Li Changchun

Chinese politician

In this Chinese name, the family name is  Li.

Li Changchun

李长春

Li in 2009

Chairman of the Central Guidance Commission for Building Spiritual Civilization
In office
15 November 2002 – 18 January 2013
Deputy| Liu Yunshan
Chen Zhili
Liu Yandong
Liu Qi
General Secretary| Hu Jintao
Preceded by| Ding Guangen
Succeeded by| Liu Yunshan
Party Secretary of Guangdong
In office
March 1998 – November 2002
Deputy| Lu Ruihua (governor)
Preceded by| Xie Fei
Succeeded by| Zhang Dejiang
Personal details
Born|  (1944-02-01) February 1, 1944 (age 81)
Kwantung Leased Territory, Japanese Empire (Now Dalian, China)
Political party| Chinese Communist Party (1965–present)
Alma mater| Harbin Institute of Technology

Li Changchun

Simplified Chinese| 李长春
Traditional Chinese| 李長春
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Lǐ Chángchūn

Li Changchun (born February 1, 1944) is a retired Chinese politician and a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party. He served on the Politburo Standing Committee, the party's top leadership council, and as the top official in charge of propaganda, between 2002 and 2012.[1] He also served as Chairman of the CCP Central Guidance Commission for Building Spiritual Civilization, de facto head of propaganda and media relations. Li had a widely varying political career spanning three provinces, first as Governor of Liaoning, then Party Secretary of Henan, and then CCP Committee Secretary of Guangdong, before being promoted to the national leadership in 2002. He retired in 2012.

## Biography

[edit]

### Early life and career

[edit]

Li Changchun was born in February 1944 in modern-day Dalian, Liaoning, then administered by the Empire of Japan as "Dairen", Kwantung Leased Territory. He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1965 and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the Harbin Institute of Technology in 1966.[2] In 1983, at age 39, he became the youngest mayor and Party secretary of a major city, of Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning. In 1982, he was also made an alternate member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party at the age of 38, the youngest member of the body at the time. In 1987, he became governor of Liaoning province, a post he kept until 1990. As governor, mainland China's first expressway was built in the province, linking the cities of Shenyang and Dalian.[3] In addition, Li pushed for the reform of state-owned enterprises, aiming to decrease state involvement in their operations.[4]

After General Secretary Zhao Ziyang was purged from the party leadership in 1989 during the fallout from the Tiananmen Square protests that same year, Li was initially also thought to have been removed from the leadership because he was a supporter of Zhao. Li's appearance on state television weeks later showed that this was not the case.[5]

In 1990, Li was transferred from his job in Liaoning province to central Henan province. In his memoirs, Li recounted that he was ill-prepared for his new assignment and felt homesick. The central authorities had not given him much prior notice about his transfer, and did not inform him why he was being moved or facilitate an orderly transition process. Li, as a result, was somewhat critical of the party's transfer process but nonetheless duly accepted his new assignment. He had succeeded then-Henan governor Cheng Weigao, who had been transferred to Hebei province as part of a three-province 'leader swap' orchestrated by the party's leaders.[6] Henan, a populous agricultural province without a strong industrial base, presented Li with significant challenges, and Li had experienced unease settling into his new home.[3]

Two years later, in 1992, Li was promoted to party chief of Henan. It would be Li's first job as "first-in-charge" of a province. Being accustomed to serving in government administration, Li's tenure in Henan was his first taste of being in charge of party affairs. Li said that initially being the top leader in the province made him uncomfortable as he had to shoulder all responsibility, especially at a time when other regions were developing economically at a pace much faster than that of Henan.[6] Overall, his tenure in Henan was seen as mediocre. Rural incomes remained stagnant during his term, and his government was also criticized for its role in the Plasma Economy, where farmers were encouraged to donate blood through unsafe practices, triggering China's largest outbreak of HIV/AIDS.[7]

### Guangdong

[edit]

Li was promoted to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in 1997, largely due to having secured the patronage of the paramount leader and Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin.[8] In his memoirs, Li said that he was surprised at having been appointed to the Politburo.[6] In 1998, Jiang dispatched Li to serve as Guangdong Party Secretary. It was said that Jiang wanted to use Li as a counterbalance to the entrenched local political establishment composed mostly of people native to the province. In Guangdong, Li cracked down on corruption to "put the house in order."[9] During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Li set up a special task force to evaluate what to do with non-performing loans owed by two of the province's largest financial companies. He appointed former central bank deputy governor Wang Qishan to oversee the task force. Li shook up the local banking sector and closed a plethora of local credit unions and agencies.[8] He also increased access to the legal aid system for the poor in the province.[8] His tenure in Guangdong was seen as largely successful, having averted the brunt of the 1997 Asian financial crisis and also bringing Guangdong back to the political control of the central leadership under Jiang Zemin after sidelined many local officials promoted by Ye Xuanping, former Governor of Guangdong and the elder son of Marshal Ye Jianying.[8]

Li's tenure in Guangdong made him one of Jiang's favourites and as such Jiang was preparing to groom him for succession for the premiership upon incumbent Premier Zhu Rongji's scheduled retirement in 2003.[8] However, Zhu had been favouring Wen Jiabao for the Premier office, and criticized Li over his handling of an "export rebate fraud" scandal in the coastal city of Shantou in 2000, which took place during Li's term as Guangdong party chief. By the end, Wen Jiabon won this competition and became Premier of China in March 2003.[10] Li's intention to promote Huang Liman, a female friend of Jiang's who was considered incompetent, to the party chief position in the coastal city of Shenzhen became a sticking point for Jiang's political opponents.[10]

### Politburo Standing Committee

[edit]

As expected, Li was named a member of the Politburo Standing Committee after Jiang's departure as General Secretary of the CCP in 2002.[11] By then, Li was seen by political observers as firmly belonging to Jiang's camp. He was considered one of Jiang's major 'patronage appointments' to the top ruling council along with other staunch Jiang loyalists such as Jia Qinglin and Huang Ju. Li was ranked eighth in the party hierarchy out of the nine members of the new PSC, given the portfolio of supervising the Party organs that dealt with propaganda and ideology while taking on no other official party or state titles.[10]

Li was the first propaganda chief to preside over the growth of the internet in China, and as a result was largely seen as having been the forerunner in developing the internet censorship regime that became increasingly extensive over the course of his tenure. In October 2007, at the 17th Party Congress, it was announced that Li, then aged 63 (below the unofficial age of retirement for PSC members, 67), would serve another term as propaganda chief.[12] In addition, Li was elevated from eight position in the protocol sequence to fifth, in front of Hu Jintao's putative successor Xi Jinping.

There were high hopes among some in media circles that Li would signal a more liberal change from the strictures of former propaganda chief Ding Guangen. Li had made a major speech advocating that media stay "close to the public" and to real events, "instead of mechanically following Party directives."[13] In addition, Li was also seen as a leading reformer due to his legacy in Guangdong, where he was not afraid to take on entrenched interests and introduce further market economic reforms. The hopes were short-lived however, though, after the Central Propaganda Department began closing newspapers, firing journalists, and would not allow foreign companies to produce content for TV stations in China. Many editors were punished and Li Changchun "started sounding and acting like another Ding Guangen."[13]

Li retired from PSC in 2012, when Liu Yunshan succeeded his position as the propaganda chief.

## Propaganda work

[edit]

In his position as China's propaganda chief from 2002 to 2012, Li was said to have contributed heavily to China's censorship campaign and frequently ordered media to downplay or not report on certain events. In 2006, he told the members of the All-China Journalists Association to "closely encircle the overall work of the party and state".[14] Li approved the construction of the National Museum in 2006 after a series of disputes and delays about the building of the museum.[15] He was the guest of honor at the opening of the National Center for the Performing Arts.[16]

Li has put his support behind a number of creative projects that might otherwise have been censored by the government. He supported Zen Shaolin, a music, dance and martial arts show intended to increase tourism that opened in 2007 in Henan, despite the producers' concerns that a celebration of religion and sacred music would be opposed by the government.[17] Li allowed a 2009 movie Nanking! Nanking! by Lu Chuan to continue running in theaters in the face of strong pressure from nationalists who objected to the sympathetic characterization in the film of a Japanese soldier. The film was one of ten chosen to help commemorate 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.[18]

In May 2009, American diplomats reported in a cable that was later leaked that Li was a driving force behind China's renewed pressure against Google to comply with Chinese censorship laws. Li was reportedly unhappy that Chinese Google search results for his and his children's names contained results critical of them. He subsequently ordered major Chinese firms to cease doing business with Google, and one source with connections to political elite claimed Li had directed a subsequent cyberattack against Google in retaliation.[19][20]

## Personal life

[edit]

Li is married to Zhang Shurong (张淑荣), his college sweetheart. Zhang was an engineer.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "#19: Li Changzhun". The World's Most Powerful People. Forbes. 2009-11-11.
2. ^ "Li Changchun". Xinhua. 2007-10-22. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
3. ^ a b "Li Changchun". China's Leaders. BBC News. 2004. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
4. ^ Nathan and Gilley, p. 114
5. ^ Kristof, Nicholas (14 June 1989). "TURMOIL IN CHINA; Moderates Appear on Beijing TV, Easing Fears of Wholesale Purge". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
6. ^ a b c d "进政治局倍感意外 李长春曾直言力不从心". Duowei News. April 12, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
7. ^ Nathan, Andrew, J.; Gilley, Bruce (2002). "China's New Rulers: Secret Files" (PDF). p. 114\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-26.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
8. ^ a b c d e Nathan & Gilley (2002), p. 115
9. ^ Escobar, Pepe (2005-01-25). "Guangdong, the unstoppable 'world's factory'". Sinoroving. Asia Times. Archived from the original on 2005-01-26. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
10. ^ a b c Andrew Nathan, Bruce Gilley, "China's New Rulers: The Secret Files; Second, Revised Edition," New York Review of Books, Oct 31, 2003, pp. 120-121
11. ^ Tien, Hung-mao; Zhu, Yunghan (2000). China under Jiang Zemin. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 25\. ISBN 978-1-55587-927-3.
12. ^ Kahn, Joseph (22 October 2011). "Politburo in China Gets Four New Members". New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
13. ^ a b Shirk, Susan. "China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise," Oxford University Press, Apr 16, 2007, p. 94
14. ^ "Briefly: Journalists are urged to hew to party line - Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune". New York Times. 25 October 2006. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
15. ^ Johnson, Ian (4 April 2011). "CULTURE AND CONTROL; At China's Grand New Museum, History Toes the Party Line". New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
16. ^ Kahn, Joseph (24 December 2007). "Chinese Unveil Mammoth Arts Center". New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
17. ^ Barboza, David (29 August 2008). "Chinese Extravaganza Uses Valley as a Backdrop". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
18. ^ Wong, Edward (22 May 2009). "Showing the Glimmer of Humanity Amid the Atrocities of War". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
19. ^ Glanz, James; Markoff, John (4 December 2010). "Vast Hacking by a China Fearful of the Web". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
20. ^ Moore, Malcolm (5 December 2010). "Wikileaks: China propaganda head oversaw Google campaign". Retrieved 27 June 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Li Changchun biography, China Vitae
* biography of Li Changchun People Daily

Party political offices

Preceded by

Hou Zongbin

|  Party Secretary of Henan
1992–1998  | Succeeded by

Ma Zhongchen

Preceded by

Xie Fei

|  Party Secretary of Guangdong
1998–2002  | Succeeded by

Zhang Dejiang

Preceded by

Ding Guangen

|  Chairman of the CCP Central Guidance Commission for Building Spiritual Civilization
2002–2013  | Succeeded by

Liu Yunshan

Leader of the Leading Group for Propaganda and Ideological Work
2002–2013
Political offices
Preceded by

Quan Shuren

|  Governor of Liaoning
1987–1990  | Succeeded by

Yue Qifeng

Preceded by

Cheng Weigao

|  Governor of Henan
1990–1992  | Succeeded by

Ma Zhongchen

Preceded by

Lin Xiao

|  Chairman of the Henan People's Standing Congress
1993–1998  | Succeeded by

Ren Keli

Order of precedence
Preceded by

Jia Qinglin
Conference Chairman

|  5th Rank of the Chinese Communist Party
17th Politburo Standing Committee | Succeeded by

Xi Jinping
Vice President

Preceded by

Wu Guanzheng
Discipline Secretary

|  8th Rank of the Chinese Communist Party
16th Politburo Standing Committee | Succeeded by

Luo Gan
Political and Legislative

* v
* t
* e

17th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (2007–2012)

Standing Committee|

1. Hu Jintao (General Secretary)
2. Wu Bangguo
3. Wen Jiabao
4. Jia Qinglin
5. Li Changchun
6. Xi Jinping
7. Li Keqiang
8. He Guoqiang
9. Zhou Yongkang

Other members
in surname stroke order|

* Wang Gang
* Wang Lequan
* Wang Zhaoguo
* Wang Qishan
* Hui Liangyu
* Liu Qi
* Liu Yunshan
* Liu Yandong ♀
* Li Yuanchao
* Wang Yang
* Zhang Gaoli
* Zhang Dejiang
* Yu Zhengsheng
* Xu Caihou
* Guo Boxiong
* Bo Xilai (expelled 2012)

7th→8th→9th→10th→11th→12th→13th→14th→15th→16th→17th→18th→19th→20th

* v
* t
* e

16th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (2002–2007)

Standing Committee|

1. Hu Jintao (General Secretary)
2. Wu Bangguo
3. Wen Jiabao
4. Jia Qinglin
5. Zeng Qinghong
6. Huang Ju (died 2007)
7. Wu Guanzheng
8. Li Changchun
9. Luo Gan

Other members
in surname stroke order|

* Wang Lequan
* Wang Zhaoguo
* Hui Liangyu
* Liu Qi
* Liu Yunshan
* Wu Yi
* Zhang Lichang
* Zhang Dejiang
* Chen Liangyu (expelled 2006)
* Zhou Yongkang
* Yu Zhengsheng
* He Guoqiang
* Guo Boxiong
* Cao Gangchuan
* Zeng Peiyan

Alternate member|

* Wang Gang

7th→8th→9th→10th→11th→12th→13th→14th→15th→16th→17th→18th→19th→20th

* v
* t
* e

15th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (1997–2002)

Standing Committee|

1. Jiang Zemin (General Secretary)
2. Li Peng
3. Zhu Rongji
4. Li Ruihuan
5. Hu Jintao
6. Wei Jianxing
7. Li Lanqing

Other members
in surname stroke order|

* Ding Guangen
* Tian Jiyun
* Li Changchun
* Li Tieying
* Wu Bangguo
* Wu Guanzheng
* Chi Haotian
* Zhang Wannian
* Luo Gan
* Jiang Chunyun
* Jia Qinglin
* Qian Qichen
* Huang Ju
* Wen Jiabao
* Xie Fei (died 1999)

Alternate members|

1. Zeng Qinghong
2. Wu Yi

7th→8th→9th→10th→11th→12th→13th→14th→15th→16th→17th→18th→19th→20th

* v
* t
* e

Political leaders of Guangdong since 1949

Party committee
secretaries|

* Ye Jianying
* Tao Zhu
* Zhao Ziyang
* Huang Yongsheng
* Liu Xingyuan
* Ding Sheng
* Zhao Ziyang
* Wei Guoqing
* Xi Zhongxun
* Ren Zhongyi
* Lin Ruo
* Xie Fei
* Li Changchun
* Zhang Dejiang
* Wang Yang
* Hu Chunhua
* Li Xi
* Huang Kunming

Congress
chairpersons|

* Li Jianzhen
* Luo Tian
* Lin Ruo
* Zhu Senlin
* Zhang Guoying
* Lu Zhonghe
* Huang Liman
* Ou Guangyuan
* Huang Longyun
* Li Yumei
* Huang Chuping

Governors|

* Ye Jianying
* Tao Zhu
* Chen Yu
* Huang Yongsheng
* Liu Xingyuan
* Ding Sheng
* Zhao Ziyang
* Wei Guoqing
* Xi Zhongxun
* Liu Tianfu
* Liang Lingguang
* Ye Xuanping
* Zhu Senlin
* Lu Ruihua
* Huang Huahua
* Zhu Xiaodan
* Ma Xingrui
* Wang Weizhong

Conference
chairpersons|

* Tao Zhu
* Ou Mengjue
* Wang Shoudao
* Yin Linping
* Liang Weilin
* Wu Nansheng
* Guo Rongchang
* Liu Fengyi
* Chen Shaoji
* Huang Longyun
* Zhu Mingguo
* Wang Rong
* Lin Keqing

* v
* t
* e

Political leaders of Henan since 1949

Party committee
secretaries|

* Zhang Xi
* Pan Fusheng
* Wu Zhipu
* Liu Jianxun
* Wen Minsheng
* Liu Jianxun
* Duan Junyi
* Liu Jie
* Yang Xizong
* Hou Zongbin
* Li Changchun
* Ma Zhongchen
* Chen Kuiyuan
* Li Keqiang
* Xu Guangchun
* Lu Zhangong
* Guo Gengmao
* Xie Fuzhan
* Wang Guosheng
* Lou Yangsheng
* Liu Ning

Congress
chairpersons|

* Hu Lijiao
* Liu Jie
* Zhao Wenfu
* Zhang Shude
* Lin Xiao
* Yang Xizong
* Li Changchun
* Ren Keli
* Li Keqiang
* Xu Guangchun
* Lu Zhangong
* Guo Gengmao
* Xie Fuzhan
* Wang Guosheng
* Lou Yangsheng

Governors|

* Wu Zhipu
* Wen Minsheng
* Liu Jianxun
* Duan Junyi
* Liu Jie
* Dai Suli
* Yu Mingtao
* He Zhukang
* Cheng Weigao
* Li Changchun
* Ma Zhongchen
* Li Keqiang
* Li Chengyu
* Guo Gengmao
* Xie Fuzhan
* Chen Run'er
* Yin Hong
* Wang Kai

Conference
chairpersons|

* Pan Fusheng
* Wu Zhipu
* Liu Jianxun
* Zhao Wenfu
* Wang Huayun
* Song Yuxi
* Yan Jimin
* Lin Yinghai
* Fan Qinchen
* Wang Quanshu
* Ye Dongsong
* Liu Wei
* Kong Changsheng

* v
* t
* e

Political leaders of Liaoning since 1949

Party committee
secretaries|

* Huang Oudong
* Huang Huoqing
* Chen Xilian
* Zeng Shaoshan
* Ren Zhongyi
* Guo Feng
* Li Guixian
* Quan Shuren
* Gu Jinchi
* Wen Shizhen
* Li Keqiang
* Zhang Wenyue
* Wang Min
* Li Xi
* Chen Qiufa
* Zhang Guoqing
* Hao Peng

Congress
chairpersons|

* Huang Oudong
* Zhang Zhengde
* Wang Guangzhong
* Quan Shuren
* Wang Huaiyuan
* Wen Shizhen
* Li Keqiang
* Zhang Xilin
* Wang Min
* Li Xi
* Chen Qiufa
* Zhang Guoqing
* Hao Peng

Governors|

* Du Zheheng
* Huang Oudong
* Chen Xilian
* Zeng Shaoshan
* Ren Zhongyi
* Chen Puru
* Quan Shuren
* Li Changchun
* Yue Qifeng
* Wen Shizhen
* Zhang Guoguang
* Bo Xilai
* Zhang Wenyue
* Chen Zhenggao
* Li Xi
* Chen Qiufa
* Tang Yijun
* Liu Ning
* Li Lecheng

Conference
chairpersons|

* Huang Oudong
* Huang Huoqing
* Huang Oudong
* Li Huang
* Song Li
* Xu Shaofu
* Sun Qi
* Xiao Zuofu
* Zhang Wenyue
* Guo Tingbiao
* Luo Lin
* Yue Fuhong
* Xia Deren
* Zhou Bo

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Australia

People|

* Trove

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