People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China, 1949 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proclaimed the PRC and the ROC retreated to Taiwan. Both sides still claim political legitimacy. Attempts by the CCP to advance its political program faltered through famine and political turmoil. The reform and opening-up that began in 1978 moved China towards a socialist market economy, spurring economic growth.
Seat of power: Beijing
Rulers
Mao Zedong
President of the People's Republic of China, 1949–1959
He is credited with transforming China from a semi-colony into a major world power and promoting literacy, women's rights, basic healthcare, education, and an increased life expectancy. From 1958 to 1962, Mao oversaw the Great Leap Forward, a campaign that aimed to collectivise agriculture and industrialise the country, followed by the Great Chinese Famine. In 1966, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, which was marked by violent class struggle, destruction of historical artifacts, and Mao's cult of personality.
Portrait of Mao Zedong: Chen Zhengqing (1917–1966), Public domain, file
(2).jpg){kind=link}
Liu Shaoqi
President of the People's Republic of China, 1959–1968
He was the chairman of the People's Republic of China (president of China) from 1959 to 1968. During his chairmanship, he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China, especially after the Seven Thousand Cadres Conference in 1962. He was criticized and then purged by Mao soon after the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, eventually being placed under house arrest in 1967.
Portrait of Liu Shaoqi: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Soong Ching-ling
President of the People's Republic of China, 1968–1978
Following the purge of President Liu Shaoqi in 1968, she and Dong Biwu as Vice Presidents became de facto Heads of State of China until 1972, when Dong was appointed Acting President. She was the only female, non-Communist head of state of the People's Republic of China. During the Cultural Revolution, Soong was protected from being purged, as the top name on A List of Cadres to Be Protected created by Zhou Enlai.
Portrait of Soong Ching-ling: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Dong Biwu
President of the People's Republic of China, 1968–1975
Dong Biwu served as acting Chairman of the People's Republic of China between 1972 and 1975. After the purge of Liu Shaoqi in 1968, Dong Biwu and another vice president became de facto heads of state until 1972, when Dong was appointed Acting President.
Portrait of Dong Biwu: The original uploader was MY456L at Chinese Wikipedia., Public domain, file
Zhu De
Head of state, 1975–1976
He was chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1959 to 1976. Zhu is regarded as one of the principal founders of the People's Republic of China, and was a prominent political figure until dying in 1976. In 1955, he was ranked first among the ten marshals.
Portrait of Zhu De: anonymous (Gov), Public domain, file
Ye Jianying
Head of state, 1978–1983
In his capacity as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Ye served as China's head of state from 1978 until 1983, being succeeded in that capacity by Li Xiannian with the restoration of the post of Chairman of the People's Republic of China by a new constitution. He was the top military leader in the 1976 coup that overthrew the Gang of Four and ended the Cultural Revolution.
Portrait of Ye Jianying: 解放军画报 刘峰, Public domain, file
Soong Ching-ling
President of the People's Republic of China, 1981–1981
She was named Honorary Chairman of the People's Republic of China and admitted to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a few weeks before her death in 1981.
Portrait of Soong Ching-ling: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Li Xiannian
President of the People's Republic of China, 1983–1988
Li Xiannian was president of China from 1983 to 1988 under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and then chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 1988 until his death. He was considered one of the conservatives among the Eight Elders of the Party, both politically and economically. Li played a key role in blocking marketization and maintaining state control in many sectors of the economy.
Portrait of Li Xiannian: NARA, Public domain, file
.jpg){kind=link}
Yang Shangkun
President of the People's Republic of China, 1988–1993
Yang Shangkun was president of China from 1988 to 1993 and one of the Eight Elders that dominated the party after the death of Mao Zedong. One of the earliest supporters of reform and opening up, Yang justified it with references to Vladimir Lenin and the New Economic Policy. However, he strongly opposed any form of political reform.
Portrait of Yang Shangkun: unknown author, Public domain, file
Jiang Zemin
President of the People's Republic of China, 1993–2003
Jiang came to power unexpectedly as a compromise candidate following the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, when he replaced Zhao Ziyang as CCP general secretary after Zhao was ousted for his support for the student movement. Urged by Deng Xiaoping's southern tour in 1992, Jiang officially introduced the term socialist market economy in his speech during the 14th CCP National Congress held later that year, which accelerated reform and opening up. In the economy, Jiang's administration oversaw the breaking of the iron rice bowl, started several key infrastructure projects and privatized many state-owned enterprises.
Portrait of Jiang Zemin: The Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, file
Hu Jintao
President of the People's Republic of China, 2003–2013
Hu Jintao served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 2002 to 2012 and as president of China from 2003 to 2013. Hu reintroduced state control in some sectors of the economy that were relaxed by the previous administration, and provided support for state-owned enterprises. He sought to improve socio-economic equality under his Scientific Outlook on Development, which aimed to build a Harmonious Society that was prosperous and free of social conflict.
Portrait of Hu Jintao: Dilma Rousseff from Brasil, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
Xi Jinping
President of the People's Republic of China, 2013 to today
Xi Jinping has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Party Central Military Commission (CMC) since 2012, and as the president of China and chairman of the State Central Military Commission since 2013. His tenure has also been characterized by a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, a restructuring of the People's Liberation Army, poverty alleviation, increased state control over the economy and society, and regulatory crackdowns on the private sector, notably in real estate, technology, and for-profit tutoring, alongside expanded censorship and mass surveillance and a deterioration in human rights. He oversaw the enactment of the 2020 Hong Kong national security law, which effectively suppressed the city's pro-democracy camp.
Portrait of Xi Jinping: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, CC BY 4.0, file
_(cropped%2Bangle).jpg){kind=link}
Culture
- Chinese art and culture have influenced much of Asia, with a literary tradition dating back millennia to the Chinese classics.
- Chinese cuisine is diverse and highly regional, with rice as a staple in the south and wheat in the north.
- The Han, speakers of Sinitic languages, are China's dominant ethnicity, although it is home to 55 recognized minorities, including the Hui, Mongols, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Zhuang.
- China is a unitary state with the CCP as its sole ruling party. International organizations have criticized China, alleging authoritarianism and human rights abuses.
Picture
Tiananmen is the entrance gate of the Forbidden City, and in 1949 Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China from its balcony.
Image: Balon Greyjoy, CC0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.