Li Changchun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Li Changchun
李长春
Chairman of the Central Guidance Commission for Building Spiritual Civilization
In office 15 November 2002 – 18 January 2013
Deputy	Liu Yunshan Chen Zhili Liu Yandong Liu Qi
General Secretary	Hu Jintao
Preceded by	Ding Guangen
Succeeded by	Liu Yunshan
Communist Party Secretary of Guangdong
In office March 1998 – November 2002
Deputy	Lu Ruihua (governor)
Preceded by	Xie Fei
Succeeded by	Zhang Dejiang
Personal details
Born	(1944-02-01) February 1, 1944 (age 81) Kwantung Leased Territory, Japanese Empire (Now Dalian, China)
Political party	Chinese Communist Party (1965–present)
Alma mater	Harbin Institute of Technology

Li Changchun (born February 1, 1944) is a retired Chinese politician. He was a very important leader in the Chinese Communist Party. From 2002 to 2012, he was in charge of propaganda and media. He was also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee. This is the party's highest leadership group.

Li Changchun had a long career in different parts of China. He was the Governor of Liaoning province. Then he became the Party Secretary of Henan province. After that, he led the Communist Party in Guangdong province. In 2002, he was promoted to a national leadership role. He retired from politics in 2012.

Li Changchun's Early Life and Career

Becoming a Young Leader

Li Changchun was born in February 1944. This was in a city now called Dalian, in Liaoning province, China. At that time, it was under Japanese control. He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1965. In 1966, he finished his studies in electrical engineering. He graduated from the Harbin Institute of Technology.

In 1983, when he was 39, Li became the youngest mayor of a major city. He was the mayor and Party secretary of Shenyang. This is the capital of Liaoning province. In 1982, at age 38, he also became a young 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, China's first expressway was built there. This highway connected the cities of Shenyang and Dalian. Li also worked to change how state-owned businesses operated. He wanted the government to be less involved in them.

After some political changes in 1989, some people thought Li might lose his position. However, he appeared on state television a few weeks later. This showed that he was still in the leadership.

Moving to Henan Province

In 1990, Li Changchun moved from Liaoning to Henan province. He became the governor there. Henan is a large farming province. It did not have a strong industrial base. This presented many challenges for Li.

Two years later, in 1992, Li was promoted again. He became the party chief of Henan. This was his first time being the top leader of a province. He was now in charge of party matters. During his time in Henan, rural incomes did not grow much. His government also faced criticism for a health issue. Farmers were encouraged to donate blood in unsafe ways. This led to a large outbreak of HIV/AIDS in China.

Li Changchun's Time in Guangdong

Taking Charge in Guangdong

In 1997, Li Changchun was promoted to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. This is a very important group in the party. In 1998, he was sent to be the Party Secretary of Guangdong province. Guangdong is a very important economic region in China.

Li worked to fight corruption in Guangdong. He wanted to "put the house in order." After the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997-98, he set up a special group. This group looked at problems with loans from big financial companies. He also changed the local banking system. He closed many local credit unions. Li also made it easier for poor people to get legal help. His time in Guangdong was seen as successful. He helped the province avoid the worst effects of the financial crisis. He also helped bring Guangdong back under the central government's control.

Li Changchun on the Politburo Standing Committee

Leading Propaganda and Media

In 2002, Li Changchun became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee. This is the highest decision-making body in China. He was given the important job of overseeing propaganda and ideology. This meant he was in charge of how information was shared with the public. He also managed media relations.

Li was the first propaganda chief to lead during the growth of the internet in China. He played a key role in developing internet censorship. This system became more widespread during his time in office. In 2007, he was chosen to serve another term as propaganda chief. He also moved up in the party's ranking.

Some people in the media hoped Li would bring more open changes. He had given a speech saying media should stay "close to the public." He also said they should focus on real events. People saw him as a reformer because of his work in Guangdong. There, he had introduced more market economic changes. However, these hopes did not last long. The Central Propaganda Department started closing newspapers. They also fired journalists. They did not allow foreign companies to make content for TV stations. Many editors were punished.

Li retired from the Politburo Standing Committee in 2012. Liu Yunshan took over his position as the propaganda chief.

Li Changchun's Work in Propaganda

Shaping Media and Culture

As China's propaganda chief from 2002 to 2012, Li Changchun played a big role in censorship. He often told media outlets to not report on certain events. Or he told them to play down their importance. In 2006, he told journalists to "closely encircle the overall work of the party and state."

Li approved the building of the National Museum in 2006. He was also an honored guest at the opening of the National Center for the Performing Arts.

Li also supported some creative projects. These projects might have been censored otherwise. For example, he supported Zen Shaolin. This was a music, dance, and martial arts show. It opened in 2007. It was meant to bring more tourists. He also allowed a 2009 movie called Nanking! Nanking! to continue showing in theaters. This was despite some strong objections from people who did not like how a Japanese soldier was shown in the film. The movie was one of ten chosen to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

Li Changchun's Personal Life

Li Changchun is married to Zhang Shurong (张淑荣). She was his college sweetheart and worked as an engineer.

See also

In Spanish: Li Changchun para niños