Ma Wenrui | |
|---|---|
| 马文瑞 | |
| Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference | |
| In office 26 May 1984 – 27 March 1993 | |
| Chairperson | Deng Yingchao Li Xiannian |
| Party Secretary of Shaanxi | |
| In office December 1978 – May 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Wang Renzhong |
| Succeeded by | Bai Jinian |
| Minister of Labour | |
| In office 1954–1966 | |
| Premier | Zhou Enlai |
| Preceded by | Li Lisan |
| Succeeded by | Post abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 4, 1912 Zizhou County,Shaanxi, China |
| Died | January 3, 2004(2004-01-03) (aged 91) Beijing, China |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party |
| Alma mater | Counter-Japanese Military and Political University |
Ma Wenrui (Chinese:马文瑞;Wade–Giles:Ma Wen-jui; November 4, 1912 – January 3, 2004) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and politician. He served successively as China's Minister of Labour,First Party Secretary (top leader) of his nativeShaanxi Province, and aVice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He was implicated in theLiu Zhidan incident in the 1960s, and was persecuted and imprisoned for five years during theCultural Revolution.
Ma Wenrui was born on November 4, 1912, into a well-off family inZizhou County,Shaanxi Province. His mother died when he was only four. When he was 14, he began studyingMarxism.[1] He joined theCommunist Youth League of China in 1926, and participated in various student movements. He then worked in revolutionary agitation in his home province. In 1935, at age 23, he was instrumental in the founding of two soviets in Shaanxi. During theSecond Sino-Japanese War, he worked in northern Shaanxi near the Communist base inYan'an, and studied military science atCounter-Japanese Military and Political University. He was one of the major leaders of the Northwest Bureau of the Communist Party, and an early follower ofXi Zhongxun.[1][2][3]
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Ma was elected an alternate member of the8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. He was appointed Minister of Labour in 1954.[1][3] In 1962,Kang Sheng accusedLi Jiantong's biographical novel about the Communist martyrLiu Zhidan as an "anti-Party conspiracy", and Ma became implicated merely because Li had interviewed him and written his name in her notebook.[4]: 116 The three main victims,Xi Zhongxun,Jia Tuofu, andLiu Jingfan, were labelled the "Xi-Jia-Liu anti-Party group". At the beginning of theCultural Revolution, Jia died in 1967 after repeatedstruggle sessions. Ma was then elevated to become a main conspirator of the group, now renamed "Xi-Ma-Liu clique", and subject to severe persecution.[4]: 116 He was arrested in January 1968 and spent five years imprisoned at a military garrison.[4]: 112
Ma was politically rehabilitated in 1977, after the end of the Cultural Revolution, and returned to work as the deputy chair of theState Planning Commission, and Vice President of theCentral Party School. In December 1978, when the Shaanxi First Party SecretaryWang Renzhong was promoted to vice premier, Ma returned to Shaanxi to succeed Wang as the province's top leader. His major contributions to his home province include the restoration of theXi'an City Wall and the construction of theXi'an Xianyang International Airport.[1] He was a full member of the11th and12th CCP Central Committees.[2]
He was elevated to the mostly ceremonial position of the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in May 1984 and served until 1993, when he retired from politics. In 1990, Ma, together withPeng Zhen, founded the Foundation for Research into the Yan'an Spirit; Ma served as its inaugural president.[5]
Ma died on January 3, 2004, in Beijing.[1][2] His last words were "I miss Yan'an".[5]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Party Secretary of Shaanxi 1978–1984 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
