| Xi Zhongxun | |
|---|---|
| Xi Zhongxun in 1946 | |
| First Vice Chairman of the NPCSC | |
| In office 1988–1993 |
|
| Premier | Zhou Enlai |
| Chairman | Wan Li |
| Preceded by | Chen Pixian |
| Succeeded by | Tian Jiyun |
| Secretary General of the State Council | |
| In office 1953–1965 |
|
| Preceded by | Li Weihan |
| Succeeded by | Zhou Rongxin |
| Head of the Propaganda Department | |
| In office 1953–1954 |
|
| Chairman | Mao Zedong |
| Preceded by | Lu Dingyi |
| Succeeded by | Lu Dingyi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1913 Fuping County, Shaanxi, Republic of China |
| Died | 24 May 2002 (aged 88) Beijing, People's Republic of China |
| Political party | Communist Party of China |
| Xi Zhongxun | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 习仲勋 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 習仲勛 | ||||||
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Xi Zhongxun (October 15, 1913 – May 24, 2002) was a communist revolutionary and a State Councillor of the People's Republic of China. He is considered to be among the first generation of Chinese leadership.[1]
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Born October 15, 1913 in a land-owning farm family in Fuping, Shaanxi, Xi joined the Communist Youth League in May 1926 and the Communist Party of China in 1928. Xi was the Deputy Prime Minister of China from 1959 to 1962, and the Governor of Guangdong from 1979 to 1981.
He made major contributions to China, firstly as the man who mentored future leaders of China such as Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao and second as the man who proposed and implemented China's first economic zone, Shenzhen, which later was used as the standard model for the other economic zones.
He was remembered for his friendship to his colleagues, his tolerance to diverse cultures and religions, his idealism of an open market socialist country and his integrity in his beliefs. He was one of the few upper level leaders who voted during the 1980s for open reform and was persecuted afterwards for this bold move.
In 1962, Xi Zhongxun fell out of favor with the Communist Party and was accused of disloyalty to Chairman Mao. In addition, Xi later publicly condemned the events of Tiananmen Square in 1989.[2] He was rarely seen after that, although it has been reported that he has spent time in jail. China's state-run media has avoided the issue of Xi and the problems he may present for his son Xi Jinping, who is the current member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the Vice President of the People's Republic of China.
His famous lines include, "We need to reform China and implement this economic zone even if it means that we have to pave a bloody road ahead and I am to be responsible for it." which he uttered to Deng Xiaoping when trying to convince Deng of the necessity of market socialism in China.
Xi Zhongxun married Qi Xin, his second wife, and had four children: Xi Qiaoqiao, Xi An'an, Xi Jinping, and Xi Yuanping. He died May 24, 2002.
| Preceded by Wei Guoqing |
Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Committee 1978–1980 |
Succeeded by Ren Zhongyi |
| Preceded by Wei Guoqing |
Governor of Guangdong 1979 – 1981 |
Succeeded by Liu Tianfu |