Hua Guofeng

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Hua Guofeng

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Order:2nd Premier

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Term of Office:April 1976–September 1980

Related Topics:
1976 - 1980

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Acting Premier:January 1976–April 1976

Related Topics:
1976

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Predecessor:Zhou Enlai

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Successor:Zhao Ziyang

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Date of BirthFebruary 16, 1921

Related Topics:
February 16 - 1921

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Place of Birth: Jiaocheng, Shanxi

Related Topics:
Jiaocheng - Shanxi

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Hua Guofeng ({{zh-stpw|s=华国锋|t=???|p=Huà Guófēng|w=Hua Kuo-feng}}) (born February 16, 1921) was Mao Zedong's designated successor as leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China. Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded as Premier of the People's Republic of China. Months later, Mao died, leaving Hua Chairman of the Communist Party of China, to the surprise and dismay of Jiang Qing and the rest of the Gang of Four. He ousted the Gang of Four from political power, but was himself outmaneuvered a couple years later by Deng Xiaoping, who forced Hua into early retirement.

Related Topics:
February 16 - 1921 - Mao Zedong - Communist Party of China - People's Republic of China - Zhou Enlai - Premier of the People's Republic of China - Chairman of the Communist Party of China - Jiang Qing - Gang of Four - Deng Xiaoping

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Born in Jiaocheng (交城县), a county beside a mountain in Shanxi province, Hua joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1938 as a part of counter-Japanese resistance. During the mid-1940's he became propaganda chief for the county Party committee.

Related Topics:
Shanxi - Chinese Communist Party - Japan

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Hua was elected to the Politburo in 1973 and was minister of public security in 1975. He became acting Premier of the People's Republic of China following Zhou Enlai's death, in January 1976, full Premier and party vice chairman in April 1976, and Chairman of the Communist Party of China when Mao died, in September 1976 (although this was not announced to the world until October 12).

Related Topics:
Premier of the People's Republic of China - Zhou Enlai - 1976 - Communist Party of China - October 12

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During his relatively short leadership, Hua was credited for quickly ousting the Gang of Four from political power and thus became the leader whose emergence marked the end of the Cultural Revolution as currently dated. Hua's economic and political program involved the restoration of Soviet-style industrial planning and party control similar to that followed by China before the Great Leap Forward. However, this model was rejected by supporters of Deng Xiaoping who argued for a more market based economic system. This argument was decisively resolved in Deng's favor in 1978, which is generally taken as the start of the era of Chinese economic reform.

Related Topics:
Cultural Revolution - Great Leap Forward - Deng Xiaoping - Chinese economic reform

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As Deng Xiaoping gradually regained control over the CPC, Hua was denounced for promoting the Two Whatevers policy and replaced by Zhao Ziyang as Premier in 1980, and by Hu Yaobang as Party Chairman in 1981. Both Zhao and Hu were protégés of Deng who were dedicated to Chinese economic reform. Hua Guofeng was demoted to junior Vice Chairman, and when this post was abolished in 1982 he remained as an ordinary member of the Central Committee, a position which he held until the 16th Party Congress of November 2002 despite having passed the designated retirement age of seventy. The ousting of Hua was significant in at least two respects. First it demonstrated the unimportance of official titles in the Chinese Communist Party during the late-1970's and early-1980's. Despite being the official leader of the party, the state, and the army, Hua was unable to defeat a leadership challenge by Deng Xiaoping. Second, Hua's ousting helped establish a norm within the PRC that political leaders who lost a power struggle would not be physically harmed or jailed, in contrast to the situations both during the Cultural Revolution and afterwards with the Gang of Four.

Related Topics:
Deng Xiaoping - Two Whatevers - Zhao Ziyang - 1980 - Hu Yaobang - 1981 - Chinese economic reform - 1982 - November 2002 - Cultural Revolution - Gang of Four

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It was reported that Hua Guofeng quit the Chinese Communist Party in October 2001 for "health reasons". This report has not been confirmed by the Communist Party.

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See also: Politics of China

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