Wang Guangying | |
|---|---|
王光英 | |
 Wang Guangying (left) withLiu Shaoqi in June 1956 | |
| Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress | |
| In office 27 March 1993 – 15 March 2003 | |
| Chairperson | Qiao Shi Li Peng |
| Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference | |
| In office 17 June 1983 – 27 March 1993 | |
| Chairperson | Deng Yingchao Li Xiannian |
| Chairman of the Board ofChina Everbright Group | |
| In office 1983–1990 | |
| Preceded by | New title |
| Succeeded by | Qiu Qing [zh] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1919-08-14)14 August 1919 |
| Died | 29 October 2018(2018-10-29) (aged 99) Beijing, China |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party |
| Relations | Wang Guangmei (sister) Liu Shaoqi (brother-in-law) |
| Parent(s) | Wang Huaiqing Dong Jieru |
| Alma mater | Fu Jen Catholic University |
Wang Guangying (Chinese:王光英;pinyin:Wáng Guāngyīng;Wade–Giles:Wang Kuang-ying; August 1919 – 29 October 2018) was a Chinese entrepreneur and politician. He was one of the most prominent "red capitalists", a title bestowed on him by PremierZhou Enlai. He founded Modern Chemical Works in the 1940s and served as Founding Chairman ofChina Everbright Group in the 1980s. His sisterWang Guangmei was the wife of PresidentLiu Shaoqi, and for that connection he was persecuted and imprisoned during theCultural Revolution, when Liu was ousted by ChairmanMao Zedong. Wang was rehabilitated after Mao's death and served asVice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) andVice Chairperson of the National People's Congress (NPC).[1]
Wang was born August 1919[2] into a family of officials inBeijing,Republic of China.[3] His father Wang Huaiqing (王槐青) was educated in Japan and served in theBeiyang government. His mother Dong Jieru (董洁如) was from a wealthy and progressive family. Three of her family members were executed in 1927 together withLi Dazhao, co-founder of theChinese Communist Party (CCP). Wang Guangying was the sixth of 11 children (including three half-siblings), two years older thanWang Guangmei.[4][5]
He studied at the Department of Chemistry ofFu Jen Catholic University of Beijing and graduated in 1943. Soon afterwards he and a friend founded the Modern Chemical Works inTianjin.[1] It was during World War II, when much of China, including Tianjin, was under Japanese occupation. Machinery and materials were hard to come by, and Wang had to improvise and innovate to keep the factory running. He also started Tianjin Knitwear Factory.[1]
After the CCP won theChinese Civil War and established the People's Republic of China in 1949, the new government began nationalizing the economy. Wang was cooperative in the process and remained manager of his factories, which were now owned by the state. In 1957, Wang was invited to a banquet PremierZhou Enlai held for the Soviet leaderKliment Voroshilov, at which Zhou introduced Wang to Voroshilov as a "red capitalist", likely the first time the term was used in public.[1]
During theCultural Revolution, he was severely persecuted for his relations with PresidentLiu Shaoqi, the husband of Wang's sister Guangmei.[1] Liu, denounced byMao Zedong as China's "No. 1 Capitalist Roader", was ousted and died in prison in 1969.[1] Wang Guangying was imprisoned for eight years.[3]
Wang was politically rehabilitated after the Cultural Revolution and was appointed Vice Mayor of Tianjin in 1979, serving until 1982. WhenDeng Xiaoping began thereform and opening era, Wang's business background became valuable again and he was tasked with establishing the state-ownedChina Everbright Group in Hong Kong to acquire foreign investment and technologies.[1] He served as Chairman of Everbright from 1983 to 1989,[6] during which he played a significant economic role as well as a major diplomatic role as an intermediary between China and the West.[1] He invited many foreign dignitaries to visit Everbright, including American leadersRichard Nixon,Henry Kissinger andWalter Mondale, Japanese Prime MinisterNoboru Takeshita, and Indonesian PresidentSuharto.[5]
From 1983 to 1993, Wang served two terms asVice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). From 1993 to 2003, he served two more terms asVice Chairperson of the National People's Congress (NPC). For twenty years in the two high-ranking positions, he performed mainly diplomatic roles and received many visiting foreign leaders.[5]
Wang died in Beijing on 29 October 2018, at the age of 99.[5]
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| New title | Chairman of the Board ofChina Everbright Group 1983–1990 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
