The 8th Politburo of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

was elected at the 1st Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee on September 28, 1956, consisting of 17 members and 6 alternate members. This Politburo was preceded by the

7th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party The 7th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party was elected at the 1st Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee on June 19, 1945, consisting of 13 members. It was actively preceded by the 6th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. There w ...

. There were additions to the membership in 1958 and 1966. During the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, many members and alternate members fell from power, and the Politburo ceased to function between March, 1967 and April, 1969. This was because of continuously high cultural tension. Once this settled down, the 9th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party firmly met in a congressional

plenum Plenum may refer to: * Plenum chamber, a chamber intended to contain air, gas, or liquid at positive pressure * Plenism, or ''Horror vacui'' (physics) the concept that "nature abhors a vacuum" * Plenum (meeting), a meeting of a deliberative asse ...

Members (17)

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also Romanization of Chinese, romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the List of national founde ...

, Chairman of the Party Central Committee and member of the Politburo Standing Committee *

Liu Shaoqi Liu Shaoqi ( ; 24 November 189812 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary, politician, and theorist. He was Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee from 1954 to 1959, First Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1956 to 1966 and ...

, Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committee until August, 1966; member of the Politburo Standing Committee (fell from power in January, 1967; dismissed in October, 1968) *

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman M ...

, Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committee until August, 1966; member of the Politburo Standing Committee *

Zhu De Zhu De (; ; also Chu Teh; 1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party. Born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan, he was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...

, Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committee until August, 1966; member of the Politburo Standing Committee *

Chen Yun Chen Yun (, pronounced ; 13 June 1905 – 10 April 1995) was one of the most influential leaders of the People's Republic of China during the 1980s and 1990s and one of the major architects and important policy makers for the Reform and ...

, Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committee until August, 1966; member of the Politburo Standing Committee *

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. Aft ...

, General Secretary of the Party Central Committee until August, 1966; member of the Politburo Standing Committee (fell from power in January, 1967) *

Lin Biao ) , serviceyears = 1925–1971 , branch = People's Liberation Army , rank = Marshal of the People's Republic of China Lieutenant general of the National Revolutionary Army, Republic of China , commands ...

, elected Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committee and member of the Politburo Standing Committee in May, 1958 *

Lin Boqu Lin Boqu (; Pinyin: ''Lín Bóqú''; Wade-Giles: ''Lin Po-ch'u''; March 20, 1886 – May 29, 1960) was a Chinese politician and poet. An early supporter of Sun Yat-sen and member of the Tongmenghui, as well as a later participant in the Nan ...

(died in May, 1960) *

Dong Biwu Dong Biwu (; 5 March 1886 – 2 April 1975) was a Chinese communist revolutionary and politician, who served as acting Chairman of the People's Republic of China between 1972 and 1975. Early life Dong Biwu was born in Huanggang, Hubei to ...

Peng Zhen Peng Zhen (pronounced ; October 12, 1902 – April 26, 1997) was a leading member of the Chinese Communist Party. He led the party organization in Beijing following the victory of the Communists in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, but was ...

(fell from power in May, 1966) *

Luo Ronghuan Luo Ronghuan (; November 26, 1902 – December 16, 1963) was a Chinese communist military leader. He served as a Vice Chair of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Biography Luo was born in a village in Hengshan County, ...

(died in December, 1963) *

Chen Yi Chen Yi may refer to: * Xuanzang (602–664), born as Chen Yi, Chinese Buddhist monk in Tang Dynasty * Chen Yi (Kuomintang) Chen Yi (; courtesy names Gongxia (公俠) and later Gongqia (公洽), sobriquet Tuisu (退素); May 3, 1883 – June ...

Li Fuchun Li Fuchun (; May 22, 1900 – January 9, 1975) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and politician. He served as a Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China. Biography Li Fuchun was born in Changsha, Hunan Province. After completing middl ...

, elected member of the Politburo Standing Committee in August, 1966 *

Peng Dehuai Peng Dehuai (; October 24, 1898November 29, 1974) was a prominent Chinese Communist military leader, who served as China's Defense Minister from 1954 to 1959. Peng was born into a poor peasant family, and received several years of primary edu ...

(fell from power in August, 1959) *

Liu Bocheng Liu Bocheng (; December 4, 1892 – October 7, 1986) was a Chinese military commander and Marshal of the People's Liberation Army. Liu is known as the 'half' of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in modern history. (The other th ...

He Long He Long (; March 22, 1896 – June 9, 1969) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and one of the ten marshals of the People's Liberation Army. He was from a poor rural family in Hunan, and his family was not able to provide him with any formal ...

(fell from power in September, 1967) *

Li Xiannian Li Xiannian (pronounced ; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992) was a Chinese Communist military and political leader, President of the People's Republic of China (''de jure'' head of state) from 1983 to 1988 under Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping and t ...

Alternate members (6)

Ulanhu Ulanhu or Ulanfu ( 23 December 1907 – 8 December 1988), born Yun Ze (), was the founding Chairman of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, serving from 1947 to 1966. An ethnic Tumed Mongol, he took the nom de guerre Ulanhu () and had n ...

(fell from power in August 1966) *

Zhang Wentian Zhang Wentian (; 30 August 1900 – 1 July 1976), also known as Luo Fu (), was a high-ranking leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Born in Nanhui, he attended the Hohai Civil Engineering School in Nanjing and spent a year at the Univ ...

(fell from power in August 1959) *

Lu Dingyi Lu Dingyi (; June 9, 1906 – May 9, 1996) was a leader of the Chinese Communist Party. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China and before the Cultural Revolution, he was credited as one of the top officials in socialist cult ...

(fell from power in May 1966) *

Chen Boda Chen Boda (; 29 July 1904 – 20 September 1989), was a Chinese Communist journalist, professor and political theorist who rose to power as the chief interpreter of Maoism (or "Mao Zedong Thought") in the first 20 years of the People's Republic ...

(until August 1966, when he became a full member and a member of the standing committee) *

Kang Sheng Kang Sheng (; 4 November 1898 – 16 December 1975) was a Chinese Communist politician best known for having overseen the CCP's internal security and intelligence apparatus during the early 1940s and again at the height of the Cultural Revolu ...

(until August 1966, when he became a full member and a member of the standing committee) *

Bo Yibo Bo Yibo (; 17 February 1908 – 15 January 2007) was a Chinese politician. He was one of the most senior political figures in China during the 1980s and 1990s. After joining the Chinese Communist Party when he was 17, he worked as a Communist ...

(fell from power in January 1967)

Member elected in May, 1958 (3)

at the 5th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee: *

Ke Qingshi Ke Qingshi ( Chinese: 柯庆施; October 10, 1902 – April 9, 1965) was a senior leader of the People's Republic of China and Chinese Communist Party in 1950s and 1960s. Born in She County, Anhui Province, Ke joined Chinese Socialist Youth ...

(died in April, 1965) *

Li Jingquan Li Jingquan (; November 1, 1909 – April 24, 1989) was a Chinese politician and the first Party Committee Secretary (governor) of Sichuan following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. He supported many of Mao Zedong's po ...

(fell from power in January, 1967) *

Tan Zhenlin Tan Zhenlin (; 24 April 1902 – 30 September 1983) was a political commissar in the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War, and a politician after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Tan Zhenlin was born in You C ...

(fell from power in August, 1967)

Members elected in August, 1966 (6)

at the 11th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee: *

Tao Zhu Tao Zhu (; 16 January 1908 – 30 November 1969) was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party . Biography Born in Qiyang, Hunan, Tao Zhu was Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and Commander of t ...

, elected at the same time member of the Politburo Standing Committee (fell from power in January, 1967) *

, elected at the same time member of the Politburo Standing Committee (previously alternate member) *

Xu Xiangqian Xu Xiangqian (November 8, 1901 – September 21, 1990) was a Chinese Communist military leader and one of the ten marshals of the People's Liberation Army. He was the son of a wealthy landowner, but joined the Kuomintang's National Revoluti ...

Nie Rongzhen Nie Rongzhen (; December 29, 1899 – May 14, 1992) was a prominent Chinese Communist military leader, and one of ten Marshals in the People's Liberation Army of China. He was the last surviving PLA officer with the rank of Marshal. Biograph ...

Ye Jianying Ye Jianying (; 28 April 1897 – 22 October 1986) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary leader and politician, one of the founding Ten Marshals of the People's Republic of China. He was the top military leader in the 1976 coup that overthre ...

Alternate members elected in August, 1966 (3)

at the 11th Plenary Session of the 8th Central Committee: *

Li Xuefeng Li Xuefeng (; 19 January 1907 – 15 March 2003) was a Chinese Communist politician. He occupied several prominent regional offices prior to the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. In 1960 he became the first political commissar of the Be ...

Xie Fuzhi Xie Fuzhi (; 26 September 1909 – 26 March 1972) was a Chinese Communist Party military commander, political commissar, and national security specialist. He was born in 1909 in Hong'an County, Hubei and died in Beijing in 1972. Xie was known ...

Song Renqiong Song Renqiong (; 11 July 1909 – 8 January 2005), born Song Yunqin (), was a general in the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and one of the Eight Elders of the Chinese Communist Party. Biography Song Renqiong w ...

(fell from power in August, 1967)

References

External links

*
Gazette of the 1st Session of the 8th CCP Central Committee
{{8th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party 1956 in China