Li Ruihuan
Encyclopedia
Li Ruihuan was a politician active late 20th century and early 21st century in the People's Republic of China
. Li was a member of the Standing Committee
of the Political Bureau
of 15th Central Committee
of the Communist Party of China
until November 2002. He served as Chairman of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
(CPPCC) until March 2003.
, and originally a carpenter
, he was elected and reelected chairman of the 8th and 9th CPPCC National Committees in March 1993 and March 1998. Li Ruihuan is the sixth chairman of the CPPCC after Mao Zedong
, Zhou Enlai
, Deng Xiaoping
, Deng Yingchao
, and Li Xiannian
. Since this post has been held by some of the most prominent revolutionary elders, it is spoken of "noble and sacred" by reverent observers. The principal duties of the CPPCC chief are mainly advisory and conciliatory; Li's duties focused on mitigating conflict between different sectors of society, conferring on state affairs, and providing ideas for the top bodies of PRC central government for reference.
Li, born into ordinary peasant family on September 1934; worked as construction worker in Beijing Third Construction Company, 1951-1965; attended spare-time architecture engineering institute, 1958-1963; and received college certificate.
Inventor of the "simplified calculation method," which updated the traditional "lofting method" in carpentry, Li was known as "young Lu Ban
," a legendary master carpenter in ancient China. He rose up the ranks of the construction industry and Tianjin politics.
During his tenure of office as Tianjin
mayor, he actively supported institutional restructuring, focusing attention on improving urban housing and public transport conditions. He gained great popularity among Tianjin residents with his call-in radio and television programs through which he directly answered residents' inquires in concrete terms.
From 1989 on, he has been Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Observers speculated that the former carpenter who worked on the Great Hall of the People
would play a key role in the question of leadership succession at the 16th party congress as CPPCC chief, if not also the future direction of political reform.
Although the former Tianjin
mayor has the same seniority as President Jiang Zemin
, he has been relegated to the sidelines by Jiang since 1989. By 2002 there were reports from Beijing
that Li had informed the Communist Party of China (CPC) headquarters three times of his desire to retire at the 2002 16th party congress.
These reports struck many as unusual, given that Li, then 68, will be two years shy of 70 - the supposed retirement age for Politburo members - at the 16th congress, which endorsed a new CPC leadership. While sixty-eight would be considered retirement age most elsewhere, this is not an advanced age whatsoever for a top CPC cadre; in fact, at 68 Li was the second youngest member of the then seven-member Politburo Standing Committee
, behind only Hu Jintao
. Thus, many Li supporters assumed that he and Vice President Hu would have been the only two PSC incumbents to have their five-year terms renewed at the 16th congress. Thus, he would have been in place likely to assume the post of chairman of the National People's Congress
(NPC), a post held by Li Peng
prior to the party congress.
Some were even expecting that Li Ruihuan would have formed a triumvirate together in the post-16th congress PSC with Hu Jintao
and Wen Jiabao
. Many expected that such a triumvirate would have relegated Jiang's "Shanghai clique," focused more on the countryside, and pushed for political reforms. All three cadres were considered to have enjoyed a good relationship since all three have links to the Communist Youth League
, deemed a liberal offshoot of the CPC. Among current PSC members, Li is considered by most observers to be the most liberal, particularly on political matters.
While controversial among many in the party, who fear that he might be a Chinese Mikhail Gorbachev
, Li's views about political liberalization, however, do not entail Western-style models. Li has favored an incremental, steady approach, such as fostering checks and balances by giving some real power to the 'democratic parties' as well as other groupings of non-CPC professionals and businessmen. It is at Li's insistence as CPPCC chief that the status of non-CPC members as well as members of the eight "democratic parties" (civic society groupings of academics, professionals and businessmen) has been raised. Now, most provincial and municipal governments have set aside a virtual quota of senior positions to be filled by non-party politicians and experts.
According to some China analysts, Li upset Jiang by disagreeing with measures taken against Falun Gong
, defined by the communist party as a cult
. Li has not made any public denunciation on the practice, despite widespread government allegations of Falun Gong practitioners going insane, committing suicide, refusing medical treatment due to cult teachings, or killing family members due to its "doomsday" preoccupations. (Many of these allegations had been well documented before the crackdown, but had received little attention from Chinese press.) Many detractors of Li have faulted him for ignoring the alleged "destabilizing impact" of Falun Gong on Chinese society due to a factional dispute with Jiang. Moreover, Li is said to have embarrassed the party in the West, where many "anti-China forces" have exploited the crackdown to condemn trade relations with the PRC.
His ostensibly early retirement led many to conclude that Jiang's Shanghai faction, and its representative figures such as Zeng Qinghong
and Wu Bangguo
, might have outmaneuvered Li and his supporters at the 16th party congress. As a retired official, the extent of his influence is unknown.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Li was a member of the Standing Committee
Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China, whose membership varies between 5 and 9 people. The inner workings of the PSC are not well known, although it is believed that decisions of the PSC are...
of the Political Bureau
Politburo of the Communist Party of China
The Central Politburo of the Communist Party of China or Political bureau of the CPC Central Committee , formerly as Central Bureau before 1927, is a group of 24 people who oversee the Communist Party of China...
of 15th Central Committee
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
until November 2002. He served as Chairman of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [], shortened as 人民政协, Rénmín Zhèngxié, i.e. "People's PCC"; or just 政协, Zhèngxié, i.e. "The PCC"), abbreviated CPPCC, is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China...
(CPPCC) until March 2003.
Biography
A native of Baodi County, TianjinTianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, and originally a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, he was elected and reelected chairman of the 8th and 9th CPPCC National Committees in March 1993 and March 1998. Li Ruihuan is the sixth chairman of the CPPCC after Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
, Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
, Deng Yingchao
Deng Yingchao
Deng Yingchao , was the wife of the first Chinese Premier, Zhou Enlai, Chairwoman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 1983 to 1988 and a member of the Communist Party of China.-Biography:...
, and Li Xiannian
Li Xianniàn
Li Xiannian was President of the People's Republic of China between 1983 and 1988 and then chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference until his death. He was an influential political figure throughout the PRC, having been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of...
. Since this post has been held by some of the most prominent revolutionary elders, it is spoken of "noble and sacred" by reverent observers. The principal duties of the CPPCC chief are mainly advisory and conciliatory; Li's duties focused on mitigating conflict between different sectors of society, conferring on state affairs, and providing ideas for the top bodies of PRC central government for reference.
Li, born into ordinary peasant family on September 1934; worked as construction worker in Beijing Third Construction Company, 1951-1965; attended spare-time architecture engineering institute, 1958-1963; and received college certificate.
Inventor of the "simplified calculation method," which updated the traditional "lofting method" in carpentry, Li was known as "young Lu Ban
Lu Ban
Lu Ban was a Chinese carpenter, engineer, philosopher, inventor, military thinker, statesman and contemporary of Mozi, born in the State of Lu, and is the patron Saint of Chinese builders and contractors. He was born in a renowned family during the Spring and Autumn Period when China was...
," a legendary master carpenter in ancient China. He rose up the ranks of the construction industry and Tianjin politics.
During his tenure of office as Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
mayor, he actively supported institutional restructuring, focusing attention on improving urban housing and public transport conditions. He gained great popularity among Tianjin residents with his call-in radio and television programs through which he directly answered residents' inquires in concrete terms.
From 1989 on, he has been Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Observers speculated that the former carpenter who worked on the Great Hall of the People
Great Hall of the People
The Great Hall of the People is located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square, Beijing, People's Republic of China, and is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party of China. It functions as the People's Republic of China's...
would play a key role in the question of leadership succession at the 16th party congress as CPPCC chief, if not also the future direction of political reform.
Although the former Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
mayor has the same seniority as President Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
, he has been relegated to the sidelines by Jiang since 1989. By 2002 there were reports from Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
that Li had informed the Communist Party of China (CPC) headquarters three times of his desire to retire at the 2002 16th party congress.
These reports struck many as unusual, given that Li, then 68, will be two years shy of 70 - the supposed retirement age for Politburo members - at the 16th congress, which endorsed a new CPC leadership. While sixty-eight would be considered retirement age most elsewhere, this is not an advanced age whatsoever for a top CPC cadre; in fact, at 68 Li was the second youngest member of the then seven-member Politburo Standing Committee
Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China, whose membership varies between 5 and 9 people. The inner workings of the PSC are not well known, although it is believed that decisions of the PSC are...
, behind only Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
. Thus, many Li supporters assumed that he and Vice President Hu would have been the only two PSC incumbents to have their five-year terms renewed at the 16th congress. Thus, he would have been in place likely to assume the post of chairman of the National People's Congress
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress , abbreviated NPC , is the highest state body and the only legislative house in the People's Republic of China. The National People's Congress is held in the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China; with 2,987 members, it is the...
(NPC), a post held by Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
prior to the party congress.
Some were even expecting that Li Ruihuan would have formed a triumvirate together in the post-16th congress PSC with Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
and Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao
Wen Jiabao is the sixth and current Premier and Party secretary of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, serving as China's head of government and leading its cabinet. In his capacity as Premier, Wen is regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy...
. Many expected that such a triumvirate would have relegated Jiang's "Shanghai clique," focused more on the countryside, and pushed for political reforms. All three cadres were considered to have enjoyed a good relationship since all three have links to the Communist Youth League
Communist Youth League
The Communist Youth League of China also known as the China Youth League is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight, run by Communist Party of China. The league is organized on the party pattern. Its leader is its First Secretary...
, deemed a liberal offshoot of the CPC. Among current PSC members, Li is considered by most observers to be the most liberal, particularly on political matters.
While controversial among many in the party, who fear that he might be a Chinese Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
, Li's views about political liberalization, however, do not entail Western-style models. Li has favored an incremental, steady approach, such as fostering checks and balances by giving some real power to the 'democratic parties' as well as other groupings of non-CPC professionals and businessmen. It is at Li's insistence as CPPCC chief that the status of non-CPC members as well as members of the eight "democratic parties" (civic society groupings of academics, professionals and businessmen) has been raised. Now, most provincial and municipal governments have set aside a virtual quota of senior positions to be filled by non-party politicians and experts.
According to some China analysts, Li upset Jiang by disagreeing with measures taken against Falun Gong
Falun Gong
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline first introduced in China in 1992 by its founder, Li Hongzhi, through public lectures. It combines the practice of meditation and slow-moving qigong exercises with the moral philosophy...
, defined by the communist party as a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
. Li has not made any public denunciation on the practice, despite widespread government allegations of Falun Gong practitioners going insane, committing suicide, refusing medical treatment due to cult teachings, or killing family members due to its "doomsday" preoccupations. (Many of these allegations had been well documented before the crackdown, but had received little attention from Chinese press.) Many detractors of Li have faulted him for ignoring the alleged "destabilizing impact" of Falun Gong on Chinese society due to a factional dispute with Jiang. Moreover, Li is said to have embarrassed the party in the West, where many "anti-China forces" have exploited the crackdown to condemn trade relations with the PRC.
His ostensibly early retirement led many to conclude that Jiang's Shanghai faction, and its representative figures such as Zeng Qinghong
Zeng Qinghong
Zeng Qinghong was the Vice-President of the People's Republic of China from 2003 to 2008. He became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee during the 2002 16th Party Congress. Although he was formally ranked fifth in the nine PSC...
and Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo
Wu Bangguo is a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China. He is currently Chairman and Party secretary of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, a position that makes him China's chief legislator...
, might have outmaneuvered Li and his supporters at the 16th party congress. As a retired official, the extent of his influence is unknown.
See also
- Politics of the People's Republic of ChinaPolitics of the People's Republic of ChinaThe politics of the People's Republic of China take place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic. The leadership of the Communist Party is stated in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China...
- History of the People's Republic of China (1989-2002)History of the People's Republic of China (1989-2002)In the People's Republic of China, Deng Xiaoping formally retired after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, to be succeeded by former Shanghai mayor Jiang Zemin. The crackdown in 1989 led to great woes in China's reputation globally, and sanctions resulted. The situation, however, would...
External links
- Li Ruihuan biography @ China Vitae, the web's largest online database of China VIPs
- Li Ruihuan profile at BBC news . Accessed September 2007