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Eight Elders

Powerful group of Chinese Communist Party members

Note

the group of leadership members of the Chinese Communist Party during the 20th century

The Eight Great Eminent Officials (), abbreviated as the Eight Elders (), were a group of elderly members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who held substantial power in the last two decades of the 20th century. In the English-speaking world, these men are often called The Eight Immortals as an allusion to the Taoist deities commonly known as the Eight Immortals.

History

The Central Advisory Commission was the institutional power base of the Eight Elders. Deng Xiaoping, who emerged as China's top leader in December 1978, as a result of the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, was the most powerful of the group, but his power was never absolute, and he had to consult and make compromises with the other seven Elders, of whom the most prominent were Chen Yun and Li Xiannian (considered the second and third in power, respectively, and both associated with the leftist hard-liners and opposition to reform and market-oriented economy). Deng's allies among the Elders included Yang Shangkun and Peng Zhen.

By the late 1980s, all Elders, including Deng himself, were united in opposition to further political reforms, while holding different views on economic and foreign affairs.

According to reformist General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, of all the Elders, Li Xiannian was the most prominent, most active and most successful in opposing and blocking changes and reforms in both political and economic issues. Important decisions were often made in Deng's home. The Eight Elders were able to remove three Party leaders. Hua Guofeng was gradually removed from Premier and Party chairman between 1980 and 1981; Hu Yaobang was removed in 1987; and, Zhao Ziyang was removed in 1989. Deng, the core of the eight Elders, retired after the 5th Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee (November 1989), when he resigned from his last official title (Chairman of the Central Military Commission), and the rest of the Elders officially retired after the 14th Party Congress in October 1992 when the Central Advisory Commission was abolished. They still held decisive influence behind the scenes until Deng's death in February 1997.

Membership

The membership was never formally stated. With Deng Xiaoping as the main holder of power, the eight elders are accepted to include:

Name	Image	Position(s) Held	Birthplace
(Ancestry)	Ref
Deng Xiaoping
(1904–1997)	[[File:Deng Xiaoping at the arrival ceremony for the Vice Premier of China (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Politburo Standing Committee (1977–1987)
Political Consultative Conference chairman (1978–1983)
Central Military Commission chairman (1981–1989)
Central Advisory Commission chairman (1982–1987)	Guang'an, Sichuan
(Jishui, Jiangxi)
Chen Yun
(1905–1995)	[[File:陈云标准像.jpg	100px]]	Politburo Standing Committee (1978–1987)
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection First Secretary (1979–1987)
Central Advisory Commission chairman (1987–1992)	Qingpu, Shanghai
Li Xiannian
(1909–1992)	[[File:Li Xiannian1985.jpg	100px]]	Politburo Standing Committee (1977–1987)
President of the People's Republic of China (1983–1988)
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference chairman (1988–1992)	Huang'an, Hubei
Peng Zhen
(1902–1997)	[[File:Zhou Enlai, Peng Zhen and Zhang Junqiu (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (1983–1988)	Houma, Shanxi
Yang Shangkun
(1907–1998)	[[File:Yang Shangkun 2.jpg	100px]]	President of the People's Republic of China (1988–1993)
Central Military Commission vice chairman (1982–1992)	Tongnan, Chongqing
Bo Yibo
(1908–2007)	[[File:Boyibo1946.jpg	100px]]	Central Advisory Committee vice chairman (1982–1992)	Dingxiang, Shanxi
Wang Zhen
(1908–1993)	[[File:Wangzhen1955.jpg	100px]]	Vice President of the People's Republic of China (1988–1993)
Central Advisory Committee vice chairman (1985–1992)	Liuyang, Hunan
Song Renqiong
(1909–2005)	[[File:Songrenqiong.jpg	100px]]	Central Advisory Committee vice chairman (1985–1992)	Liuyang, Hunan
Deng Yingchao
(1904–1992)	[[File:Deng Yingchao.jpg	alt=Portrait of Deng Yingchao	151x151px]]	Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Chairwoman (1983–1988)	Nanning, Guangxi
(Guangshan, Henan)
Xi Zhongxun
(1913–2002)	[[File:Xi Zhongxun.jpg	100px]]	CCP Politburo (1982–1987)
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress vice chairman (1988–1993)	Fuping, Shaanxi
(Dengzhou, Henan)
Wan Li
(1916–2015)		Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (1980–1988)
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (1988–1993)
CCP Politburo (1982–1992)	Dongping, Shandong

;Timeline of the life span of members ImageSize = width:700 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:50 right:40 left:20 AlignBars = late

Colors =

id:red value:red legend: Deng_Xiaoping id:darkblue value:darkblue legend: Original_members id:green value:green legend: Later_entries id:pink value:pink legend: Elders_living_past_Deng id:gray1 value:gray(0.8) id:gray2 value:gray(0.9)

DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1900 till:2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:5 start:1900 ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:10 start:1900

Legend = columns:3 left:150 top:24 columnwidth:280

TextData = pos:(20,27) textcolor:black fontsize:M text: Members life span

BarData = barset:PM bar:Yang bar:Bo bar:Deng bar:Song bar:Xi bar:Wan

PlotData= width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till barset:PM

from: 1904 till: 1997 color:red text:"Deng Xiaoping" fontsize:10 from: 1909 till: 1992 color:darkblue text:"Li Xiannian" fontsize:10 from: 1902 till: 1997 color:darkblue text:"Peng Zhen" fontsize:10 from: 1908 till: 1993 color:darkblue text:"Wang Zhen" fontsize:10 from: 1905 till: 1995 color:darkblue text:"Chen Yun" fontsize:10

bar:Yang from: 1907 till: 1997 color:darkblue from: 1997 till: 1998 color:pink text:"Yang Shangkun" fontsize:10

bar:Bo from: 1908 till: 1997 color:darkblue from: 1997 till: 2007 color:pink text:"Bo Yibo" fontsize:10

bar:Deng from: 1904 till: 1992 color:darkblue text:"Deng Yingchao" fontsize:10

bar:Song from: 1909 till: 1997 color:green from: 1997 till: 2005 color:pink text:"Song Renqiong" fontsize:10

bar:Xi from: 1913 till: 1997 color:green from: 1997 till: 2002 color:pink text:"Xi Zhongxun" fontsize:10

bar:Wan from: 1916 till: 1997 color:green from: 1997 till: 2015 color:pink text:"Wan Li" fontsize:10

Descendants

Descendants of the eight Elders who have benefited significantly from nepotism and cronyism constitute a group now known as "the Princelings" or the "Crown Prince Party". Its members, rising through party ranks, can easily overrule any opposition in their jurisdictions, even if they are assigned to a local administrative position. They are often seen to outrank other party officials and possess greater prestige due to their lineage.

Notes

No.	last=Holley	first=David	date=1992-01-12	title='Eight Elders' Wield Power Behind the Scenes in China	url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-12-mn-393-story.html	url-status=live
1	Deng Xiaoping	Deng Xiaoping	Deng Xiaoping	Deng Xiaoping	Deng Xiaoping
2	Yang Shangkun	Yang Zhangkun	Yang Shangkun	Yang Shangkun	Yang Shangkun
3	Chen Yun	Chen Yun	Chen Yun	Chen Yun	Chen Yun
4	Li Xiannian	Li Xiannian	Li Xiannian	Li Xiannian	Li Xiannian
5	Peng Zhen	Peng Zhen	Peng Zhen	Peng Zhen	Peng Zhen
6	Wang Zhen	Wang Zhen	Wang Zhen	Wang Zhen	Wang Zhen
7	Bo Yibo	Bo Yibo	Bo Yibo	Bo Yibo	Bo Yibo
8	Song Renqiong		Song Renqiong	Song Renqiong
8		Deng Yingchao	Deng Yingchao		Deng Yingchao
Others			Xi Zhongxun			Xi Zhongxun
		Wan Li

References

Joseph, William A.. (2010). "Politics in China: An Introduction". Oxford University Press.
Hirata, Koji. (2024). "Making Mao's Steelworks: Industrial Manchuria and the Transnational Origins of Chinese Socialism". [[Cambridge University Press]].
Zhao, Ziyang. (2009-05-19). "Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang". Simon and Schuster.
MacFarquhar, Roderick. "Foreword" in Zhao Ziyang (2009). Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Zhao Ziyang. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. {{ISBN. 1-4391-4938-0
Xiang, Lanxin (April 20, 2012). "Bo Xilai probe shows up China's outdated system of government". ''South China Morning Post''
Wu, Vivian. (1 December 2008). "The 'eight immortals' who jockeyed for control of a nation".
"Heirs of Mao's Comrades Rise as New Capitalist Nobility". Bloomberg.
Holley, David. (1992-01-12). "'Eight Elders' Wield Power Behind the Scenes in China".
Tkacik, John. (September 2004). "CIVIL-MILITARY CHANGE IN CHINA: ELITES, INSTITUTES, AND IDEAS AFTER THE 16TH PARTY CONGRESS. Chapter 5: Premier Wen and Vice President Zeng: The "Two Centers" of China's "Fourth Generation".". Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College.
"Mapping China's Red Nobility". Bloomberg.com.
Andrésy, Agnès. (2015-11-20). "Xi Jinping: Red China, The Next Generation". UPA.
Bendini, Roberto. (June 2016). "The Cultural Revolution in China: its 50th anniversary was ignored but its legacy lives on today".

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