Yu Youjun
Encyclopedia
Yu Youjun is a former politician of the People's Republic of China
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...

. Among other positions, he was once the mayor of Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...

, governor of Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....

 province, and secretary of the leading party group of the Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Culture is a ministry of the government of the People's Republic of China which is responsible for culture policy and activities in the country, including managing national museums and monuments; Astroturfing and promoting government policies; promoting and protecting the arts The...

. In October 2008 he was removed from the 17th Central Committee
17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is in session from 2007 to 2012.It elected the 17th Politburo of the Communist Party of China in 2007.-Chronology:#1st Plenary Session#*Date: October 22, 2007#*Location: Beijing...

 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...

 (CPC).

Biography

A native of Feng County
Feng County, Jiangsu
Feng County, Jiangsu is a county of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Xuzhou city.-References:*...

 in Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...

, Yu holds a doctorate in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

. He joined the CPC in June 1976. Working mainly in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

 province, he eventually served as the party secretaries of various districts in the city of Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

. From 1994 to 2000 he was a member of the standing committee and concurrently chief of the propaganda department of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee.

Yu came to prominence as Mayor of Shenzhen, China's first and arguably most successful Special Economic Zone
Special Economic Zone
A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic and other laws that are more free-market-oriented than a country's typical or national laws...

 (SEZ), from 2000 to 2003. In November 2002, a 18,000-character essay "Shenzhen, who has abandoned you?" published online by a netizen 'Crazy for her' (wǒwèiyīkuáng) attracted much attention for its comprehensive and data-rich examination of various public policies pertaining to the SEZ and the implications of extending them to other parts of the country. Mayor Yu met with the author of the essay Guo Zhongxiao (呙中校) on January 19, 2003, to discuss his essay and exchange views on Shenzhen and its development. His act was hailed in various media as a great step forward in boosting communication and dialog between high officials and Internet users.

Yu was promoted to Vice Governor of Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

 province and deputy secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee in June 2003. In 2005 he was promoted again to become Governor of the coal-rich province of Shanxi. During his time in Shanxi, he undertook several key initiatives including the closure of several thousand illegal coal mines and the improvement of the environment. He came onto the international spotlight following the 2007 Chinese slave scandal
2007 Chinese slave scandal
The 2007 Chinese slave scandal was a series of forced labour cases in Shanxi, China. Thousands of Chinese people including children had been forced to work as slaves in illegal brickyards, and tortured by the owners of the brickyards...

 involving children and migrant workers who were forced to work in kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...

s. He publicly apologized for the mishap, a rare occurrence in China, and held himself accountable.

As part of a wider Party reshuffle in preparation for the formation of the new Cabinet in 2008, Yu resigned his party and government positions in Shanxi in September and October 2007 respectively. He was then appointed the secretary of the leading party group and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture. Yu was chosen as a member of the 17th CPC Central Committee in October 2007.

Exit from politics

Following his assumption of the position of leading party group secretary, Yu Youjun was unexpectedly passed over for promotion to Minister of Culture in the March 2008 Cabinet reshuffle. In addition, his non-appearance in a ministry press conference led to speculation among foreign media that he had been removed from his post and was under investigation. This was refuted at the time by the newly-appointed Minister of Culture Cai Wu
Cai Wu
Cai Wu is the current head of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China.-Biography:...

, by the deputy director of the CPC Organization Department Li Jianhua, and in a terse statement by the official Xinhua News Agency.

However, Yu Youjun's position was finally confirmed in October 2008, during the Third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee. The committee acted on a report on Yu submitted by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and removed him from the Central Committee, subjecting his party membership to a two-year probationary period. Shortly before, Minister of Culture Cai Wu had also assumed his former position as the ministry's leading party group secretary. No details on Yu's disciplinary infractions were officially released, but rumors in Hong Kong media reports speculate that investigators had found that Yu may have used his influence to allow a company to win a government contract.

External links

Yu's official biography Xinhua
Xinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...

 “明星领导”于幼军落马祸起深圳 Star leader' Yu Youjun's downfall: trouble originated in Shenzhen (profile of Yu's political career) Yangtse Evening Post
Yangtse Evening Post
The Yangtse Evening Post is a Chinese Language newspaper published from Nanjing, China. It is one of world's most circulated newspapers.-External links:*http://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/cn/192/4541/11429#...

 (2008-11-04)
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