---

TOP・UPDATES・FOUR PILLARS・CINEMA/TV・GAMES・MANGA/ANIME・MUSIC・WRITINGS・FAQ・LINKS

CHINA

The People's Republic of China has 22 Provinces (and 1, Taiwan, that is claimed but not administered), 4 Municipalities, 5 Autonomous Regions, and 2 Special Administrative Regions, which are traditionally grouped into six regions. Note: birthplaces are given in modern names for ease of understanding, but many of them had different names historically.

• 華北・NORTH CHINA
• 北京・BEIJING
• 天津・TIANJIN
• 河北・HEBEI
• 山西・SHANXI
• Notable Residents:
• 徐向前・Xu Xiangqian (1901-1990): Born in 忻州市 (Xinzhou). Wealthy, intelligent youth who had passed the Qing civil service exams. Member of the National Revolutionary Army from 1925-1927. Later joined the Chinese Communist Party. Criticized but not purged during the Cultural Revolution. Defense Minister under Deng Xiaoping. Supported the use of foreign military technology. Opposed the killing of protestors during the Tiananmen Square protests.
• 彭真・Peng Zhen (1902-1997): Born in 侯馬市 (Houma). Established himself as a Chinese Communist Party leader in Northeast China after the retreat of the Imperial Japanese Army. Later Politburo member. Appointed as a member of a committee in the early stages of the Cultural Revolution, where he critiqued the idea of all literature having to serve the state. Purged early on, imprisoned for ten years, and rehabilitated after Mao's death.
• 薄一波・Bo Yibo (1908-2007): Born in 太原市 (Taiyuan). Senior Chinese Communist Party member. Held a number of prominent positions after the CCP gained full power in 1949, including Minister of Finance, Politburo member, and Central Advisory Commission vice-chairman. Purged and persecuted during the Cultural Revolution as a traitor. Restored to prominence by Deng Xiaoping. Generally took moderate positions focused on economic liberalization.
• 華国鋒・Hua Guofeng (1921-2008): Born in 呂梁市 (Lüliang). Chinese Communist Party secretary of Mao Zedong's home county of Xiangtan. Mao chose him as a successor in 1973 and he achieved this position as vice premier in 1975 after gaining power during the Cultural Revolution. Arrested the Gang of Four after Mao's death. Soon lost a power struggle to Deng Xiaoping and spent the rest of his political life in obscurity as a Maoist holdout.
• 内蒙古自治区・INNER MONGOLIA AUTONOMOUS REGION
• 華東・EAST CHINA
• 上海・SHANGHAI
• Notable Residents:
• 蔡和森・Cai Hesen (1895-1931): Born in 上海市 (Shanghai). Close friend of Mao Zedong during his student days. Studied in France and helped convince Mao to become a Bolshevik. Organized revolutionary activities after returning to China. Arrested by British police in Hong Kong and turned over to Chinese authorities in Guangzhou, where we was executed by the Guomindang police.
• 張闻天・Zhang Wentian (1905-1995): Born in 浦東新区 (Pudong). Early Chinese Communist Party member. Participated in the Long March. Took Liu Shaoqi's anti-Maoist line against collective farms. Similarly opposed the ultra-leftist extremes of the Cultural Revolution. Persecuted during the Cultural Revolution but restored in 1972. Died of heart disease.
• 陳雲・Chen Yun (1905-1995): Born in 青浦区 (Qingpu). Politburo member who accompanied Mao during the Zunyi Conference. Later CCP vice-chairman in charge of economic issues, during which he was critical of the Great Leap Forward. Withdrew from political life sensing the possibility of his persecution during the Cultural Revolution. Later reinstated under Deng Xiaoping where he was comparatively apprehensive over the quick adoption of capitalist policies.
• 江蘇・JIANGSU
• Notable Residents:
• 周恩来・Zhou Enlai (1898-1976): Born in 淮安市 (Huai'an). CCP Politburo member from 1928 until his death. Premier from 1949 until his death. Instrumental in implementing Great Leap Forward policies. Supported Cultural Revolution policies often for the sake of survival and (mostly unsuccessfully) tried to moderate their excesses. Died of cancer. So beloved that protestors rallied even after his Party enemies tried to limit public displays of mourning.
• 瞿秋白・Qu Qiubai (1899-1935): Born in 常州市 (Changzhou). Political activist who found himself de facto leader of the Chinese Communist Party from 1927-1928. Literati figure whose interest in communism was only part of his rich intellectual life. Spoke French and Russian, studied classical Chinese literature, worked on attempts to romanize Chinese, and studied both Buddhist and modern western philosophy. Arrested and executed by the Guomindang.
• 陳伯達・Chen Boda (1904-1989): Born in 廈門市 (Xiamen). Mao Zedong's secretary during his time at Yan'an. Important interpreter of Maoist ideology. Led propaganda and guided mass media in the early years of Mao's reign. Later gave directives and orders to Mao's paramilitary youth as Chairman of the Cultural Revolution Group. Purged in 1970. Imprisoned for 18 years in 1981 for political crimes but pardoned early because of poor health.
• 博古・Bo Gu (1907-1946): Born in 無錫市 (Wuxi). Senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party. Member of the 28 Bolsheviks, named for their devotion to the orthodoxy of Marx/Stalin. De facto Party leader in the early 1930s, but later displaced by Mao. Died in an airplane crash in Shanxi in 1946 after a meeting in Chongqing to negotiate peace with the Guomindang.
• 浙江・ZHEJIANG
• Notable Residents:
• 譚延闓・Tan Yankai (1880-1930): Born in 杭州市 (Hangzhou). Member of the briefly-existing Progressive Party after the Xinhai Revolution, where he supported parliamentary government with a limited monarchy in the style of Britain. Later joined the Guomindang. Served as its chairman during its Northern Expedition up to its international recognition. Succeeded by Jiang Jieshi.
• 蔣介石・Jiang Jieshi (1887-1975): Born in 寧波市 (Ningbo). Army officer who trained in Japan and became a devotee of Sun Yixian. Lead the Guomindang and became leader of the Republic of China. Fought a civil war with the Chinese Communist Party and fought Japan in World War II. Lost to the CCP and was exiled with the Guomindang to Taiwan. Lead the ostensibly democratic Taiwan as a de facto one-party state, not without violent purges.
• 姚文元・Yao Wenyuan (1931-2005): Born in 諸曁市 (Zhuji). Radical left-wing literary critic who became famous during the Anti-Rightist Campaign. Criticized an opera by Wu Han as being counter-revolutionary, which inspired the Cultural Revolution. Promoted to the Politburo in 1969. Arrested in 1981 as one of the Gang of Four. Released on parole in 1996 and died of diabetes.
• 安徽・ANHUI
• Notable Residents:
• 陳独秀・Chen Duxiu (1879-1942): Born in 安慶市 (Anqing). Founded the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 along with Li Dazhao. Created an influential periodical called New Youth to contribute to politically and intellectually revolutionary activity. Served as the first general secretary of the CCP from 1921 to 1927. Was removed from the Party in 1929 and for a time led a Trotskyist opposition group.
• 王明・Wang Ming (1904-1974): Born in 六安市 (Lu'an). Was with Mao Zedong at Yan'an. Leader of the "28 Bolsheviks" who had returned from Moscow with orthodox Stalinist opinions and thus opposed Mao in the Chinese Communist Party. Mao criticized him for dogmatism and blind devotion to Soviet policy. Lost his position in the Politburo in 1945. Went to the Soviet Union for medical treatment and chose to live the rest of his life there in exile.
• 王稼祥・Wang Jiaxiang (1906-1974): Born in 宣城市 (Xuancheng). One of the "28 Bolsheviks" who followed the orthodox Stalinist line for Revolution. Defected early on and began to support Mao Zedong instead. Vice-Foreign Minister under the People's Republic. Purged during the Cultural Revolution and rehabilitated in 1973.
• 福建・FUJIAN
• Notable Residents:
• 鄧子恢・Deng Zihui (1904-1997): Born in 竜岩市 (Longyan). Revolutionary who was with Mao during the establishment of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Ruijin in 1931. Was in charge of agricultural policy during the Great Leap Forward, where he came into conflict with Mao. Accused as being a right-wing conservative early on, but managed to remain unpurged throughout the Cultural Revolution.
• 江西・JIANGXI
• Notable Residents:
• 張国燾・Zhang Guotao (1897-1979): Born in 萍郷市 (Pingxiang). Founding member of the Chinese Communist Party. Rival to Mao Zedong. Led the Eyuwan soviet. Took a different route from Mao during the Long March and suffered devastating losses against warlords in Gansu. Left the Party decisively in 1938 and defected to the Guomindang. Left in exile to Canada after 1949. "Washed his hands of" politics and converted to Christianity. Died of a stroke.
• 袁文才・Yuan Wencai (1898-1930): Born in 井冈山市 (Jinggangshan). Peasant of Hakka background who was a member of a bandit group similar to that of Wang Zuo. Had greater support and control over the area than Wang. Also joined Mao's soviet on the Jinggang Mountains in 1927 along with this men. Killed by Mao's opponents for refusing to follow Comintern orders when Mao was out of power in the Party.
• 呉法憲・Wu Faxian (1915-2004): Born in 吉安市 (Ji'an). Lieutenant general in charge of the People's Liberation Army air force. A supporter of Lin Biao. Imprisoned after Lin's failed coup attempt. Due to his past status and good behavior, he was released in less than a year and treated quite well due to ill-health.
• 山東・SHANDONG
• Notable Residents:
• 康生・Kang Sheng (1898-1975): Born in 青島市 (Qingdao). Began as a Chinese Communist Party security chief in Shanghai. Later a trained intelligence operative, reponsible for vilification and persecution of landlords during agricultural reforms and later of any and all designated enemies of the Party during the Cultural Revolution. Died of cancer in 1975 and was posthumously disgraced and removed from the Party. Accomplished calligrapher and antiquarian.
• 江青・Jiang Qing (1914-1991): Born in 諸城市 (Zhucheng). Mao Zedong's fourth wife. Was an actress in her early years and was drawn to the communist movement after the Japanese invasion of Shanghai. Later responsible for immense purges of Chinese media and literature which left very little that was not dull revolutionary propaganda. Later arrested and sentenced to death as one of the Gang of Four in the Cultural Revolution. Committed suicide in prison.
• 張春橋・Zhang Chunqiao (1917-2005): Born in 菏沢市 (Heze). Radical CCP propaganda official in Shanghai. Supported Mao in his struggle against Liu Shaoqi. Played a central role in the Cultural Revolution by helping to set up the Shanghai People's Commune. Joined the Politburo in 1969 and promoted to Standing Committee in 1973. Arrested as a Gang of Four member in 1976 and received a death sentence, which was eventually reduced to 18 years in prison.
• 中南・SOUTH CENTRAL CHINA
• 河南・HENAN
• 湖北・HUBEI
• Notable Residents:
• 向忠発・Xiang Zhongfa (1879-1931): Born in 漢川市 (Hanchuan). Early Chinese Communist Party member. Had a strong background organizing strikes during his time as a young worker. Lost trust and confidence in the CCP when its activity shifted from urban centers to the countryside. Eventually gave up on role in the CCP and used its expense account to fund a libertine lifestyle. Sold out by defector Gu Shunzhang and executed by Guomindang forces.
• 項英・Xiang Ying (1895-1941): Born in 武漢市 (Wuhan). Labor organizer who rose in the ranks to a high position in the Chinese Communist Party in 1928. Lost authority to Wang Ming in a power struggle. Stayed behind in the Jiangxi soviet instead of participating in the Long March. Joined his army with the Second United Front against Imperial Japan. Was killed by nationalist forces in the New Fourth Army Incident.
• 林彪・Lin Biao (1907-1971): Born in 黄岡市 (Huanggang). Participated in the Nanchang Uprising. Brilliant military strategist and chronic hypochrondiac. Extreme ideologue for Mao during the Cultural Revolution and military leader of the Red Guards. Began to clash with Jiang Qing over her increased influence on the military. Tried to flee to the Soviet Union after supporters of his attempted to coup Mao's government, but died when his plane crashed in Mongolia.
• 李先念・Li Xiannian (1909-1992): Born in 黄岡市 (Huanggang). One of the "Eight Elders" of the Chinese Communist Party and considered the most left-wing among them. He survived the Cultural Revolution with no controversies. He remained a Party member after Mao's death and continued to encourage Soviet-style central planning against Deng Xiaoping's liberalizing reforms. Strongly supported military repression during the Tiananmen Square protests.
• 謝富治・Xie Fuzhi (1909-1972): Born in 黄岡市 (Huanggang). Political Commissar for the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War. After 1949, advanced to Minister of Public Security. Chairman of the Beijing Revolutionary Committee. Unlike many other PLA seniors, was happy to see the Red Guards develop into a parallel army and directed them to persecute old-guard leaders. Died of cancer. Posthumously expelled from the Party for political crimes.
• 湖南・HUNAN
• Notable Residents:
• 何叔衡・He Shuheng (1876-1935): Born in 寧郷市 (Ningxiang). Taught Mao Zedong in Changsha. Early member of the Chinese Communist Party. Was with Mao during the establishment of the Chinese Soviet Republic at Ruijin in 1931. He stayed behind as a guerilla in Jiangxi during the Long March and was captured and killed by the Guomindang.
• 趙恒惕・Zhao Hengti (1880-1971): Born in 衡陽市 (Hengyang). Military governor of Hunan from 1920-1926. Trained in Japan. Became associated with Sun Yixian's secret revolutionary group, the Tongmenghui. Supported a federalist constitution in the early Republic of China period. Mao Zedong saw him as an opportunist who did so to hold on to his own power in Hunan. Deposed during the Northern Expedition. Died in exile in Taiwan.
• 毛沢東・Mao Zedong (1893-1976): Born in 韶山市 (Shaoshan). One of the most controversial, polarizing, and complicated leaders of the 20th century. Dictator who ruled mainland China as a communist one-party state from 1949 to his death in 1976. Responsible for rapid modernization of China, but with an immense cost to human life and freedom as the result of mismanaged economic policies and the violent, totalitarian suppression of critics and dissenters.
• 李厚儒・Li Weihan (1896-1984): Born in 長沙市 (Changsha). Early Chinese Communist Party member and later Politburo member. After 1949, involved in activities relating to intelligence operations, economic planning, and affairs related to China's ethnic minorities. Saw his own brother purged in the Anti-Rightist Campaign. Vilified but not purged during the Cultural Revolution. Vice chairman of the Central Advisory Commission under Deng Xiaoping.
• 彭述之・Peng Shuzhi (1896-1983): Born in 邵陽市 (Shaoyang). Early leader in the Chinese Communist Party. Politburo member from 1925-1927. Expelled in 1929 for being a Trotskyist. Fled to Vietnam, France, and finally the United States after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Had his memoirs published in France and died in Los Angeles.
• 賀竜・He Long (1896-1969): Born in 張家界市 (Zhangjiajie). Participated in the Nanchang Uprising. Appointed marshal of the People's Liberation Army in 1955. Supported the rehabilitation of Peng Dehuai in 1959 after he was purged for criticizing the Great Leap Forward. Purged during the Cultural Revolution. Died from intentional medical neglect while in jail.
• 彭徳懐・Peng Dehuai (1898-1974): Born in 湘潭市 (Xiangtan). Present during the creation of the first Chinese soviet in the Jinggang Mountains. Fought against Japan in World War II and in the Korean War. Had many disagreements with Mao, especially about the Great Leap Forward. Dismissed from the Chinese Communist Party Politburo in 1959, purged in 1966, and died from intentional medical neglect in prison. Posthumously rehabilitated after Mao's death.
• 劉少奇・Liu Shaoqi (1898-1969): Born in 寧郷市 (Ningxiang). Chinese Communist Party member who worked with Mao Zedong at Anyuan and Yan'an. High-ranking Party official. Chairman of the Republic from 1959-1968. Purged in the Cultural Revolution as the Party's "biggest capitalist." Expelled from the CCP as a traitor. Died from intentional medical neglect in prison and was buried under a false name. Posthumously rehabilitated after Mao's death.
• 李立三・Li Lisan (1899-1967): Born in 醴陵市 (Liling). Early associate of Mao Zedong during his student years. They did not get along. Later de facto leader of the Chinese Communist Party who disagreed with Mao's guerilla strategies. He lived as an involuntary exile in Russia for 15 years after being dismissed by both the CCP and Stalin. Returned to the CCP in 1949 and held minor positions. Committed suicide during the Cultural Revolution.
• 譚震林・Tan Zhenlin (1902-1983): Born in 株洲市 (Zhuzhou). Present at the creation of the first Chinese soviet in the Jinggang Mountains. Later vice-premier of agriculture in the People's Republic and Politburo member. Supported Great Leap Forward policies but later regretted them. Prominent February Adverse Current voice. Dropped out for the sake of self-criticism in 1967 but later re-emerged under Deng Xiaoping.
• 任弼時・Ren Bishi (1904-1950): Born in 岳陽市 (Yueyang). Early member of Mao Zedong's Russian Studies Society in Changsha. Participated in the Long March. Later a Politburo member and high ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party. Died of a stroke.
• 陶鋳・Tao Zhu (1908-1969): Born in 永州市 (Yongzhou). Chinese Communist Party leader in South China. Politburo Standing Committee member at the outset of the Cultural Revolution. Quickly became critical of its excesses. Purged and died of cancer in prison. Posthumously rehabilitated after Mao's death.
• 広東・GUANGDONG
• Notable Residents:
• 孫中山・Sun Yixian (1866-1925): Born in 中山市 (Zhongshan). Father of the Chinese Revolution. Honored by both nationalists and communists. Opposed dynastic leadership and foreign occupation for the purpose of establishing a Chinese Republic. Led forces in the 1911 Revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China. First leader of the Guomindang. Christian, Georgist, and pan-Asianist. Liked Japanese schoolgirls (based).
• 汪兆銘・Wang Jingwei (1883-1944): Born in 仏山市 (Foshan). Close associate of Sun Yixian. Studied in Japan and came to support democracy and liberalism. Unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate the Prince Regent in 1910. Joined the Guomindang and lost to Jiang Jieshi in a power struggle but remained an influential member. Sought peace with the Axis Powers and was considered a traitor for ruling Nanjing as a puppet state of Imperial Japan.
• 葉剣英・Ye Jianying (1897-1986): Born in 梅州市 (Meizhou). Christian Hakka background. Joined the Guomindang in 1919 and the CCP in 1927. Leader of the Military Commission under the People's Republic. Joined the Politburo in 1966. Member of the February Adverse Current, but survived the Cultural Revolution unpurged. Led the conspiracy to oust the Gang of Four. Supported peaceful steps toward reunification with Taiwan under Deng Xiaoping.
• 鄧小平・Deng Xiaoping (1904-1997): Born in 梅州市 (Meizhou). Secretary-general under Mao. Purged during the Cultural Revolution as "number-two" Party capitalist after Liu Shaoqi. Became leader of China from 1976-1989. Created ambitious reforms to globalize and liberalize China in terms of economy and culture. Nevertheless maintained an authoritarian system with the killing of at least several hundred protestors during the Tiananmen Square massacre.
• 広西壮族自治区・GUANGXI ZHUANG AUTONOMOUS REGION
• 海南・HAINAN
• 香港特別行政区・HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
• 澳門特別行政区・MACAU SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
• 西南・SOUTHWESTERN CHINA
• 重慶・CHONGQING
• Notable Residents:
• 劉伯承・Liu Bocheng (1892-1986): Born in 重慶市 (Chongqing). Legendary Chinese Red Army leader known as the "One-Eyed Dragon" (he lost his right eye in battle). Appointed as one of ten People's Liberation Army marshals in 1955 and later became a Politburo member. Lost his sight completely and retired from public political life in the 1960s. Remained a nominal member of the leadership and survived the Cultural Revolution without being purged.
• 聶栄臻・Nie Rongzhen (1899-1992): Born in 重慶市 (Chongqing). Participated in the Nanchang Uprising. Was present during the Zunyi Conference. Fought against the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Appointed as a People's Liberation Army marshal during 1955 and was in charge of China's nuclear weapons program. Played a leading role in the February Adverse Current movement, but still managed to survive the Cultural Revolution unscathed.
• 楊尚昆・Yang Shangkun (1907-1998): Born in 重慶市 (Chongqing). Member of the 28 Bolsheviks. Was in close contact with Mao Zedong on a daily basis as Director of the General Office of the CCP from 1945-1965. Purged during the Cultural Revolution as a supporter of Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. Rehabilitated after Mao's death. Supported students early on during the Tiananmen Square protests but later turned and supported military suppression.
• 四川・SICHUAN
• Notable Residents:
• 朱徳・Zhu De (1886-1976): Born in 南充市 (Nanchong). Fought in the Xinhai Revolution to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Joined the Chinese Communist Party during his time studying in Germany. Participated in the Nanchang Uprising and joined Mao on Jinggangshan. Commander-in-chief of the Chinese Red Army. Politburo member from 1945 to his death, but did not take a very active role from 1949 onward. Granted special protection from Mao during the Cultural Revolution.
• 陳毅・Chen Yi (1901-1972): Born in 資陽市 (Ziyang). Participated in the Nanchang Uprising. Was present during the founding of the Chinese Red Army and creation of the first Chinese soviet in the Jinggang Mountains. Foreign Minister under the People's Republic. Major voice of the February Adverse Current movement. Never officially dismissed during the Cultural Revolution, but was requested to leave his post for the sake of self-criticism.
• 羅瑞卿・Luo Ruiqing (1906-1978): Born in 南充市 (Nanchong). Political security officer in the Chinese Red Army in the 1930s. Participated in the Long March. Minister of Public Security after 1949. Fought in the Korean War from 1950-1953. Purged as a supporter of Peng Dehuai in 1965. Broke both legs in a failed suicide attempt three months later. Rehabilitated by Mao in 1975. Died in 1978 while receiving medical treatment in West Germany.
• 貴州・GUIZHOU
• 雲南・YUNNAN
• 西蔵自治区・TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION
• 東北・NORTHEAST CHINA
• 遼寧・LIAONING
• 吉林・JILIN
• Notable Residents:
• 王洪文・Wang Hongwen (1935-1992): Born in 長春市 (Changchun). Machine operator in a Shanghai textile mill who became a security cadre for their militia operations. Led the Shanghai Commune in the Cultural Revolution. Considered as a successor for Mao in 1972. Became a Chinese Communist Party vice-chairman in 1973. Youngest member of the Gang of Four. Arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1981 for political crimes. Died of liver cancer.
• 黒竜江・HEILONGJIANG
• 西北・NORTHWEST CHINA
• 陝西・SHAANXI
• Notable Residents:
• 高崗・Gao Gang (1905-1954): Born in 楡林市 (Yulin). Revolutionary during the Chinese Civil War who joined as an illiterate peasant but nevertheless had a great amount of spirit and ambition. He rose in the rankings and became the Party head of Manchuria. He was purged in 1953 after attempts to usurp the position of Liu Shaoqi on the basis of being a threat to Party unity. He committed suicide soon after.
• 甘粛・GANSU
• 青海・QINGHAI
• 寧夏回族自治区・NINGXIA HUI AUTONOMOUS REGION
• 新疆維吾爾自治区・XINJIANG UYGHUR AUTONOMOUS REGION