Li Peng

Premier of the People's Republic of China

20 October 1928 Shanghai French Concession

22 July 2019(2019-07-22) (90) Beijing

25 March 1988 – 17 March 1998 Acting: 24 November 1987 – 25 March 1988

For other people named Li Peng, see Li Peng (disambiguation). This article has an unclear citation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation and footnoting. (July 2019 ) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) In this Chinese name, the family name is Li. Li Peng李鹏 Premier of the People's Republic of ChinaIn office 25 March 1988 – 17 March 1998 Acting: 24 November 1987 – 25 March 1988 PresidentYang Shangkun Jiang ZeminVice Premier Cabinet I (1988–93) Yao Yilin Tian Jiyun Wu Xueqian Zou Jiahua Zhu Rongji Cabinet II (1993–98) Zhu Rongji Zou Jiahua Qian Qichen Li Lanqing Wu Bangguo Jiang Chunyun LeaderDeng Xiaoping Jiang ZeminPreceded by Zhao ZiyangSucceeded by Zhu RongjiChairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's CongressIn office 15 March 1998 – 15 March 2003LeaderJiang Zemin (Paramount leader)Preceded by Qiao ShiSucceeded by Wu BangguoVice Premier of the People's Republic of ChinaIn office 6 June 1983 – 24 November 1987Serving with Wan Li, Yao Yilin, Tian JiyunPremierZhao Ziyang Personal detailsBorn(1928-10-20 ) 20 October 1928 Shanghai French ConcessionDied22 July 2019(2019-07-22) (aged 90) BeijingNationalityChinesePolitical partyCommunist Party of China (1945–2019）Spouse(s)Zhu Lin (m. 1958, his death 2019)ChildrenLi Xiaopeng (son) Li Xiaolin (daughter) Li Xiaoyong (son)ParentsLi Shuoxun (father) Zhao Juntao  (mother)Alma materMoscow Power Engineering InstituteProfessionPolitician Hydroelectric engineer Li Peng"Li Peng" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese charactersSimplified Chinese李鹏 Traditional Chinese李鵬 Literal meaningLi (surname 李) Peng (giant bird in Chinese mythology)TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinLǐ Péng Wade–GilesLi3 P'eng2 IPA Yue: CantoneseJyutpingLei5 Paang4 Southern MinHokkien POJLí Pîng Li Peng (Chinese: 李鹏 ; pinyin: Lǐ Péng ; 20 October 1928 – 22 July 2019) was the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1987 to 1998, and as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China (CPC) hierarchy behind then Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin. He retained his seat on the CPC Politburo Standing Committee until his retirement in 2002. Li was the son of an early Communist revolutionary, Li Shuoxun, who was executed by the Kuomintang. After meeting Zhou Enlai in Sichuan, Li was raised by Zhou and his wife, Deng Yingchao. Li trained to be an engineer in the USSR and worked at an important national power company after returning to China. He escaped the political turmoil of the 1950s, '60s and '70s due to his political connections and his employment in the company. After Deng Xiaoping became China's leader in the late 1970s, Li took a number of increasingly important and powerful political positions, eventually becoming premier in 1987. As Premier, Li was the most visible representative of China's government who backed the use of force to quell the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. During the protests Li used his authority as premier to declare martial law and, in cooperation with Deng Xiaoping, who was the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, ordered the June 1989 military crackdown against student pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. Li advocated a largely conservative approach to Chinese economic reform, which placed him at odds with General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, who fell out of favour in 1989. After Zhao was removed from office Li promoted a conservative socialist economic agenda, but lost influence to incoming vice-premier Zhu Rongji and was unable to prevent the increasing market liberalization of the Chinese economy. During his time in office he helmed the controversial Three Gorges Dam project. He and his family managed a large Chinese power monopoly, which the Chinese government broke up after his term as premier expired. Li died at the age of 90 in Beijing.