Bai Jinian (; February 19, 1926 – January 15, 2015) was a Chinese politician. He was best known as the first provincial party chief in China elected by an internal democratic process, when he became

Communist Party Secretary A Party Committee Secretary () is the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization in a province, city, village, or other administrative unit. In most cases, it is the ''de facto'' highest political office of its area of jurisdictio ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ning ...

in 1984. Considered an associate of

Hu Yaobang Hu Yaobang (; 20 November 1915 – 15 April 1989) was a high-ranking official of the China, People's Republic of China. He held the top office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1981 to 1987, first as Chairman of the Chinese Communist P ...

, Bai fell out of favour in 1987 and was removed from his position.

Early life

Bai was born in

Suide County Suide County () is a county of Yulin, Shaanxi, China, bordering Shanxi province across the Yellow River to the southeast. Administrative divisions As 2019, Suide County is divided to 15 towns. ;Towns Climate Transportation *China National ...

Province on February 19, 1926, the second son of schoolteacher and small businessman Bai Xingping (). In 1939, during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...

, he joined Communist fighters in

Yan'an Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'a ...

, beginning his career as a revolutionary. He taught elementary school in rural Shaanxi and worked as a secretary to local party leaders. He joined the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

in April 1942.

Early People's Republic and Cultural Revolution

After the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Bai began a career as a functionary in the

Communist Youth League of China The Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), also known as the Young Communist League of China or simply the Communist Youth League (CYL), is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of 14 and 28, run by th ...

(CYL), working under the provincial CYL leader at the time,

. Thereafter he led rural work in a provincial commission, and was also named deputy party chief of

Hanzhong Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west. The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as t ...

prefecture. During the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated go ...

, Bai was purged for his association with Hu Yaobang and was also labelled an associate of purged party veterans Peng Dehuai and

Xi Zhongxun Xi Zhongxun (15 October 1913 – 24 May 2002) was a Chinese communist revolutionary and a subsequent political official in the People's Republic of China. He is considered to be among the first and second generation of Chinese leadership. ...

. Bai was placed in solitary confinement, and spent time working as a janitor. He also developed

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

. He resumed normal work in 1972, continuing to lead work in rural affairs.

Reform era

After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Bai visited the United States in the summer of 1978, as a member of the Chinese delegation. In February 1979, Bai was named vice-governor of Shaanxi, then in 1983, a member of the

provincial Party Standing Committee Members of the standing committees of the Chinese Communist Party provincial-level committees, commonly referred to as ''Shengwei Changwei'' (), make up the top ranks of the provincial-level organizations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I ...

. In August 1984, the Communist Party leadership conducted an unprecedented experiment in Shaanxi as part of wider economic and political reforms taking place around the country. An expanded session of the provincial party committee was held, during which more than 300 people, mainly officials at the county level or above, were allowed to elect the party chief of Shaanxi by secret ballot. Bai emerged the winner out of a total of 13 candidates, becoming the first provincial party chief to be elected through this experimental democratic process. As a result he was featured in a '' People's Daily'' story on November 18, 1984, as part of the party's "bold experimentation with cadre reforms", and also received coverage in international media. In September 1985, he became a member of the

12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was in session from September 1982 to November 1987. It held seven plenary sessions. It was securely succeeded by the 13th Central Committee. It elected the 12th Politburo of the Chinese C ...

. The democratic experiment was short-lived, however. As Bai's patron Hu Yaobang was forced to resign in January 1987, Bai became collateral damage, and was himself forced out of office in September. The party never gave any justification for Bai's ousting. During his three-year tenure in Shaanxi, he was mostly known for spearheading Hu's economic reform activities. From 1988 to 1998, Bai served as a member of the Standing Committee of the 7th and 8th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He retired in March 1998. Bai died on January 15, 2015, in

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

, at the age of 88.

References

{{Shaanxi leaders 1926 births 2015 deaths People's Republic of China politicians from Shaanxi Chinese Communist Party politicians from Shaanxi Political office-holders in Shaanxi Members of the 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the 3rd Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 4th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 5th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Standing Committee of the 7th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Standing Committee of the 8th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Victims of the Cultural Revolution