Wang Kunlun (; August 1, 1902–August 23, 1985), birth name Wang Ruyu (王汝虞), was a Chinese politician who held high-profile positions, at different times, in both the

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

and

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

parties. Born 1902 in

Baoding Baoding (), formerly known as Baozhou and Qingyuan, is a prefecture-level city in central Hebei province, approximately southwest of Beijing. As of the 2010 census, Baoding City had 11,194,382 inhabitants out of which 2,176,857 lived in the b ...

, Hebei province to a wealthy household, he participated in the

May Fourth Movement The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) to protest the Chinese ...

while studying at

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...

and became involved with Chinese revolutionaries, at one point meeting in person with

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

. He joined the Nationalist party as a left-leaning member and served as Chief Secretary of the Political Department of the Headquarters of the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in China ...

during the

Northern Expedition The Northern Expedition was a military campaign launched by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Kuomintang (KMT), also known as the "Chinese Nationalist Party", against the Beiyang government and other regional warlords in 1926. The ...

, but became disillusioned with

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

's leadership after Chiang initiated a major crackdown against Communists in April 1927. He subsequently joined the Communist Party in secret and used his political positions within the Nationalist government to aid the Communists. He was among a group of members of the Kuomintang who broke away to form the

Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang The Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), also commonly known, especially when referenced historically, as the Left Kuomintang or Left Guomindang, is one of the eight legally recognised minor political parties in the Peo ...

in 1948. He would serve various government positions after the Communist victory, including vice-mayor of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and vice-chairman of the

National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Kunlun 1902 births 1985 deaths Politicians from Baoding Republic of China politicians from Hebei People's Republic of China politicians from Hebei Members of the Kuomintang Chinese Communist Party politicians from Hebei Vice Chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Beijing No. 4 High School alumni Redologists Members of the Standing Committee of the 1st National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 2nd National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 3rd National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 5th National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 1st Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 3rd Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 4th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference