Hua Guofeng
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| Order: | 2nd Premier |
| Term of Office: | April 1976–September 1980 |
| Acting Premier: | January 1976–April 1976 |
| Successor: | Zhao Ziyang |
| Date of Birth | February 16, 1921 |
| Place of Birth: | Jiaocheng, Shanxi |
Hua Guofeng (Template:Zh-cpw) (born February 16, 1921) was Mao Zedong's designated successor as leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China. Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded as Premier of the People's Republic of China. Months later, Mao died, leaving Hua Chairman of the Communist Party of China, to the surprise and dismay of Jiang Qing and the rest of the Gang of Four. He ousted the Gang of Four from political power, but was himself outmaneuvered a couple years later by Deng Xiaoping, who forced Hua into early retirement.
Born in Jiaocheng (交城县), a county beside a mountain in Shanxi province, Hua joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1938 as a part of counter-Japanese resistance. During the mid-1940's he became propaganda chief for the county Party committee.
Hua was elected to the Politburo in 1973 and was minister of public security in 1975. He became acting Premier of the People's Republic of China following Zhou Enlai's death, in January 1976, full Premier and party vice chairman in April 1976, and Chairman of the Communist Party of China when Mao died, in September 1976 (although this was not announced to the world until October 12).
During his relatively short leadership, Hua was credited for quickly ousting the Gang of Four from political power and thus became the leader whose emergence marked the official end to the Cultural Revolution. As Deng Xiaoping gradually regained control over the CPC, Hua was denounced for promoting the two whatevers and replaced by Zhao Ziyang as Premier in 1980, and by Hu Yaobang as Party Chairman in 1981. Both Zhao and Hu were protégés of Deng who were dedicated to Chinese economic reform. Hua Guofeng was demoted to junior Vice Chairman, and when this post was abolished in 1982 he remained as an ordinary member of the Central Committee, a position which he held until the 16th Party Congress of November 2002 despite having passed the designated retirement age of seventy.
It was reported that Hua Guofeng quit the Chinese Communist Party in October 2001 for "health reasons". But the report is not confirmed by the Communist Party.
See also: Politics of China
| Preceded by: Mao Zedong | Chairman of the Communist Party of China 1976–1981 | Succeeded by: Hu Yaobang |
| Preceded by: Zhou Enlai | Premier of the State Council 1976–1980 | Succeeded by: Zhao Ziyang |
| Preceded by: Mao Zedong | Chairman of the Central Military Commission of CCP 1976–1981 | Succeeded by: Deng Xiaoping Template:End boxde:Hua Guofeng es:Hua Guofeng ja:華国鋒 fi:Hua Guofeng zh:华国锋 |