Hua Guofeng

Hua Guofeng (born Su Zhu; 16 February 1921 – 20 August 2008) was a Chinese politician who served as Chairman of the Communist Party of China and Premier of the People's Republic of China. Hua held the top offices of the government, party, and the military after Premier Zhou and Chairman Mao's death, but was forced from power by more established party figures in 1978 and thereafter retreated from the political scene.

Originally from Shanxi province, Hua rose to power as a regional official in Hunan between 1949 and 1971, first serving as the prefecture Party Committee Secretary of the Xiangtan, Mao's home area, then as the party secretary in the province during the latter stages of the Cultural Revolution. Hua was elevated to the national stage in early 1976, and was mainly known for his unswerving loyalty to Mao. After the death of Zhou Enlai, Mao elevated Hua to the position of Premier of the State Council, overseeing government work, and of First Vice Chairman of the Communist Party, which made him Mao's designated successor.

On 6 October 1976, shortly after the death of Mao, Hua removed the Gang of Four from political power by arranging for their arrests in Beijing. Afterwards he took on the titles of party chairman and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Hua is thus far the only leader to have simultaneously held the offices of party leader, premier and CMC chairman.

Hua attempted moderate reforms and reversing some of the excesses of Cultural Revolution-era policies. However, because of his insistence on continuing the Maoist line and refusal to adopt large-scale reforms, he faced resistance in the upper echelons of the party. In December 1978, a group of party veterans led by Deng Xiaoping, a pragmatic reformer, forced Hua from power but allowed him to retain some titles. Hua gradually faded into political obscurity, but continued to insist on the correctness of Maoist principles. He is remembered as a largely benign transitional figure in modern Chinese political history.

Early life
Born in Jiaocheng County, Shanxi province, Hua joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1938 as a part of counter-Japanese resistance, after having joined the Long March in 1936. Like many Communists of the era who took on revolutionary names, he changed his name to Huá Guófēng as an abbreviation of "Zhōnghuá kàngrì jiùguó xiānfēng duì" (中華抗日救國先鋒隊, Chinese Anti-Japanese National Salvation Vanguard). After having served in the 8th Route Army during 12 years under General Zhu De's command, he became propaganda chief for the county Party committee in 1947.

Hua moved with the PLA to Hunan in 1949, where he married Han Zhijun in January, and remained there as a local official until 1971. He was appointed Party secretary for Xiangyin County in August, just before the establishment of the People's Republic of China. In 1952, he was appointed secretary of Xiangtan Special District, which included Mao's hometown, Shaoshan. In this role, he built a memorial hall dedicated to Mao. When Mao visited the site, in June 1959, he was favorably impressed. Mao Zedong first met Hua in 1955, and apparently was impressed by his simplicity.

Hua participated in the 1959 Lushan Conference (an enlarged plenary session of the CPC Central Committee) as a member of the Hunan Provincial Party delegation, and wrote two investigative reports defending communes and the Great Leap Forward. He denounced Defense Minister Peng Dehuai and other critics of the Great Leap, and argued that the death toll, said to number up to 30-40 million people, was exaggerated. Hua's sycophantic loyalty to Mao thus ensured his political future.

Hua's influence increased with the Cultural Revolution, as he supported it and led the movement in Hunan. He organized the preparation for the establishment of the local Revolutionary Committee in 1967, of which he was a deputy chairman, and gained wide attention for suppressing a hard-line extremist faction. In December 1970, he was elected new chairman of the Revolutionary Committee as well as first secretary of the CPC Hunan Committee.

He was elected a full member of the 9th Central Committee in 1969.