Wang Guangmei

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This is a Chinese name; the family name is Wang (王).

Wang Guangmei (Chinese: 王光美; Pinyin:Wáng Guāngmĕi, 26 September 1921 - 13 October 2006) was the wife of Liu Shaoqi, who served as the President of the People's Republic from 1959-1968.

[edit] Biography

Described as a sophisticated woman, Wang Guangmei spoke French, English and Russian. Her father had been a high ranking official in the Chinese Republic. Wang Guangmei had worked as a translator in efforts to mediate between Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong after World War II. This mediation was headed by George Marshall, and many Americans who were present admired her. This would play a later role in charges that she was an American spy.

In 1967 Wang and President Liu Shaoqi were taken by Red Guards. Wang was put under house arrest and then imprisoned in the Qincheng Prison. Subjected to terrible conditions, President Liu Shaoqi died in the City of Kaifeng in 1969.

Wang Guangmei was released in 1979, and soon, Liu Shaoqi was re-honoured and Wang received compensation for her suffering during the Cultural Revolution. In 1982, Wang appeared in court during the trial of the Gang of Four as a victim of Jiang Qing's prosecution. Later, Wang was elected a permanent member of the Politburo, and she founded the "Hope Project", a program aimed to aid the poor throughout China. Wang auctioned two valuable antique bowls her mother left her, and donated the money to aid the poor.

Wang Guangmei died on October 13, 2006 at the No. 305 Military Hospital in Beijing. A funeral for Wang Guangmei was held at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in Beijing on Oct. 21, 2006.