Chinese affairs, a subject that has always been sensitive in Chinese political circles. In Chinese, Xi remarked: "There are some bored foreigners, with full stomachs, who have nothing better to do than point fingers at us [China]. First, China doesn't export revolution; second, China doesn't export hunger and poverty; third, China doesn't come and cause you headaches, what more is there to be said?"^[17][18]

The story was reported on some local television stations. The news led to a flood of discussions on Chinese internet forums. It was reported that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was caught off-guard by Xi's non-diplomatic remarks, as the actual video was shot by some accompanying Hong Kong reporters and broadcast on Hong Kong TV, which then turned up in various internet video websites.^[19]

Xi has since gone on a series of foreign visits, some say to burnish his foreign affairs credentials before he takes the helm of China's leadership. Xi visited Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania from 7 to 21 October 2009.^[20] Xi visited Japan, South Korea, Cambodia and Myanmar on his Asian trip from 14 to 22 December 2009.^[21]

Xi visited the United States, Ireland and Turkey in February 2012. The visit included meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House^[22] and Vice President Joe Biden, with whom he had met extensively in China in August, 2011; and stops in California and Iowa, where he met with the family which previously hosted him during his 1985 tour as a Hebei provincial official.^[23] Noted as absent was a visit with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner,^[24] who has spoken critically about Chinese currency policy.^[25]

Political future[link]

Xi was named as one of the most influential people in the world in the 2009, 2011 and 2012 Time 100 lists.^[26] The British magazine New Statesman listed Xi Jinping at number 4 in their annual survey of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010".^[27] In September 2009, at the Fourth Plenum of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping was not selected as the Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) as expected, raising some questions about his succession. Political analyst Cheng Li believed that Xi's failure to secure the CMC promotion was evidence that the Communist Party was developing internal checks and balances, giving way to more sophisticated mechanisms for leadership succession.^[28] Xi was officially appointed to the vice-chairmanship on 18 October 2010, a position Hu Jintao once held back in 1999 before taking over the secretaryship and the presidency years later.^{[29][30][31][32]} By 2010, it became clear that Xi would succeed Hu as General Secretary and President in 2012 and 2013 separately.^[33][34]

Personal life[link]

Xi married Ke Lingling in the early 1980s. After about 3 years, they were divorced, due to personality clashes. Xi married the famous Chinese folk singer Peng Liyuan (彭丽媛) in 1987, his second marriage.^[35] Peng Liyuan, a household name in China, was much better known to the public than Xi until his political elevation. The couple frequently live apart due to their largely separate lives. They are sometimes considered China's emerging star political couple. They have a daughter named Xi Mingze (习明泽),^[36] who enrolled as a freshman at Harvard University in the autumn of 2010 under a pseudonym.^[37]

Xi holds doctorates in chemical engineering and political science.^[38]

Peng has described Xi as frugal, hardworking and down to earth. "When he comes home, I've never thought of it as though there's some leader in the house. In my eyes, he's just my husband."^[39]

Xi was described in a 2011 Washington Post article by those who know him as "pragmatic, serious, cautious, hard-working, down to earth and low-key. They also say he is a problem-solver and a leader seemingly uninterested in the trappings of high office."^[40] He is also known to love Hollywood films like Saving Private Ryan^[41] and The Departed.^{[citation needed]} The Guardian noted that "perhaps more surprisingly" he has also praised the independent film maker, Jia Zhangke.^[42]

See also[link]

• Crown Prince Party
• Xi-Li Administration

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Xi Jinping

• News about Xi Jinping on the China Digital Times
• Biography at www.chinavitae.com
• U.S. Embassy Beijing, Portrait of Xi Jinping, via United States diplomatic cables leak
• Osnos, Evan, "China’s Valentine’s Day in Washington", The New Yorker, 14 February 2012. Review of comment accompanying Xi's visit.

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 Secretariat of the Communist Party of China 12th CPC Central Committee Wan Li, Xi Zhongxun, Deng Liqun, Yang Yong, Yu Qiuli, Gu Mu, Chen Pixian, Hu Qili, Yao Yilin Alternate secretaries: Qiao Shi, Hao Jianxiu 13th CPC Central Committee Hu Qili, Qiao Shi, Rui Xingwen, Yan Mingfu Alternate secretaries: Wen Jiabao 14th CPC Central Committee Hu Jintao, Ding Guangen, Wei Jianxing, Wen Jiabao, Ren Jianxin 15th CPC Central Committee Hu Jintao, Wei Jianxing, Ding Guangen, Ding Guangen, Luo Gan, Wen Jiabao, Zeng Qinghong 16th CPC Central Committee Zeng Qinghong, Liu Yunshan, Zhou Yongkang, He Guoqiang, Wang Gang, Xu Caihou, He Yong 17th CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, Liu Yunshan, Li Yuanchao, He Yong, Ling Jihua, Wang Huning

v t e Vice President of the People's Republic of China Common Program (1949–1954) Vice Chairmen of the Central People's Government: Zhu, Liu, Song, Zhang, Li, Gao 1954 Constitution (1954–1975) Vice Chairman: Zhu · Song and Dong  · Dong 1975 Constitution (1975–1978) Post abolished see NPCSC 1st vice-chairperson (Dong · Song) 1978 Constitution (1978–1982) Post abolished see NPCSC 1st vice-chairperson (Song · Nie) 1982 Constitution (1982–present) Vice President: Ulanhu · Wang · Rong · Hu · Zeng · Xi List of Vice Presidents of the People's Republic of China

Liu Qibao (simplified Chinese: 刘奇葆; traditional Chinese: 劉奇葆; pinyin: Liú Qíbǎo; born 1953) is a Chinese politician. He was elected the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress on January 27, 2008. ^[1] He also currently serves as the chief of the Communist Party of China Sichuan Committee, the province's first-in-charge.^[1]

Liu Qibao was born in Anhui Province in 1953.^[1] He has previously served as the Communist Party chief of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.^[1] He was first appointed Sichuan's Communist Party chief in December 2007.^[1] Prior to 2008 Sichuan earthquake, forecasts of the earthquake issued by Wenchuan local government, which could have dramatically decreased casualties, was ordered to be taken down by Liu Qibao, who went as far as to order "debunking" of the earthquake "rumors"^[2]. After the earthquake, the reconstruction projects worth as much as 800 billion RMBs, were exclusively awarded to contractors tied to Liu's family.

References[link]

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