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Hua GuofengStatesman of the People's Republic of China, successor to Mao Zedong
Date of Birth: 16.02.1921
Country:  China |
Content:
Biography of Hua Guofeng
Hua Guofeng was a prominent Chinese politician and the successor of Mao Zedong as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, serving from 1976 to 1981. He also held the positions of Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (1976-1980) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China (1976-1981). Hua removed the "Gang of Four" from power and put an end to the "Cultural Revolution." He continued to implement Mao Zedong's policies but failed to gather a group of supporters around him and was eventually ousted by Deng Xiaoping. Less than a year later, the position of Chairman of the Communist Party of China, which Hua held, was abolished as it was deemed inconsistent with the Party's Constitution.
Early Life and Career
Hua Guofeng was born on February 16, 1921, in Jiaocheng County, Shanxi Province, China. His birth name was Su Zhu. He received his primary education at a local elementary school and later studied at a Commercial Vocational School in the same county. In 1938, he joined the communists in their fight against the Japanese militarists during the Resistance War. Like many other communist activists of that time, he adopted a pseudonym. His new name, Hua Guofeng, was an abbreviation of the phrase "Zhunhua kanji jyugo xianfendui," which translates to "Chinese Avant-garde of Anti-Japanese Resistance and Saving the Motherland."
In 1947, after 12 years of service in the 8th Army under the command of General Zhu De, Hua was appointed as the head of the propaganda department of the county branch of the Communist Party of China (CPC). In January 1949, Hua married Han Zhijun. In the same year, he was appointed as the first secretary of the CPC branch in Xiantan County, Hunan Province. In 1959, Hua actively participated in the Lushan Conference as a delegate from Hunan Province, where he presented a detailed report on the consequences and results of the "Great Leap Forward" in the province, justifying Mao Zedong's policies. Shortly after, Hua was appointed as the first secretary of the CPC committee in Hunan Province.
In 1969, Hua became a member of the CPC Central Committee. In 1971, he was invited to work in Beijing, where he was offered a minor position in the State Council of China. However, after a few months in Beijing, Hua returned to Hunan to his previous position. In the same year, he was included in the commission investigating the so-called "Lin Biao Affair." In 1973, Hua was re-elected as a member of the CPC Central Committee and became a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. In 1975, he was appointed as the Minister of Internal Affairs of China.
Rise to Power and Leadership
After the death of Premier Zhou Enlai in January 1976, a power struggle began between the group led by Deng Xiaoping and the "Gang of Four" for the position of Premier of the State Council of China. In this situation, a compromise figure was found in the person of Hua Guofeng, who was appointed as the acting Premier on February 8, 1976. At the same time, in the central Chinese media controlled by the "Gang of Four," a campaign to discredit Deng Xiaoping began. In the spring, mass protests and acts of disobedience erupted in Beijing. On April 5, 1976, on Qingming Festival, hundreds of thousands of Beijing residents gathered on Tiananmen Square with portraits of Zhou Enlai, white mourning wreaths, and white flowers. The "Gang of Four," frightened by such demonstrative popular activity, deployed large military and police forces to the square, which brutally dispersed the gathering and made mass arrests. Supporters of Jiang Qing accused Deng Xiaoping of organizing the riots. Deng was removed from all positions. Soon after that, Hua was elected as the Deputy Chairman of the CPC Central Committee and confirmed as the Premier of the State Council of China. In October 1976, shortly after Mao Zedong's death, Hua Guofeng initiated the arrest of the "Gang of Four." Hua assumed the position of Chairman of the CPC Central Committee. Hua gained popularity in the Party and among the people for swiftly exposing the "Gang of Four" and became the leader whose appearance on the political stage marked the end of the "Cultural Revolution." The Soviet model of industrial planning and party control was reinstated in the economy and politics, which was rejected by supporters of Deng Xiaoping's ideas advocating for the introduction of elements of a market economy.
In October 1979, Hua embarked on a European tour. During the tour, he visited West Germany and France. On October 28, Hua arrived on a visit to the United Kingdom, where he met with Margaret Thatcher to discuss the future of Hong Kong (then known as Xianggang) and visited the University of Oxford. In terms of foreign policy, Hua Guofeng continued the confrontational line against the Soviet Union. As Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping's influence grew within the Party, the opinion that Hua was leading the Party and the country towards discredited Maoism became stronger. In September 1980, Hua relinquished his powers to Premier Zhao Ziyang, and in June 1981, he was removed from the position of Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, which was taken over by Hu Yaobang. However, Hua Guofeng remained a member of the CPC Central Committee until October 2002. In October 2007, Hua was invited as a delegate to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Despite holding other positions in the Party after stepping down as Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, Hua did not interfere in the politics pursued by the new generation of Chinese leaders. He became passionate about grape cultivation and only followed politics through newspapers. By 2008, Hua's health had significantly deteriorated. In that year, he was hospitalized three times due to complications from heart and kidney problems. Hua passed away on August 20, 2008. As his death occurred during the Beijing Olympics, Chinese media paid very little attention to it. In 1949, Hua married Han Zhijun, and they had three children - one son and two daughters. Their son, Su Hua, is a retired officer of the Chinese Air Force. Their daughter, Su Lin, held leadership positions in the party and trade union organizations of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Their second daughter, Su Li, works in the General Office of the State Council of China.
