Ni Zhifu | |
|---|---|
| 倪志福 | |
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| Chairman of theAll-China Federation of Trade Unions | |
| In office October 1978 – October 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Liu Ningyi |
| Succeeded by | Wei Jianxing |
| Party Secretary of Tianjin | |
| In office October 1984 – August 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Chen Weida |
| Succeeded by | Li Ruihuan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1933 Shanghai, China |
| Died | 24 April 2013 (aged 79) |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party |
Ni Zhifu (Chinese:倪志福;Wade–Giles:Ni Chih-fu; May 1933 – 24 April 2013) was a Chinese engineer, inventor, and high-ranking politician. When he worked as a technician in the 1950s, he invented the "Ni Zhifu drill" which earned him a patent and the honour of "model worker". During theCultural Revolution, he was elevated to leadership positions in the municipal government ofBeijing and became an alternate member of thePolitburo. He was not close to theGang of Four, and for that reason his career continued to rise when the Gang fell at the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976. He became a full member of the Politburo, and served asChinese Communist Party Deputy Committee Secretary ofShanghai municipality, Chairman of theAll-China Federation of Trade Unions, Party Chief ofTianjin municipality, andVice Chairman of the National People's Congress.
Ni Zhifu was born inShanghai in May 1933, and became an apprentice at Shanghai Detai Factory in 1950. In June 1953 he was transferred to the state-owned 618 Factory (also known as Yongding Machinery Plant) inBeijing to work as afitter.[1] While at the factory he invented the "Ni Zhifu drill",[1][2] which greatly enhanced the performance and life ofdrills, and for which he was later granted a patent. He joined theChinese Communist Party in 1958 and was named a national "model worker" in 1959. He was promoted to deputy chief engineer of the 618 Factory in 1965, and later chief engineer.[1][3]
Ni was a major beneficiary of theCultural Revolution, but unlike many supporters of theGang of Four, he owed his rise to prominence to his contribution to production.[2] In 1969, Ni became a member of the9th Central Committee of the CCP,[1] and in 1973, when a third of the10th Central Committee were workers and peasants, Ni became an alternate member of the10th Politburo, one of the four people representing the "masses" in the Politburo.[4] He also served as a party secretary and a deputy director of theRevolutionary Committee ofBeijing from 1973 to 1976.[1] He was believed to be closer to the Communist Party bureaucrats than the Gang of Four, and likely tried to check the influence of the Gang in the capital's militia and trade union, which were both under his charge.[2]
When theGang of Four fell at the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, Ni was sent to Shanghai to take over the city's militia and trade union, which had been under the control ofWang Hongwen, one of the Four.[2] He was also made the Second Party Secretary (deputy party chief) of Shanghai. He was then transferred back to Beijing in 1977 to serve as the capital's Second Party Secretary.[1] That same year, Ni, 44, was elected as a full member of the11th Politburo.[1]
At the Ninth Trade Union Congress in 1978, Ni was elected as chairman of theAll-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), which was seen as a striking change partly because of Ni's relatively young age.[2] He served as the ACFTU chairman for three consecutive terms until 1993, and was re-elected to the12th Politburo in 1982.[1] From October 1984 to August 1987 he concurrently served as Party Chief of the municipality ofTianjin.[5] From 1988 to 1998 he served as aVice Chairperson of the National People's Congress. In 1999 he became President of the Chinese Inventors' Association, which he had cofounded in 1985.[1] He was elected to theCCP Central Committee for seven consecutive terms, from the 9th CC in 1969 until the end of the15th CC in 2002.[1]
On 24 April 2013, Ni died in Beijing of an illness. He was 79.[3]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President ofAll China Federation of Trade Unions Cadre School 1978–? | Succeeded by |
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
| Preceded by | President of theAll-China Federation of Trade Unions 1978–1993 | Succeeded by |
| New title | First Secretary of the Secretariat of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions 1983–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the China Association of Inventions 1999–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Party Secretary of Tianjin 1984–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Political Commissar of theTianjin Garrison Command 1984–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Assembly seats | ||
| Preceded by | Chairperson of the Credentials Committee of theStanding Committee of the National People's Congress 1988–1993 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
