Xu Jiatun facts for kids

Xu Jiatun (Chinese: 许家屯) was an important Chinese politician. He was born on March 10, 1916, and passed away on June 29, 2016. He held several key roles in the Chinese government. Later in his life, he disagreed with some government actions. Because of this, he left China and lived in the United States.

A Life in Politics

Xu Jiatun was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. This is a very important group that helps lead the country. He was part of this committee from 1977 to 1987.

Leading Jiangsu Province

Xu Jiatun held two top jobs in Jiangsu Province. From 1977 to 1983, he was the Communist Party secretary for the province. This means he was the main leader of the party there. At the same time, from 1977 to 1979, he was also the Governor of Jiangsu. The governor is like the head of the province's government.

Working in Hong Kong

From 1983 to 1989, Xu Jiatun moved to Hong Kong. He became the director of the Hong Kong branch of the Xinhua News Agency. This agency was China's main way of communicating and representing itself in Hong Kong at the time. He helped prepare for Hong Kong to become a special region of China. He also served as a vice-chairman for the group that wrote Hong Kong's basic laws.

A Difficult Decision

In 1989, there were large student protests in Tiananmen Square in China. Xu Jiatun felt sympathy for the students and their goals. After the government took action to end the protests, he decided to leave China. He went to the United States and lived there. Because of his actions, he was later removed from the Communist Party. In 1994, he wrote a book about his experiences.

Later Years

Xu Jiatun lived in Orange County, California, in the United States. In 1997, he joined others in asking the Communist Party to change its view on the 1989 student protests. He passed away in June 2016, at the age of 100.