Chen Xitong
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Chen Xitong (traditional Chinese: 陳希同; simplified Chinese: 陈希同) (born June 1930) was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and the Mayor of Beijing until he was removed from office on charges of corruption in 1995.
[edit] Biography
A graduate of Peking University, he shared close ties to Deng Xiaoping and his family. Chen was once considered a possible successor to Deng Xiaoping. During the 1980's, Chen Xitong became a fan of American TV series Hunter when it was first aired in China, and in his speeches, Chen had made various references to the TV series.
Chen Xitong was the Mayor of Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He strongly advocated the use of force to quell the protests, and was responsible for the declaration of martial law in Beijing during the incident.
A onetime rival to Jiang Zemin, Chen's downfall came in 1995 during an anti-corruption campaign led by Jiang's Shanghai clique. Clique members Zeng Qinghong and Jia Qinglin played key roles in the campaign that eventually led to Chen's arrest; some observers view Chen's downfall as a political struggle between Chen and Jiang, because it was later revealed that the amount of money Chen embezzled was five million, a relatively low amount in comparison to other corrupted cadres who embezzled much more but were left unscathed in the so-called anti-corruption campaigns. on the other hands, the general populace of Beijing was largely happy with Chen's downfall due to his stand during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.[citation needed] In the wake of the charges, Chen's Vice Mayor, Wang Baosen, committed suicide. In 1998, Chen Xitong was given a 16 year jail sentence on charges of corruption and dereliction of duty. His son, Chen Xiaotong, was also sentenced. Chen was released early from jail in 2006, officially due to reasons of ill health.
The novel The Wrath of God -- the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Action (天怒 -- 反貪局在行動; pinyin: Tiān nú--Fǎntãnjú zài Xíngdòng)[1] published in 1996 by the Yuanfang Publishing House of Inner Mongolia and quickly banned in China is a fictionalized account of the Chen Xitong case written from the point of a view of an investigator. The title of the book is often translated as "The Wrath of Heaven".
[edit] References
- ^ "The Wrath of God -- the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Action" (Tiannu Fantanju Zai Xingdong), by Fang Wen [psuedonymn]. Hohhot, December 1996, Yuanfang Chubanshe. Printed January 1997 press run of 5000 copies. ISBN 7-80595-271-X/1 120. Many pirate copies were printed.
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jiao Ruoyu |
Mayor of Beijing 1983 – 1993 |
Succeeded by Li Qiyan |
| Preceded by Li Ximing |
Secretary of the CPC Beijing Committee 1992 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Wei Jianxing |
