Li Xiannian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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李先念 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Li in 1954 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President of China | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 18 June 1983 – 8 April 1988 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier | Zhao Ziyang Li Peng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vice President | Ulanhu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader | Deng Xiaoping | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Liu Shaoqi (as State Chairman) Ye Jianying (as Head of State) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Yang Shangkun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5thChairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 10 April 1988 – 21 June 1992 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Deng Yingchao | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Li Ruihuan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the National People's Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 15 September 1954 – 25 March 1988 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Hubei At-large | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1909-06-23)23 June 1909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 21 June 1992(1992-06-21) (aged 82) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party (joined in 1927) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Shang Xiaoping (尚小平) (div)[1] Lin Jiamei | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4, includingLi Xiaolin[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 李先念 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Li Xiannian ([lì ɕjɛ́nnjɛ̂n]; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992) was a ChineseCommunist military and political leader,president of China from 1983 to 1988 under paramount leaderDeng Xiaoping[3] and thenchairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 1988 until his death. He was a full member of thePolitburo from 1956 to 1987, and of itsStanding Committee from 1977 to 1987.[4][5]
Li worked as an apprentice carpenter in his teenage years to support his family. He joined the Communist Party in December 1927 and became a soldier in theChinese Red Army. After studying at theMilitary–Political University and theCentral Party School, he became an influential and successful military commander during theSecond Sino-Japanese War and theChinese Civil War, distinguishing himself in theHuaihai campaign.[4]
After the PRC was established, he served asGovernor andParty Secretary of his nativeHubei Province from 1949 to 1954, and then joined the central leadership in Beijing, serving asMinister of Finance (1954–1970) andVice Premier (1954–1982). He supportedMao Zedong's designated successor,Hua Guofeng, and was namedVice Chairman of the Party (1977–1982).
One of theEight Elders of the Party, he was considered the most leftist among them, both politically and economically. Li played a key role in blocking privatizations and maintaining state control in many sectors of the economy. He promoted classical Communist political and cultural values through his patronage of theorists such asHu Qiaomu andDeng Liqun, and was instrumental in purging the liberalsHu Yaobang andZhao Ziyang. He enthusiastically advocated for military suppression of the1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Born inHong'an,Hubei, Li came from a poor family and spent his teenage years working at acarpenter's shop. He joined theChinese Communist Party in December 1927, and served as an army captain andpolitical commissar for the Chinese Red Army during theLong March. He was a military cadre inZhang Guotao West Route Army.[6]: 476
After arriving inYan'an, he studied at theCounter-Japanese Military and Political University and at theCentral Party School. Here he was under pressure, as other military cadres who served on the West Route Army. He fought in both theSecond Sino-Japanese War, where he was sent to the Hubei-Henan Region to lead the guerrilla and establish an Anti-Japanese base area,[6]: 477 and theChinese Civil War, especially in theCentral Plains, and played a key role in many Communist victories, most significantly in theHuai–Hai Campaign.[4]
After the Communists' victory in China, Li was appointed Governor and Party Secretary of his nativeHubei Province from 1949 to 1954, and he also served as the commander and political commissar of the province's military garrison. Additionally, he was Vice Chairman of the PRC's Military Commission forSouth–Central China (overseeing military and public security forces inGuangdong,Hainan,Henan,Hubei andHunan).
In 1954, Li joined the central leadership inBeijing and became China's Minister of Finance. He was also appointed Vice Premier for the entire period of 1954–1982.
During theCultural Revolution, Li was a part of theFebruary Countercurrent which criticized the Cultural Revolution for creating social disorder and undermining China's leadership.[7]: 154 Despite losing his job as Finance Minister in 1970, he nonetheless enjoyedZhou Enlai's protection and was the only civilian official to serve without interruption alongside Zhou throughout the 1966–1976 Cultural Revolution decade.[8]: xviii In 1976, Li played an instrumental role in destroying theGang Of Four. After the demise of the Gang, Li was appointedVice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and a member of theCentral Military Commission.
When ChairmanHua Guofeng rose to leadership after thedeath of Mao Zedong, Li became Hua's chief economic adviser and one of his main backers, along with GeneralsWang Dongxing andChen Xilian. If Hua had been successful in his efforts to achieve supreme power, Li would have become one of the most powerful officials in China, but Li's political career stalled whenDeng Xiaoping eclipsed Hua as China's "Paramount leader". For the rest of his career, Li complained that his own achievements during the brief Hua interregnum were not sufficiently recognized as the basis of the progress experienced in China during the 1980s.
Li was described as an "orthodox" or "Soviet-style" communist and was a firm believer in central planning and sociopolitical conformity, so disliked Deng Xiaoping's more radical economic reform ideas. He had in fact been largely responsible for drafting the short-lived Ten Year Plan of 1978 which attempted to build a Soviet-style economy based around heavy industry and energy production. Li's ideas enjoyed strong support among some sections of the Chinese top leadership; GeneralYu Qiuli and his "oil clique", for example, fully supported Li.
However, Deng quickly terminated these ideas and instituted his own "go slow" approach that involved gradually allowing the development of light industry and consumer goods.[8]: xviii [9] He also went about assigning government posts to younger men who were followers of his ideas. One of these was PremierZhao Ziyang, whom Li strongly opposed for being too willing to import Western ideas and move away from a planned economy. According to Zhao, Li "hated me because I was implementing Deng Xiaoping's reforms, but since it was difficult for him to openly oppose Deng, he made me the target of his opposition."[8]: xviii–xix
In 1983, after the passing of a newConstitution, Li was appointedPresident of China at the age of 74. Although according to the1982 Constitution the role of President was "largely ceremonial", it recognized Li's status as a respected Party elder and a member of theCCP Politburo Standing Committee, and Li himself went on to forcefully use his still very substantial influence to support leftist policies. In 1984, Li met with U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan during the latter's visit to China, notably discussing thestatus of Taiwan with the President.[10] Li visited the United States in July 1985, the first time the head of state of the People's Republic of China made such a visit.
As the decade progressed, Deng Xiaoping, always an opponent of lifetime tenure in office, gradually convinced most of the party elders to retire. Li stepped down as president in 1988 and was succeeded byYang Shangkun. Li was then namedChairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC. He was a strong supporter ofJiang Zemin's rise to power,[citation needed] and during theTiananmen Square protests of 1989, Li was one of the hardline Party elders who pushed for a strong response to the demonstrations and supported PremierLi Peng's desire to use military force to suppress the protests.[5][11][12] Li continued to serve in government until his death in 1992, one year before his term expired.
Li had four children. His youngest daughter,Li Xiaolin, is the President of theChinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. She is a member of theCPPCC national committee.[13][14]
Li died on 21 June 1992 at the age of 82, two days shy of his 83rd birthday.[15] His funeral was held on 27 June 1992 and was attended by members of the Politburo Standing Committee. After the service, Li was cremated.[16]
Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic, 1st Class (Romania, 1984)[17]In economic policy, the most importantelders were Li Xiannian and Chen Yun.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | Governor of Hubei 1949–1954 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1954–1970 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First-rankingVice Premier of China 1976–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byasChairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress | President of China 1983–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 1988–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| New title | Party Secretary of Hubei 1949–1954 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Served alongside:Deng Xiaoping,Chen Yun,Zhao Ziyang,Ye Jianying,Hua Guofeng 1977–1982 | Post abolished |
| Military offices | ||
| New title | Commander of theHubei Military District 1949–1950 | Succeeded by |
| Political Commissar of the Hubei Military District 1949–1955 | Succeeded by | |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded byas Premier （4th ranked） | Orders of precedence in the People's Republic of China （President of China; 5th ranked） 1982–1985 | Succeeded byas First Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection （6th ranked） |
| Preceded byas Premier （3rd ranked） | Orders of precedence in the People's Republic of China （President of China; 4th ranked） 1985–1987 | Succeeded byas First Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection （5th ranked） |
| Preceded byas Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee （6th ranked） | Orders of precedence in the People's Republic of China （Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee; 7th ranked） 1989–1992 | Succeeded byas former Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee （8th ranked） |
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