Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC
What position did Li Xiannian take from Apr 1988 to Mar 1992?
Li Xiannian Li Xiannian ( pronounced ; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992 ) was a Chinese Communist military and political leader , President of the Peoples Republic of China ( de jure head of state ) from 1983 to 1988 under Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping and then Chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference from 1988 until his death . He was a full member of the Politburo from 1956 to 1987 , and of its Standing Committee from 1977 to 1987 . Li worked as an apprentice carpenter in his teenage years to support his family . He joined the Communist Party in December 1927 and became a soldier in the Chinese Red Army . After studying at the Military–Political University and the Central Party School , he became an influential and successful military commander during the Second Sino–Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War , distinguishing himself in the Huai–Hai Campaign . After the PRC was established , he served as Governor and Party Secretary of his native Hubei Province from 1949 to 1954 , and then joined the central leadership in Beijing , serving as Minister of Finance ( 1954–1970 ) and Vice Premier ( 1954–1982 ) . He supported Mao Zedongs designated successor , Hua Guofeng , and was named Vice Chairman of the Party ( 1977–1982 ) . One of the Eight Elders of the Communist Party , he was considered the most leftist among them , both politically and economically . Li played a key role in blocking privatizations and maintaining state control in many sectors of the economy , promoted classical Communist political and cultural values through his patronage of theorists such as Hu Qiaomu and Deng Liqun , and was instrumental in purging liberals Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang . He enthusiastically advocated for the military suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests . Biography . Early career . Born in Hongan , Hubei , Li came from a poor family and spent his teenage years working at a carpenters shop . He joined the Communist Party of China in December 1927 , and served as an army captain and political commissar for the Chinese Red Army during the Long March . After arriving in Yanan , he studied at the Counter-Japanese Military and Political University and at the Central Party School . He fought in both the Second Sino–Japanese War and the subsequent Chinese Civil War , especially in the Central Plains , and played a key role in many Communist victories , most significantly in the Huai–Hai Campaign . Maoist Peoples Republic . After the Communists victory in China , Li was appointed Governor and Party Secretary of his native Hubei Province from 1949 to 1954 , and he also served as the commander and political commissar of the provinces military garrison . Additionally , he was Vice Chairman of the PRCs Military Commission for South–Central China ( overseeing military and public security forces in Guangdong , Hainan , Henan , Hubei and Hunan ) . In 1954 , Li joined the central leadership in Beijing and became Chinas Minister of Finance . He was also appointed Vice Premier for the entire period of 1954–1982 . Despite losing his job as Finance Minister in 1970 , during the Cultural Revolution , he nonetheless enjoyed Zhou Enlais protection and was the only civilian official to serve without interruption alongside Zhou throughout the 1966–1976 Cultural Revolution decade . In 1976 , Li played an instrumental role in destroying the Gang Of Four . After the demise of the Gang , Li was appointed Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China and a member of the Central Military Commission . Post-Mao politician and Presidency . When Hua Guofeng rose to leadership after the death of Mao Zedong , Li became Huas chief economic adviser and one of his main backers , along with Generals Wang Dongxing and Chen Xilian . If Hua had been successful in his efforts to achieve supreme power , Li would have become one of the most powerful officials in China , but Lis political career stalled when Deng Xiaoping eclipsed Hua as Chinas Paramount Leader . For the rest of his career , Li complained that his own achievements during the brief Hua interregnum were not sufficiently recognized as the basis of the progress experienced in China during the 1980s . Li was described as an orthodox or Soviet-style communist and was a firm believer in central planning and sociopolitical conformity , so disliked Deng Xiaopings more radical economic reform ideas . He had in fact been largely responsible for drafting the short-lived Ten Year Plan of 1978 which attempted to build a Soviet-style economy based around heavy industry and energy production . Lis ideas enjoyed strong support among some sections of the Chinese top leadership ; General Yu Qiuli and his oil clique , for example , fully supported Li . However , Deng quickly terminated these ideas and instituted his own go slow approach that involved gradually allowing the development of light industry and consumer goods . He also went about assigning government posts to younger men who were followers of his ideas . One of these was Premier Zhao Ziyang , whom Li strongly opposed for being too willing to import Western ideas and move away from a planned economy . According to Zhao , Li hated me because I was implementing Deng Xiaopings reforms , but since it was difficult for him to openly oppose Deng , he made me the target of his opposition . In 1983 , after the passing of a new Constitution , Li was appointed President of China at the age of 74 . Although according to the 1982 Constitution the role of President was largely ceremonial , it recognized Lis status as a respected Party elder and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee , and Li himself went on to forcefully use his still very substantial influence to support leftist policies . In 1984 , Li met with U.S . President Ronald Reagan during the latters visit to China , notably discussing the status of Taiwan with the President . Li visited the United States in July 1985 , the first time the head of state of the Peoples Republic of China made such a visit . As the decade progressed , Deng Xiaoping , always an opponent of lifetime tenure in office , gradually convinced most of the party elders to retire . Li stepped down as president in 1988 and was succeeded by Yang Shangkun . Li was then named Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC . He was a strong supporter of Jiang Zemins rise to power , and during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 , Li was one of the hardline Party elders who pushed for a strong response to the demonstrations and supported Premier Li Pengs desire to use military force to suppress the protests . Li continued to serve in government until his death in 1992 . Family . Li had four children . His youngest daughter , Li Xiaolin , is the President of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries . She is a member of the CPPCC national committee . Death and later commemoration . Li died on 21 June 1992 at the age of 82 , two days shy of his 83rd birthday . His funeral was held on 27 June 1992 and was attended by members of the Politburo Standing Committee . After the service , Li was cremated . Further reading . - Frankel , Benjamin . The Cold War 1945-1991 . Vol . 2 , Leaders and other important figures in the Soviet Union , Eastern Europe , China and the Third World ( 1992 ) pp 191–92 . - Yang , Yutong . Li Xiannian . in China at War : An Encyclopedia ( 2012 ) p 225 .