Jiang Lijun (Chinese: 姜力钧; pinyin: Jiāng Lìjūn, born 1965) is a Chinese freelance writer. He has been detained by the Chinese government since November 2002 for posting articles on the Internet which the government considered subversive. He is a native of Tieling in Liaoning.

The articles written by Jiang included an open letter to the Sixteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which called for democratic reform.

Jiang was detained on November 6, 2002 and formally arrested on December 14, 2003, for “Internet writing and publishing dissident articles”. He was charged with “Inciting subversion of the state power”. On November 28, 2003 the no.2 Intermediate People's Court of Beijing found Jiang guilty and sentenced him to imprisonment for four years, and deprivation of political rights for one year. Since this time Jiang has being held in Jinzhou Prison (锦州监狱) in Liaoning.

A draft email found on his Yahoo page containing proposals for a more democratic China was the principal evidence against him. Writing this draft was considered by the Government as taking part in “subversive activities that aim to undermine the authority of the Communist Party”.

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.

Zhou Qiang (simplified Chinese: 周强; traditional Chinese: 周強; pinyin: Zhōu Qiáng; born April 1960) is a politician of the People's Republic of China. He currently serves as the Party chief of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Hunan committee, first-in-charge of the central Chinese province. He served as the province's governor between 2007 and 2010. Zhou's ascendancy to the party secretary position in Hunan makes him China's third youngest provincial party secretary. His rise to power is comparable to that of President Hu Jintao and Vice-Premier Li Keqiang; all three men have background in the Communist Youth League of China.

Born in Huangmei County, Hubei Province, Zhou has obtained a postgraduate degree, and is a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He started working in August 1976. In November 1995, he was elected to be the secretary of the central secretariat of the Chinese Communist Youth League (CYL) at the 4th plenary session of the 13th CYL central committee. In June 1998, he was elevated to first secretary of the CYL central secretariat, and was re-elected in July 2003. In September 2006, Zhou was appointed as a standing committee member and vice secretary of the CPC Hunan committee. On September 30, he became the acting governor of Hunan, appointed by the standing committee of the 10th Hunan People's Congress. In December 2006, he resigned as the first secretary of the central secretariat of the CYL. On February 3, 2007, Zhou was confirmed as the governor of Hunan, and was re-elected on January 24, 2008. On April 25, 2010 he was appointed Secretary of the Hunan CPC Committee (and presumably also Chairman of the Hunan People's Congress Standing Committee). On November 23, 2011, Zhou was elected secretary of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the CPC.

Jiang Zemin (born 17 August 1926) is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005. His long career and political prominence have led to him being described as the "core of the third generation" of Communist Party leaders.

Jiang Zemin came to power following Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, replacing Zhao Ziyang as CPC General Secretary. With the waning influence of Deng Xiaoping and the other members of Eight Elders due to old age,and with the help of old and powerful party and state leaders, former President Li Xiannian and Chen Yun Jiang effectively became the "Paramount Leader" in the 1990s. Under his leadership, China experienced substantial developmental growth with reforms, saw the peaceful return of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom and Macau from Portugal, and improved its relations with the outside world while the Communist Party maintained its tight control over the government. Jiang has been criticized for being too concerned about his personal image at home, and too conciliatory towards Russia and the United States abroad.

Zhou Yongkang (born December 1942) is a senior leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC) who is currently serving as the 9th ranked member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), and the head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee, an organ directing central government legal policy and the legislative agenda. In this position Zhou also oversees China's security forces and law enforcement institutions.

Zhou was a State Councillor until March 2008 and is a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He was mayor of Panjin in Liaoning province from 1983 until 1985, and served as the Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China from 2002 to 2007.

Born in December 1942, Zhou Yongkang is a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu province. In November 1964 Zhou joined the CPC and joined geological survey work in north-east China in 1966 after the Cultural Revolution broke out. He graduated from the Survey and Exploration Department of Beijing Petroleum Institute majoring in geophysical survey and exploration. As a university graduate he holds the title Senior Engineer with a rank equivalent to that of Professor.