Raidi

Tibetan politician (1938–2025)

Raidi

རག་སྡི་

Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
In office
15 March 2003 – 15 March 2008
Chairman| Wu Bangguo
Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress
In office
January 1993 – May 2003
Preceded by| Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
Succeeded by| Legqog
Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office
May 1985 – January 1993
Preceded by| Yangling Dorje
Succeeded by| Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai
Personal details
Born| August 1938
Biru, Tibet
Died| 6 June 2025(2025-06-06) (aged 86)
Beijing, China
Political party| Chinese Communist Party
Alma mater| Central Party School
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese| 热地
Traditional Chinese| 熱地
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Rèdì
Tibetan name
Tibetan| རག་སྡི་
| Transcriptions

Wylie| rag sdi
Tibetan Pinyin| Raidi

Raidi (Chinese: 热地; Tibetan: རག་སྡི་; also written Ragdi; August 1938 – 6 June 2025) was a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress[1] from 2003 to 2008, and was the highest-ranking Tibetan in the People's Republic of China.

## Life and career

[edit]

Raidi was a native of Biru County, Tibet Autonomous Region. Born in August 1938, he was a graduate of the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party, and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in October 1961.[2][3] He was formerly a Buddhist monk.[4]

Between 1966 and 1968, Raidi was employed by the Public Prosecution and Law Enforcement Commission of the Nagqu Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region.[5] From 1968 to 1972, he held the position of officer and deputy chairman of the People's Security Group under the Nagqu Regional Revolutionary Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region. He held the position of Secretary of the Nagqu Prefecture CCP Committee from 1972 until 1975.[6]

He occupied numerous roles, including Deputy Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Disciplinary Commissioner of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Deputy Director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Revolutionary Committee, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress, Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and President of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party School.[7]

From 1993 to 1994, he held the positions of Deputy Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee, Director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress, and Party Secretary. From 1994 until 2003, he held the position of Standing Deputy Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee and served as the Director of the Standing Committee of the Party Group Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region. He held the position of Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from March 2003 until March 2008.[8]

On 16 September 2019, he received the national honorary designation of "Outstanding Contributor to Ethnic Unity".[9][10]

Raidi interacted with foreign journalists multiple times during his political career, discussing issues such as tourism in Tibet,[11] the status of the Dalai Lama,[4][12][13] the Karmapa Lama,[14] and the disappearance of the Panchen Lama.[15] He was a fierce critic of "splitism", or Tibetan nationalism,[16] and often criticized claims that Tibetans were oppressed by the Chinese government.[17]

Raidi died in Beijing on 6 June 2025, at the age of 86.[18]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Former senior Chinese legislator Ragdi dies at 87". english.news.cn. Xinhua. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
2. ^ 中国人权研究会 (2007). 中国人权年鉴: 2000–2005 (in Chinese). 团结出版社. p. 1170\. ISBN 978-7-80214-279-4. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
3. ^ "Tibetan collaborator among top Chinese national honor recipients". Tibetan Review. 5 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020. "Re Di, a native of Driru (Chinese: Biru) County in Nagchu (Naqu) Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) where he was born in Aug 1938, is a graduate of the Central Party School, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in October 1961. He spoke of having experienced suffering under the old Tibetan society and that the PLA taught him about revolution and led him towards the revolutionary path. Ragdi worked in various top leadership positions in TAR during his 28 years of service there until his "election" as a Vice Chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress in Mar 2003."
4. ^ a b "Dalai Lama hindered Tibet, ethnic leaders say". The Deseret News. Associated Press. 9 March 1999.
5. ^ 中共第十四届中央委员名录 (in Chinese). Chinese Communist Party History Press. 1993. p. 121\. ISBN 978-7-80023-615-0. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
6. ^ 中国共产党西藏自治区组织史资料, 1950–1987 (in Chinese). 西藏人民出版社出版. 1993. p. 181. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
7. ^ 迈向新征程: 十屆全国人大一次会议, 全国政协十届一次会议纪实 (in Chinese). 新华出版社. 2003. p. 97\. ISBN 978-7-5011-6178-2. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
8. ^ 中国民族年鉴 (in Chinese). 民族出版社. 2009. p. 14. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
9. ^ "国家勋章和国家荣誉称号获得者名单_滚动新闻_中国政府网". State Council of the People's Republic of China (in Chinese). 26 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
10. ^ 编辑： alan (17 September 2019). "国家主席习近平签署主席令 在庆祝中华人民共和国成立70周年之际授予42人国家勋章和国家荣誉称号". 羊城晚报报业集团官方网站. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
11. ^ Butterfield, Fox (23 July 1979). "Tibet Opens Up to Tourists, But Only a Few at a Time". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
12. ^ Butterfield, Fox (19 July 1979). "But Chinese Have Put End to the Lamaist Theocracy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
13. ^ "Handover embroiled in Tibet row". The Nation. Reuters. 6 July 1997. pp. A7.
14. ^ Page, Jeremy (9 March 2000). "China says Dalai Lama manipulating escaped lama". Daily News. Reuters. p. 10.
15. ^ "China says vanished Panchen Lama 'happy'". BBC News. 12 November 2002. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
16. ^ Smith, Warren (31 July 2019). Tibetan Nation: A History Of Tibetan Nationalism And Sino-tibetan Relations. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-000-61228-8.
17. ^ Faison, Seth (25 August 1997). "China Faults U.S. Official Over Tibet Trip". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
18. ^ "热地同志逝世-新华网". Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Raidi biography @ China Vitae, the web's largest online database of China VIPs

Assembly seats

Preceded by

Yangling Dorje

|  Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
1985–1993  | Succeeded by

Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai

Preceded by

Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme

|  Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress Standing Committee
1993–2003  | Succeeded by

Legqog

* v
* t
* e

Vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

1st
(1954–1959) |

* Soong Ching-ling
* Lin Boqu
* Li Jishen
* Zhang Lan (died 1955)
* Luo Ronghuan
* Shen Junru
* Guo Moruo
* Huang Yanpei
* Peng Zhen (secretary-general)
* Li Weihan
* Chen Shutong
* Tenzin Gyatso, Dalai Lama
* Seypidin Azizi
* Cheng Qian (added 1958)

2nd
(1959–1964) |

* Lin Boqu
* Li Jishen
* Luo Ronghuan
* Shen Junru
* Guo Moruo
* Huang Yanpei
* Peng Zhen
* Li Weihan
* Chen Shutong
* ~~Tenzin Gyatso, Dalai Lama~~ (fled 1959; dismissed 1964)
* Seypidin Azizi
* Cheng Qian
* ~~Choekyi Gyaltsen, Panchen Erdeni~~ (removed 1964)
* He Xiangning
* Liu Bocheng
* Lin Feng

3rd
(1964–1975) |

* Peng Zhen
* Liu Bocheng
* Li Jingquan
* Kang Sheng
* Guo Moruo
* He Xiangning
* Huang Yanpei
* Chen Shutong
* Li Xuefeng
* Xu Xiangqian
* Yang Mingxuan
* Cheng Qian
* Seypidin Azizi
* Lin Feng
* Liu Ningyi (secretary-General)
* Zhang Zhizhong
* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
* Zhou Jianren

4th
(1975–1978) |

* Dong Biwu
* Soong Ching-ling
* Kang Sheng
* Liu Bocheng
* Wu De
* Wei Guoqing
* Seypidin Azizi
* Guo Moruo
* Xu Xiangqian
* Nie Rongzhen
* Chen Yun
* Tan Zhenlin
* Li Jingquan
* Zhang Dingcheng
* Cai Chang
* Ulanhu
* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
* Zhou Jianren
* Xu Deheng
* Hu Juewen
* Li Suwen
* Yao Lianwei
* Deng Yingchao (added 1976)

5th
(1978–1983) |

* Soong Ching-ling (died 1981)
* Nie Rongzhen (resigned 1980)
* Liu Bocheng (resigned 1980)
* Ulanhu
* Wu De (resigned 1980)
* Wei Guoqing
* Chen Yun
* Guo Moruo (died 1978)
* Tan Zhenlin
* Li Jingquan
* Zhang Dingcheng (resigned 1980; died 1981)
* Cai Chang (resigned 1980)
* Deng Yingchao
* Seypidin Azizi
* Liao Chengzhi
* Ji Pengfei (secretary-general; resigned 1980)
* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
* Zhou Jianren (resigned 1980)
* Xu Deheng
* Hu Juewen
* Peng Zhen (added 1979)
* Xiao Jinguang (added 1979)
* Zhu Yunshan (added 1979; died 1981)
* Shi Liang (added 1979)
* Peng Chong (added 1980)
* Xi Zhongxun (added 1980)
* Su Yu (added 1980)
* Yang Shangkun (added 1980; secretary-general)
* Choekyi Gyaltsen, Panchen Erdeni (added 1980)
* Zhu Xuefan (added 1981)

6th
(1983–1988) |

* Chen Pixian
* Wei Guoqing
* Geng Biao
* Hu Juewen
* Xu Deheng
* Peng Chong
* Wang Renzhong
* Shi Liang
* Zhu Xuefan
* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
* Choekyi Gyaltsen, Panchen Erdeni
* Seypidin Azizi
* Zhou Gucheng
* Yan Jici
* Hu Yuzhi
* Rong Yiren
* Ye Fei
* Liao Hansheng
* Han Xianchu
* Huang Hua
* Chu Tunan (added 1986)

7th
(1988–1993) |

* Xi Zhongxun
* Ulanhu
* Peng Chong (secretary-general)
* Wei Guoqing
* Zhu Xuefan
* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
* Choekyi Gyaltsen, Panchen Erdeni
* Seypidin Azizi
* Zhou Gucheng
* Yan Jici
* Rong Yiren
* Ye Fei
* Liao Hansheng
* Ni Zhifu
* Chen Muhua
* Fei Xiaotong
* Sun Qimeng
* Lei Jieqiong
* Wang Hanbin

8th
(1993–1998) |

* Tian Jiyun
* Wang Hanbin
* Ni Zhifu
* Chen Muhua
* Fei Xiaotong
* Sun Qimeng
* Lei Jieqiong
* Qin Jiwei
* Li Ximing
* Wang Bingqian
* Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai
* Wang Guangying
* Cheng Siyuan
* Lu Jiaxi
* Buhe
* Tömür Dawamat
* Gan Ku
* Li Peiyao (murdered 1996)
* Wu Jieping

9th
(1998–2003) |

* Tian Jiyun
* Xie Fei
* Jiang Chunyun
* Zou Jiahua
* Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai
* Wang Guangying
* Cheng Siyuan
* Buhe
* Tömür Dawamat
* Wu Jieping
* Peng Peiyun
* He Luli
* Zhou Guangzhao
* ~~Cheng Kejie~~ (dismissed & executed 2000)
* Cao Zhi
* Ding Shisun
* Cheng Siwei
* Xu Jialu
* Jiang Zhenghua

10th
(2003–2008) |

* Wang Zhaoguo
* Li Tieying
* Ismail Amat
* He Luli
* Ding Shisun
* Cheng Siwei
* Xu Jialu
* Jiang Zhenghua
* Gu Xiulian
* Raidi
* Sheng Huaren
* Lu Yongxiang
* Uyunqimg
* Han Qide
* Fu Tieshan

11th
(2008–2013) |

* Wang Zhaoguo
* Lu Yongxiang
* Uyunqimg
* Han Qide
* Hua Jianmin
* Chen Zhili
* Zhou Tienong
* Li Jianguo (secretary-general)
* Ismail Tiliwaldi
* Jiang Shusheng
* Chen Changzhi
* Yan Junqi
* Sang Guowei

12th
(2013–2018) |

* Li Jianguo
* Wang Shengjun
* Chen Changzhi
* Yan Junqi
* Wang Chen (secretary-general)
* Shen Yueyue
* Ji Bingxuan
* Zhang Ping
* Qiangba Puncog
* Arken Imirbaki
* Wan Exiang
* Zhang Baowen
* Chen Zhu

13th
(2018–2023) |

* Wang Chen
* Cao Jianming
* Zhang Chunxian
* Shen Yueyue
* Ji Bingxuan
* Arken Imirbaki
* Wan Exiang
* Chen Zhu
* Wang Dongming
* Padma Choling
* Ding Zhongli
* Hao Mingjin
* Cai Dafeng
* Wu Weihua

14th
(2023–2028) |

* Li Hongzhong
* Wang Dongming
* Xiao Jie
* Zheng Jianbang
* Ding Zhongli
* Hao Mingjin
* Cai Dafeng
* He Wei
* Wu Weihua
* Tie Ning
* Peng Qinghua
* Zhang Qingwei
* Losang Jamcan
* Shohrat Zakir

* v
* t
* e

Political leaders of the Tibet Autonomous Region

Party committee
secretaries|

* Fan Ming
* Zhang Jingwu
* Zhang Guohua
* Ren Rong
* Yin Fatang
* Wu Jinghua
* Hu Jintao
* Chen Kuiyuan
* Guo Jinlong
* Yang Chuantang
* Zhang Qingli
* Chen Quanguo
* Wu Yingjie
* Wang Junzheng

Congress
chairpersons|

* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
* Yang Dongsheng
* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
* Raidi
* Legqog
* Qiangba Puncog
* Padma Choling
* Losang Jamcan

Government
chairpersons|

* Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (Preparatory Committee)
* Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama (Preparatory Committee, acting)
* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme (People's Committee)
* Zeng Yongya (Revolutionary Committee)
* Ren Rong (Revolutionary Committee)
* Sanggyai Yexe
* Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
* Dorje Tseten
* Doje Cering
* Gyaincain Norbu
* Legqog
* Qiangba Puncog
* Padma Choling
* Losang Jamcan
* Che Dalha
* Yan Jinhai
* Garma Cedain

Conference
chairpersons|

* Tan Guansan
* Zhang Guohua
* Ren Rong
* Yin Fatang
* Yangling Dorje
* Raidi
* Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai

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