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Liu Shaoqi

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Liu Shaoqi was a major Chinese revolutionary and a high-ranking politician.

1927 Liu Shaoqi
1927 Liu Shaoqi

He served in several of the most powerful positions in the People's Republic of China. Between 1954 and 1959, he was the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. He also held the role of first-ranking vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1956 to 1966. From 1959 to 1968, he served as the chairman of China, a role similar to a president. For a time, he was considered the most likely successor to Chairman Mao Zedong. His life involved intense political struggle, leadership during wars, and a sudden fall from power.

Liu's early life was defined by a strong desire for education and social change. He was born on November 24, 1898, in a mud-brick farmhouse in Hunan Province.

1938 group photo
1938 group photo

As a child, he performed many chores like herding cattle and collecting firewood. He attended several private schools to study Chinese literature, arithmetic, and classical texts. After his father died in 1910, Liu's path to higher education became more difficult. He eventually studied at the Yucai Middle School and later traveled to Beijing. He sought to study in France but instead prepared for a different path in the East.

In 1921, Liu traveled to Moscow, Russia, to study at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East.

1939 Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai
1939 Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai

While in Moscow, he joined the Chinese Communist Party. His time in the Soviet Union helped him learn how to organize people. When he returned to China in 1921, he used these skills to lead labor movements. He worked with the Chinese Socialist Youth League and became a leader in the Chinese Labor Union. He was particularly active in organizing strikes to help workers improve their lives.

One of Liu's most significant early successes was the Anyuan Coal Mine strike in September 1923.

1939 Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai
1939 Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai

He worked alongside other leaders, including Li Lisan, to manage the strike. Liu acted as a representative for the workers' club during these negotiations. He believed that the demands of the thousands of workers must be met to solve their problems. This experience established him as a capable organizer within the CCP. Following this, he met with Mao Zedong and took on more responsibilities within the party hierarchy.

During the wars in China, Liu held several vital leadership roles. He participated in the Long March, a famous long-distance journey made by the CCP. In 1936, he was appointed Party Secretary in North China to lead resistance against Japanese forces. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he led the CCP's Central Plains Bureau. He also served as a political commissar for the New Fourth Army in 1941. By the time the People's Republic of China was proclaimed in 1949, Liu was already a vice chairman of the Central People's Government.

As chairman of China, Liu focused on the country's economic reconstruction.

Liu Shaoqi in 1950
Liu Shaoqi in 1950

After the Seven Thousand Cadres Conference in 1962, he implemented new policies to help the economy. In 1961, he was publicly recognized as Mao Zedong's chosen successor. However, this status changed abruptly with the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Mao began to criticize Liu, and he was soon purged from his positions.

1927 Liu Shaoqi
1927 Liu Shaoqi

He was stripped of his power and labeled a "capitalist roader" and a traitor to the revolution.

Liu's final years were marked by isolation and hardship. In 1967, he was placed under house arrest and forced out of public life.

王光美
王光美

He died in prison in 1969 due to complications from diabetes. For many years after his death, the government continued to condemn him. This changed in 1980 during the Boluan Fanzheng period under Deng Xiaoping. The government rehabilitated Liu, meaning they officially cleared his name. They even granted him a national memorial service to recognize his former role in the nation's history.

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File:1927_Liu_Shaoqi.jpg
1927_Liu_Shaoqi.jpg
File:1939 Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai.jpg
1939 Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai.jpg
File:1938_group_photo.jpg
1938_group_photo.jpg
File:Liu_Shaoqi_in_1950.jpg
Liu_Shaoqi_in_1950.jpg
File:Liu_Shaoqi_and_Huang_Yanpei.jpg
Liu_Shaoqi_and_Huang_Yanpei.jpg
File:Liu Shaoqi and Indira Gandhi.jpg
Liu Shaoqi and Indira Gandhi.jpg
File:1966-06 1966年刘少奇率团访问巴基斯坦.jpg
1966-06 1966年刘少奇率团访问巴基斯坦.jpg
File:MaoZedong_and_LiuShaoqi19660915.jpg
MaoZedong_and_LiuShaoqi19660915.jpg
File:Liu shaoqi.jpg
Liu shaoqi.jpg
File:王光美.jpg
王光美.jpg
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