Song Ping

Song Ping
宋平
Song in 1949
Head of the Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party
In office
June 1987 – December 1989
General SecretaryZhao Ziyang
Jiang Zemin
Preceded byWei Jianxing
Succeeded byLu Feng
State Councilor of the People's Republic of China
In office
June 1983 – April 1988
PremierZhao Ziyang
5th Director of the State Planning Commission
In office
June 1983 – June 1987
PremierZhao Ziyang
Preceded byYao Yilin
Succeeded byYao Yilin
Communist Party Secretary of Gansu
In office
June 1977 – January 1981
DeputyFeng Jixin (Governor)
Preceded byXian Henghan
Succeeded byFeng Jixin
Governor of Gansu
In office
June 1977 – December 1979
Preceded byXian Henghan
Succeeded byFeng Jixin
Personal details
Born (1917-04-30) 30 April 1917 (age 106)
Ju County, Shandong, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Spouse
(died 2019)
ChildrenSong Yichang (son)
Song Yichun (son)
Chinese name
Chinese宋平

Song Ping (Chinese: 宋平; born 30 April 1917) is a Chinese Communist revolutionary and a retired high-ranking politician. He was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Song is considered the only living member of the Second Generation of Chinese Leadership.

Biography[edit]

He rose through the ranks of the party to become First Party Secretary of Gansu Province, and later Minister of Organization of CCP. Song was in charge of senior cadres' recommendation, candidacy and promotion.[citation needed]

During his time as Party Chief of Gansu, Song Ping became mentor of two young protégés - Hu Jintao[1] and Wen Jiabao[citation needed] – who were to become the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and the Premier of the Chinese State Council, respectively.[2]

In 1987, Song left the Planning Commission to replace Wei Jianxing as head of the CCP Central Organization Department.[3] Song announced a decision by the Chinese Communist Party to expel members of the communist party who were sympathetic to pro-democracy demonstrations in the spring of 1989.[4] After the Tiananmen Square protests, Song became a member of Politburo Standing Committee with Jiang Zemin and Li Ruihuan.

He stepped down as a member of the Politburo Standing Committee on 19 October 1992 after 14th Party Congress.[5]

Song turned 100 in April 2017.[6] Considered instrumental in the rise of former CCP general secretary Hu Jintao, he lately attended the 20th Party Congress at age 105.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Who's Hu? Meet this engineer-Prez". IBNLive. IBNLive.com. November 20, 2006. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  2. ^ Yao, Jin (pen name) (November 21, 2001). "Hu Jintao: The Bird that Keeps its Head Down". China Brief (Volume: 1 Issue: 10). The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  3. ^ Thomson, Robert (June 24, 1987). "Beijing shuffle points to growing Cabinet intrigues". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 18. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Party to purge its ranks". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 11. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  5. ^ Kristof, Nicholas D. (October 20, 1992). "CHINESE SHAKE UP TOP PARTY GROUP; FREE MARKET GAINS". New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  6. ^ Song, Chundan (2022-09-30). "中共元老宋平百岁诞辰:目前党内资格最老、退休最久常委". tsinghua.org.cn. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  7. ^ "Party elders attend CPC congress opening; former president Jiang Zemin absent | the Straits Times". The Straits Times. 16 October 2022.
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Gansu
1977–1979
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the State Planning Commission of China
1983–1987
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Communist Party Secretary of Gansu
1977–1981
Succeeded by
Preceded by Head of CCP Central Organization Department
1987–1989
Succeeded by