Li Changchun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Li Changchun
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| 李长春 | |
Li in 2009
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| Chairman of the Central Guidance Commission for Building Spiritual Civilization | |
| In office 15 November 2002 – 18 January 2013 |
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| Deputy | Liu Yunshan Chen Zhili Liu Yandong Liu Qi |
| General Secretary | Hu Jintao |
| Preceded by | Ding Guangen |
| Succeeded by | Liu Yunshan |
| Party Secretary of Guangdong | |
| In office March 1998 – November 2002 |
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| Deputy | Lu Ruihua (governor) |
| Preceded by | Xie Fei |
| Succeeded by | Zhang Dejiang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 1, 1944 Kwantung Leased Territory, Japanese Empire (Now Dalian, China) |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party (1965–present) |
| Alma mater | Harbin Institute of Technology |
| Li Changchun | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 李长春 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 李長春 | ||||||
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Li Changchun, born on February 1, 1944, is a Chinese politician who is now retired. He was a very important leader in the Chinese Communist Party. From 2002 to 2012, he was part of the Politburo Standing Committee, which is the party's main leadership group. He was also the top official in charge of propaganda and media.
Li Changchun had a long career working in different parts of China. He served as Governor of Liaoning province, then as the top leader (Party Secretary) in Henan province, and later in Guangdong province. In 2002, he was promoted to a national leadership role. He retired from his position in 2012.
Contents
Li Changchun's Early Life and Career
Growing Up and First Jobs
Li Changchun was born in February 1944 in a city called Dalian, which is in Liaoning province, China. At that time, the area was controlled by the Empire of Japan. He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1965. In 1966, he finished his studies in electrical engineering at the Harbin Institute of Technology.
In 1983, when he was 39 years old, Li became the youngest mayor and Party secretary of Shenyang. This is a big city and the capital of Liaoning. In 1982, at age 38, he also became the youngest alternate member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
Leading Liaoning Province
From 1987 to 1990, Li Changchun served as the governor of Liaoning province. During his time as governor, the first expressway in mainland China was built in Liaoning. This road connected the cities of Shenyang and Dalian. Li also worked to change how state-owned businesses operated, trying to make them less controlled by the government.
After some political changes in 1989, some people thought Li might lose his job. However, he appeared on state television a few weeks later, showing that he was still in his position.
Working in Henan Province
In 1990, Li Changchun moved from Liaoning to Henan province, which is in central China. He later said he felt unprepared for this new job and missed his home. Henan was a large farming province without much industry, which made his job challenging.
In 1992, Li was promoted to be the top leader (Party chief) of Henan. This was his first time being fully in charge of a province's party affairs. He found it difficult at first because he had to take on all the responsibility. During his time in Henan, rural incomes did not grow much. His government also faced criticism regarding health practices related to blood donation, which led to serious health issues for many people.
Li Changchun's Time in Guangdong
Becoming a Politburo Member
In 1997, Li Changchun was promoted to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. This was a very important step in his career. He said he was surprised by this appointment.
In 1998, Li was sent to be the Party Secretary of Guangdong province. Guangdong is a very important economic region in southern China. He worked to fight against corruption there. During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Li helped manage financial problems in the province. He also worked to improve access to legal help for people who couldn't afford it. His time in Guangdong was seen as successful. He helped the province avoid the worst effects of the financial crisis.
Moving to National Leadership
Li's work in Guangdong made him a favorite of the top leader, Jiang Zemin. Jiang was preparing Li for a very high position, possibly even Premier. However, another leader, Zhu Rongji, preferred Wen Jiabao for the Premier role. Zhu also criticized Li over a financial issue in the city of Shantou that happened during Li's time in Guangdong. In the end, Wen Jiabao became Premier in 2003.
Li Changchun on the Politburo Standing Committee
Leading Propaganda and Media
In 2002, Li Changchun became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, as expected. This is the highest leadership group in China. He was put in charge of the party's propaganda and ideas. He did not hold any other official government titles.
Li was the first propaganda chief to see the internet grow rapidly in China. He played a big role in developing the internet censorship system that became more widespread during his time. In 2007, he was chosen to serve another term as propaganda chief.
Some people in the media hoped that Li would bring more freedom to the press. He had given a speech saying that media should stay "close to the public" and real events. However, these hopes did not last long. The Central Propaganda Department began closing newspapers and firing journalists. Li Changchun started to act very strictly, similar to previous propaganda chiefs.
Controlling Information
As China's propaganda chief from 2002 to 2012, Li was known for his strong role in censorship. He often told media outlets to not report on certain events or to play them down. In 2006, he told journalists to "closely support the overall work of the party and state."
Li also supported some creative projects. For example, he supported Zen Shaolin, a show with music, dance, and martial arts, even though it celebrated religion. He also allowed a 2009 movie called Nanking! Nanking! to continue showing in theaters. This was despite some people being upset about how a Japanese soldier was shown in the film.
In 2009, American diplomats reported that Li was a main reason behind China's increased pressure on Google. He was reportedly unhappy that Google search results for his name and his children's names showed critical information. He then ordered major Chinese companies to stop working with Google.
In June 2012, Li gave a speech about the importance of making Chinese-style Marxism popular. He said it was important to "increase public trust in the country’s political ideas" and to "answer the public’s questions."
Li retired from the Politburo Standing Committee in 2012. Liu Yunshan took over his position as the propaganda chief.
Li Changchun's Family Life
Li Changchun is married to Zhang Shurong. She was his college sweetheart and worked as an engineer.
See also
In Spanish: Li Changchun para niños
