Wang Kunlun (; August 1, 1902–August 23, 1985), birth name Wang Ruyu (王汝虞), was a Chinese politician who held high-profile positions, at different times, in both the

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

and

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

parties. Born 1902 in Baoding, Hebei province to a wealthy household, he participated in the

May Fourth Movement The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) to protest the Chin ...

while studying at Peking University and became involved with Chinese revolutionaries, at one point meeting in person with Dr. Sun Yat-sen. He joined the Nationalist party as a left-leaning member and served as Chief Secretary of the Political Department of the Headquarters of the National Revolutionary Army during the

Northern Expedition The Northern Expedition was a military campaign launched by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Kuomintang (KMT), also known as the "Chinese Nationalist Party", against the Beiyang government and other regional warlords in 1926. The ...

, but became disillusioned with Chiang Kai-shek's leadership after Chiang initiated a major crackdown against Communists in April 1927. He subsequently joined the Communist Party in secret and used his political positions within the Nationalist government to aid the Communists. He was among a group of members of the Kuomintang who broke away to form the

Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang The Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), also commonly known, especially when referenced historically, as the Left Kuomintang or Left Guomindang, is one of the eight legally recognised minor political parties in the Peo ...

in 1948. He would serve various government positions after the Communist victory, including vice-mayor of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

and vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Kunlun 1902 births 1985 deaths Politicians from Baoding Republic of China politicians from Hebei People's Republic of China politicians from Hebei Members of the Kuomintang Chinese Communist Party politicians from Hebei Vice Chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Beijing No. 4 High School alumni Redologists Members of the Standing Committee of the 1st National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 2nd National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 3rd National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 5th National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 1st Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 3rd Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 4th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference