Chen Yonggui

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Chen Yonggui (1966)

CHEN YONGGUI ( Chinese  陳永貴  /  陈永贵 , Pinyin Chén Yǒngguì * 14. February 1913 ; † 26. March 1986 ) was a Chinese politician of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which as an agricultural politicians in the People's Republic of China at the time of Mao Zedong an important Was symbolic figure. He was a member of the CCP Political Bureau from 1973 to 1982, and also served as Vice Prime Minister from 1975 to 1980.

Life

Chen Yonggui was the son of poor farm workers in Xiyang County , Shanxi Province . His family moved to Dazhai village in 1924 , which was later to become a socialist "model" under Chen's leadership.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China (1949), Chen, who as a landless farm worker belonged to the lowest class of the population, campaigned for a cooperative agricultural reform. In 1950 he founded the Dazhai-Tachai Agricultural Commune. It wasn't until 1955 that he learned to read and write. In 1963 he became party secretary in Dazhai, the inhabitants of which, with him at the helm, gained new farmland in a tremendous effort by building a terraced irrigation system in the hilly landscape . From 1964 Dazhai was propagated nationwide as a role model in the movement “ Lean on your own strength ”. Chen Yonggui was elected MP to the National People's Congress. In 1968, in the wake of the Cultural Revolution , Dazhai's role model function was confirmed again. In 1969, Chen climbed the IX. Party congress of the CPC in its Central Committee . He finally became a member of the CCP's Politburo at the 1973 Xth Congress and was a member of the highest governance body until 1982.

On January 17, 1975, the "Farmer of Dazhai" experienced the climax of his reputation when he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister. He held this post until September 10, 1980. In the fall of 1975, a national conference on "Learning Dazhai" was held. Dazhai had freed himself from poverty through heroic work and laid the foundations for the mechanization of agriculture in an inhospitable and inaccessible landscape. Chen Yonggui, who with his towel wrapped around his forehead always looked as if he had come straight from the field at public appearances, was a figure that China's farmers could identify with. At the conference, the goal was announced to create more and more Dazhai-type circles in agriculture. In most of the villages in China at that time the “ production group ” consisting of about a dozen families formed the basic economic unit of collective agriculture ; in Dazhai it was the whole village as a “ brigade ”. The creation of such large collective units was seen as a way of enabling the use of modern machines and increasing the efficiency of production. The main address at the Dazhai conference was held by the previously unknown Politburo member Hua Guofeng . One year later, after the death of Mao Zedong, Hua became his successor. As the new party chairman, he attached great importance to close cooperation with Chen Yonggui, who was confirmed as a member of the Politburo in 1977 at the 11th Party Congress.

At this time, however, the reform wing around Deng Xiaoping , who rejected the Dazhai model, gained strength in the party . The Dazhai philosophy was based on the idea of making the seemingly impossible possible through the moral mobilization of large collectives with enormous labor-intensive efforts , especially under the harsh, unfavorable conditions in Central China . This corresponded to Mao Zedong's deep belief in the ability of the masses to liberate themselves and “move mountains”, but it came into conflict with a reality in which Chinese agriculture has largely stagnated and in some poor regions the supply situation is still extremely precarious was. In 1977, the reform politician Zhao Ziyang, sponsored by Deng Xiaoping, made the first experiments in the province of Sichuan with a return to the family economy and free markets, which should offer the farmers more incentives and opportunities for personal initiative. This “system of responsibility ” became a general guideline after 1980. At the same time, the reform concept aimed to turn the relatively well-off coastal regions into the engine of China's development using Western capital.

Chen Yonggui memorial

The 1981 disempowerment of party chairman Hua Guofeng also meant the end of Chen Yonggui's political career, who lost his positions at the party leadership in 1982. A smear campaign has now been staged against him and his family. Suddenly it was said that Dazhai's successes had not been achieved "on their own" but with the support of the state and that the statistics had been manipulated. Chen had led a local arbitrary regime, and Dazhai was portrayed completely negatively overall.

In 1983 it was unofficially reported that Chen Yonggui was working as a consultant for a state farm near Beijing. Hardly any notice was taken of his death in 1986. In today's China, where the smallholder economy created by the reforms of the 1980s is going through a severe crisis and efforts to create modern communal and cooperative rural enterprises with agriculture and light industry are being promoted, Dazhai is judged more balanced again. The party secretary Guo Fenglian , who belonged to the famous troupe of the " Iron Girls of Dazhai " under Chen Yonggui , is a respected politician who is particularly committed to women's rights . Dazhai now hardly does any agriculture, but mainly produces textiles and spirits as a municipal company .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Politburo: Xth Party Congress (August 24-28, 1973)
Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Chen is the family name here, Yonggui is the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Chen Yonggui
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese agricultural politician
DATE OF BIRTH February 14, 1913
DATE OF DEATH March 26, 1986