Chen Yun
(1905–1995), Chinese political figure. Chen Yun was noteworthy for his continuous place in the inner group of Chinese leaders and long service on the Central Committee and Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), yet was never a contender for top leader from the 1930s until his death in 1995. Born in Qingpu near Shanghai 13 June 1905, he worked as a typesetter in Shanghai before joining the CCP in 1925. He later served as a union organizer, guerrilla soldier, and secret agent. He participated in the Long March and emerged as a key party economic thinker and ideological theorist, especially during the 1942 Rectification Campaign. In 1949, he became the head economic planner, responsible for stabilization and reconstruction.
Close to Zhou Enlai (1898–1976) and Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) in outlook, Chen agreed with Zhou on the need for incentives to spur agricultural production. At the critical Lushan conference to review the results of the Great Leap Forward in 1959, he remained silent and did not criticize Mao Zedong (1893–1976). Following the Great Leap, he toured the countryside to assess its failures, and later supported the moderate policies of Deng and Liu Shaoqi. Nonetheless, his efforts to reduce the costs of grain shipments to urban areas laid the ground for the later internal deportation of youth. "Set aside" but not punished for his moderation during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), Chen began to formulate many of the ideas that later formed the core of the Deng era reforms. He disagreed with Deng only over timing of the early reforms, but from the mid-1980s criticized the reform process for going too far.
Chen supported Deng's second return to power in 1977, and was rewarded with chairmanship of the Central Disciplinary Inspection Committee in 1978. As Deng's reforms got underway, Chen described them as a caged bird, that is, the economy could fly freely, but within the limits of state planning. Chen held no high positions during the 1980s, except for his membership on the Central Committee; due to his prestige and influence, however, he was considered fifth in the hierarchy. Though he resigned from the Central Committee in 1987, Chen was a crucial supporter of Deng's hard line during the Tiananmen Incident of 1989. Nevertheless, he aided efforts to sideline Deng after 1989, and fought Deng's last reform campaign in 1992. He died on 10 April 1995.
Further Reading
Becker, Jasper. (2000) The Chinese. New York: The Free Press.
Evans, Richard. (1995) Deng Xiaoping and the Making of Modern China. London: Penguin.
Fairbank, John King. (1986) The Great Chinese Revolution, 1800–1985. New York: Harper & Row.
Roberts, J. A. G. (1999) A Concise History of China. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Salisbury, Harrison. (1992) The New Emperors: China in the Era of Mao and Deng. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
Spence, Jonathan. (1990) The Search for Modern China. New York: W. W. Norton.
This is the complete article, containing 472 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
