| Chairman of the Communist Party of China | |
|---|---|
| Former political post | |
| The emblem of the Communist Party of China | |
| Chairman Mao Zedong held this post for 33 years. | |
| Predecessor | General Secretary |
| Successor | General Secretary |
| First officeholder | Chen Duxiu |
| Last officeholder | Hu Yaobang |
| Style | Zhǔxí（主席） |
| Official residence | Zhongnanhai |
| Appointer | Central Committee |
| Political office started | 1922 March 20, 1943 |
| Political office ended | 1925 September 1, 1982 |
The Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (simplified Chinese: 中国共产党中央委员会主席; traditional Chinese: 中國共產黨中央委員會主席; pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì Zhǔxí) was the head of the Communist Party of China (CPC). In 1982, it was succeeded by the General Secretary of the Central Committee.
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Between 1922 and 1925, Chen Duxiu (still Party Secretary) served as Chairman of the Central Executive Committee (simplified Chinese: 中央执行委员会委员长; traditional Chinese: 中央執行委員會委員長), but the name was changed in General Secretary of the Central Executive Committee in 1925. The post was first introduced in March 1943, when the Politburo decided to discharge Zhang Wentian as General Secretary and named Mao Zedong as Chairman of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee (simplified Chinese: 中国共产党中央政治局主席; traditional Chinese: 中國共產黨中央政治局主席). The seventh CPC National Congress introduced the post of Chairman of the Central Committee into the party constitution, and in 1956 the General Secretary was given the day-to-day management of the Party Secretariat. The chairman was elected by the Central Committee in plenary session and had full powers over the CC, the Politburo and its Standing Committee.
The 1956 Party Constitution introduced the multiple Vice-Chairman post; since 1945, actual vice-chairmanship had been exercised by the Secretariat members. Liu Shaoqi was the highest-ranking vice-chairman from 1956 to 1966.
The 1969 Party Constitution (adopted by the 9th Congress) introduced the post of a single vice-chairman, in order to give more authority to Lin Biao as Mao's successor. The 1973 Constitution (adopted by the 10th Congress) re-introduced the collective vice-chairmanship. In 1976, Hua Guofeng was named First Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee, a post previously held unofficially by Liu Shaoqi from 1956-1966; Zhou Enlai from 1973-1975; and Deng Xiaoping in 1975 in the capacity of "Vice-Chairman in charge of the day-to-day work of the Central Committee".
The 1975 Chinese Constitution reinforced the influence of the party on the state. The Central Committee (and, by extension, its chairman) was placed before the National People's Congress. Article 15 said that "the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China leads all the armed forces of the country".
Although Hua Guofeng succeeded Mao at the party chairmanship, he was unable to enforce his authority when, in 1978, then Vice-Chairman Deng Xiaoping became the de facto leader of China.
The post of Chairman was abolished in 1982 and the General Secretary was re-introduced.
| Order | Image | Chairmen | Term Start | Term End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Chairman of the Central Executive Committee (1922-1925) |
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| 1 | Chen Duxiu (陈独秀 / 陳獨秀) 9 October 1879 - 27 July 1942 (aged 48) |
July 1922 | January 1925 | |
Chairman of the Central Politburo (1943-1956) |
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| 1 | Mao Zedong (毛泽东 / 毛澤東) 26 December 1893 - 9 September 1976 (aged 82) |
20 March 1943 | 28 September 1956 | |
Chairman of the Central Committee (1945-1976) |
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| 1 | Mao Zedong (毛泽东 / 毛澤東) | 19 June 1945 | 9 September 1976 | |
| 2 | Hua Guofeng (华国锋 / 華國鋒) 16 February 1921 - 20 August 2008 (aged 87) |
7 October 1976 | 28 June 1981 | |
| 3 | Hu Yaobang (胡耀邦) 20 November 1915 - 15 April 1989 (aged 73) |
29 June 1981 | 11 September 1982 | |
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