Chen Liangyu (born October 1946) was a politician in the People's Republic of China from the ruling Communist Party, and CPC Shanghai Committee Secretary, the city's top office, from 2002 to his dismissal in 2006, and a member of the Politburo.

Chen worked in Shanghai for his entire public life, serving as Mayor from 2001–2003. Chen took on numerous mega-projects while he was mayor, contributed to the city's economic development, and was instrumental in Shanghai's bid to host the 2010 World Expo. Chen, a prominent member of the Shanghai clique, was also known for his political partisanship and opposition to the macro-economic control policies of the Hu Jintao administration.

Chen was dismissed in September 2006 for alleged corruption charges related to the misuse of money in Shanghai's social security fund. In April 2008, Chen was sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of financial fraud, abuse of power, and accepting bribery.

Chen graduated from the People's Liberation Army Institute of Logistics Engineering, majoring in architecture. He had two years of experience working in the military between 1968–1970 as part of the PLA Army 6716 Squadron. From September 1970 to March 1983, Chen worked at the Shanghai Pengpu Machinery Factory as a worker and estimator. He was eventually promoted to capital construction branch vice-section chief. He also went on a year-long sabbatical to Tongji University. In March 1983 he was promoted to become deputy plant manager of the Shanghai Pengpu machine factory, as well as the party committee deputy secretary of the Shanghai Metallurgy Mining Machinery Company. He joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in April 1980. By March 1984, Chen gained further promotion, becoming the CPC Secretary for Shanghai's Electronic Appliances Bureau. Between January 1985 and February 1987 he became bureau chief and assistant commissioner of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee – Old cadre bureau.

Bo Xilai (born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese politician. He came to prominence through his tenures as the mayor of the coastal economic hub of Dalian and then governor of Liaoning province. From 2004 to November 2007, he served as Minister of Commerce. Between 2007 and 2012 he served as a member of the Politburo and head of the Communist Party's Chongqing branch.

The son of Bo Yibo, one of the Eight Elders of the Communist Party of China, Bo Xilai is identified as one of the "princelings" of Chinese politics. He cultivated a casual and charismatic image in the media that marked a departure from the normally staid nature of Chinese politics.

In Chongqing, Bo became known for heavy-handed populism. He initiated a campaign against organized crime, increased spending on welfare programs, maintained consistent double-digit percentage GDP growth, and campaigned to revive Cultural Revolution-era "red culture." Bo's promotion of egalitarian values and the achievements of his "Chongqing model" made him the champion of the Chinese New Left, composed of both Maoists and social democrats disillusioned with the country's market-based economic reforms and increasing economic inequality. However, the perceived lawlessness of Bo's anti-corruption campaigns, coupled with concerns about his outsized personality, made him a controversial figure.