Zhang Tianxin (; born July 1955) is a former Chinese politician, and

Communist Party Secretary A Party Committee Secretary () is the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization in a province, city, village, or other administrative unit. In most cases, it is the ''de facto'' highest political office of its area of jurisdictio ...

of Kunming, the provincial capital of

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

Province, between 2011 and 2014. He was dismissed from his position in July 2014, after he came under investigation for violating "party discipline", and subsequently expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.

Early life and education

Zhang was born and raised in Jiangchuan County,

. Zhang began teaching middle school in his home county at age 19, during the latter years of 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 ...

. After three years on the job, Zhang took part in the ''

Gaokao The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the gaokao (), is a standardized college entrance exam held annually in mainland China. It is required for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the und ...

'' exams and received a placement at Kunming Teacher's College (now

Yunnan Normal University Yunnan Normal University (; YNNU) is in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province. Yunnan Normal University (YNNU) is a key university of Yunnan province, with a long history and a great tradition. It is a higher institution co-funded by the ...

Career

Zhang got involved in politics in May 1978, first taking a job as an ordinary office worker at the Prefecture government of

Yuxi Yuxi () is a prefecture-level city in the central part of Yunnan province of the People's Republic of China. The administrative center of Yuxi is Hongta District. Yuxi is approximately south of Kunming. Geography Yuxi is located in the center ...

, where he began rising through the ranks. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in June 1984. In 1989, Zhang was named the deputy party chief of Yimen County. In June 1998, Zhang was appointed the deputy party chief of

, he remained in that position until October 1999, when he was transferred to

Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southeastern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China and the easternmost prefecture-level division of the province. It borders Baise, Guangxi to the east, Vietnam ...

as the Party Secretary, occupying a regional top office for the first time. In November 2006, Zhang was promoted to become the head of the provincial Propaganda Department. In December 2011, Zhang was named the

of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province. In Kunming, Zhang was largely known for his extensive street renovation projects, which he said was part of a strategy to make Kunming more attractive to tourists. One of his 'pet projects' was the city's Beijing Road renovation project. In 2013, rumours began circulating in the city's political circles about Zhang possibly facing an investigation. In July 2014, Zhang was removed from office for "serious disciplinary violations". On July 16, 2014, Zhang was expelled from 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 Civil ...

after the party investigation concluded that Zhang had "wasted government funds" and that he had "abused his power for personal gain." He was demoted to the sub-division level non-leading civil service position (''fuchuji''). The investigation did not conclude that his actions broke the law, merely that they were "severe violations of party discipline", therefore he was not further prosecuted. Zhang's former superior, former Yunnan provincial party chief

Bai Enpei Bai Enpei (; born 8 September 1946) is a former Chinese politician convicted of corruption. Bai served as the Chinese Communist Party Deputy Committee Secretary of Inner Mongolia between 1993 and 1997, Governor and later Party Secretary of Qingha ...

, was also placed under investigation in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Tianxin 1955 births Chinese Communist Party politicians from Yunnan People's Republic of China politicians from Yunnan Living people Expelled members of the Chinese Communist Party