Rao Shushi
Encyclopedia
Rao Shushi like his confederate Gao Gang
, was a senior leader of the Communist Party of China
(CPC), who once enjoyed great power and fame that then quickly evaporated, leaving behind many mysteries about his rise and fall.
, Rao was among the few senior leaders of early stage of CPC who received a higher education. He became educated at Shanghai University
in his early days and later joined the Chinese Youth, and turned into a CPC member in 1925. Around 1928 Rao worked in the northeast of Jiangxi
with central delegations of CPC. Then he was sent to Zhejiang
to mobilize youth, and once was Secretary of Communism Youth League for that province. When the 1920s revolution was oppressed by Kuomintang
, Rao went abroad for study in England
, France
and the Soviet Union
for approximately a year. He went back to China and worked in Manchuria
in 1929, being appointed as the Secretary of Communism Youth League, once as Acting General Secretary of CPC of Manchuria
, as the superior of Liu Shaoqi
, who was Propaganda Minister of CPC of Manchuria
. As Liu was so young and had been voted as Central Commissioner of CPC in the Sixth National Congress of CPC, he was the one who was most likely to get promoted as General Secretary of CPC of Manchuria
, and Liu actually attained the position before long, which brought great threat to Rao and sowed the seeds of resentment and jealousy for several decades.
Between 1930 and 1931, Rao was put in jail by Kuomintang
for more than a year. After that he was released in 1932 and transferred to Shanghai
to work on labor union, once as Propaganda Minister and Secretary General of Chinese State Labor Union, while his rival Liu became superior again as the Chairman of China State Labor Union.
In 1935 Rao was sent to study abroad in Soviet Union
again, and in 1936 to U.S. and France
to do alliance work with Chinese living oversea, in which he published several newspaper such as Herald, Motherland Defence Times to publicize CPC policies on alliance against Japanese.
army and lost most of its senior leaders, Rao had to work for Liu again, who was appointed as Commissar, and Rao as Acting Director of Political Department. Furthermore, the Central Committee of CPC decided to merge Southeast Bureau with Central Plain Burean into Central China Bureau, Liu as General Secretary, Rao as his deputy.
In 1942, Rao replaced Liu who was called back to Yan'an
as Acting General Secretary and Commissar of New 4th Army. In the Seventh National Congress of CPC in 1945, Rao was voted as Central Commissioner, which meant he had entered the central stage of political life of CPC, and in August of the same year, both of his acting position turned into regularity.
In 1946, Rao was one of the CPC delegates to work with delegates of Kuomintang
and U.S. on peace talks, with rank of Lieutenant General
, many of his counterparts who got rank of Colonel General
and General
after they defeated Kuomintang
in 1949 only got rank of Major General
at that time, which could indicated Rao's appeal and importance to Mao Zedong
. After the outbreak of Chinese civil war, Rao held the position of Commissar of Shandong
Field Army, East China
Field Army and East China
Military Area, which controlled troops more than 360,000. In 1948 Rao was appointed as General Secretary of East China Bureau of CPC. Although Chen Yi
as Commander was No1 in East China
but he only took in charge of the military, in contrast to Rao's having more influence on cadres apponitment and promotion, which built his power base in East China
.
in 1949, Rao held the position of Chairman of Military and Political Committee of East China
besides General Secretary of East China Bureau of CPC. And in the same year, Rao, Gao Gang
, Lin Biao
, Peng Dehuai
, Liu Bocheng
were appointed respectively as the Chairman of East China
, Northeast China
, South Central China, Northwestern China and Southwestern China government of PRC,who could be compared to the honorable governors of Roman Empire
with great power.
In 1953 Rao was transferred to Beijing and got promotion as Minister of Organization Department of CPC, which was in charge of senior cadres promotion and candidate recommendation.It was said that Gao Gang
who was transferred to Beijing
in 1953 too, competed with Liu Shaoqi
as heir to Mao Zedong
, exploiting Rao's hostilities to Liu and set up ally with Rao. Unfortunately, Gao and Rao obviously underestimated Mao's fear of being a puppet and Liu's influence in the CPC. Both of them were purged in 1954 and stripped the membership of CPC in 1955.
Gao Gang
expressed his resistance by way of suicide in 1954, Rao was put in jail
in humiliation in 1955. After ten years in jail, Rao suffered from schizophrenia
. Mao showed his clemency by releasing Rao and taking Rao custody in a farm until his death in 1975.
Gao Gang
Gao Gang was a Chinese Communist Party leader during the Chinese Civil War and the early years of the People's Republic of China , before becoming the victim of the first major purge within the CCP since before 1949...
, was a senior leader of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
(CPC), who once enjoyed great power and fame that then quickly evaporated, leaving behind many mysteries about his rise and fall.
Early years
As a native of Lingchuan(灵川）, JiangxiJiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, Rao was among the few senior leaders of early stage of CPC who received a higher education. He became educated at Shanghai University
Shanghai University
Shanghai University is a public, comprehensive university located in Shanghai, China. The university has the longest serving President; Chien Wei-zang since 1982 until he died in 2010. He was a well known scientist in China...
in his early days and later joined the Chinese Youth, and turned into a CPC member in 1925. Around 1928 Rao worked in the northeast of Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
with central delegations of CPC. Then he was sent to Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
to mobilize youth, and once was Secretary of Communism Youth League for that province. When the 1920s revolution was oppressed by Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, Rao went abroad for study in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
for approximately a year. He went back to China and worked in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
in 1929, being appointed as the Secretary of Communism Youth League, once as Acting General Secretary of CPC of Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, as the superior of Liu Shaoqi
Liu Shaoqi
Liu Shaoqi was a Chinese revolutionary, statesman, and theorist. He was Chairman of the People's Republic of China, China's head of state, from 27 April 1959 to 31 October 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China...
, who was Propaganda Minister of CPC of Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. As Liu was so young and had been voted as Central Commissioner of CPC in the Sixth National Congress of CPC, he was the one who was most likely to get promoted as General Secretary of CPC of Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, and Liu actually attained the position before long, which brought great threat to Rao and sowed the seeds of resentment and jealousy for several decades.
Between 1930 and 1931, Rao was put in jail by Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
for more than a year. After that he was released in 1932 and transferred to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to work on labor union, once as Propaganda Minister and Secretary General of Chinese State Labor Union, while his rival Liu became superior again as the Chairman of China State Labor Union.
In 1935 Rao was sent to study abroad in Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
again, and in 1936 to U.S. and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to do alliance work with Chinese living oversea, in which he published several newspaper such as Herald, Motherland Defence Times to publicize CPC policies on alliance against Japanese.
Return to China
In 1939 Rao returned to China and worked in the New 4th Army, acting as Deputy General Secretary of Southeast Bureau of CPC. In 1941 when New 4th Army was attacked by KuomintangKuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
army and lost most of its senior leaders, Rao had to work for Liu again, who was appointed as Commissar, and Rao as Acting Director of Political Department. Furthermore, the Central Committee of CPC decided to merge Southeast Bureau with Central Plain Burean into Central China Bureau, Liu as General Secretary, Rao as his deputy.
In 1942, Rao replaced Liu who was called back to Yan'an
Yan'an
Yan'an , is a prefecture-level city in the Shanbei region of Shaanxi province in China, administering several counties, including Zhidan County , which served as the Chinese communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role....
as Acting General Secretary and Commissar of New 4th Army. In the Seventh National Congress of CPC in 1945, Rao was voted as Central Commissioner, which meant he had entered the central stage of political life of CPC, and in August of the same year, both of his acting position turned into regularity.
In 1946, Rao was one of the CPC delegates to work with delegates of Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
and U.S. on peace talks, with rank of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
, many of his counterparts who got rank of Colonel General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
and General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
after they defeated Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
in 1949 only got rank of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
at that time, which could indicated Rao's appeal and importance to Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. After the outbreak of Chinese civil war, Rao held the position of Commissar of Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
Field Army, East China
East China
East China is a geographical and a loosely-defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China.Although an intangible and loosely defined concept, for administrative and governmental purposes, the region is defined by the government of the People's Republic of China to include...
Field Army and East China
East China
East China is a geographical and a loosely-defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China.Although an intangible and loosely defined concept, for administrative and governmental purposes, the region is defined by the government of the People's Republic of China to include...
Military Area, which controlled troops more than 360,000. In 1948 Rao was appointed as General Secretary of East China Bureau of CPC. Although Chen Yi
Chen Yi (communist)
Chen Yi was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.-Biography:Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family....
as Commander was No1 in East China
East China
East China is a geographical and a loosely-defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China.Although an intangible and loosely defined concept, for administrative and governmental purposes, the region is defined by the government of the People's Republic of China to include...
but he only took in charge of the military, in contrast to Rao's having more influence on cadres apponitment and promotion, which built his power base in East China
East China
East China is a geographical and a loosely-defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China.Although an intangible and loosely defined concept, for administrative and governmental purposes, the region is defined by the government of the People's Republic of China to include...
.
Post People's Republic of China Establishment
After the establishment of People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in 1949, Rao held the position of Chairman of Military and Political Committee of East China
East China
East China is a geographical and a loosely-defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China.Although an intangible and loosely defined concept, for administrative and governmental purposes, the region is defined by the government of the People's Republic of China to include...
besides General Secretary of East China Bureau of CPC. And in the same year, Rao, Gao Gang
Gao Gang
Gao Gang was a Chinese Communist Party leader during the Chinese Civil War and the early years of the People's Republic of China , before becoming the victim of the first major purge within the CCP since before 1949...
, Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
, Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai
Peng Dehuai was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and China's Defence Minister from 1954 to 1959. Peng was an important commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese civil war and was also the commander-in-chief of People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War...
, Liu Bocheng
Liu Bocheng
Liu Bocheng was a Chinese Communist military commander and Marshal of the People's Liberation Army.Liu is known as one of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in modern history...
were appointed respectively as the Chairman of East China
East China
East China is a geographical and a loosely-defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China.Although an intangible and loosely defined concept, for administrative and governmental purposes, the region is defined by the government of the People's Republic of China to include...
, Northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
, South Central China, Northwestern China and Southwestern China government of PRC,who could be compared to the honorable governors of Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
with great power.
In 1953 Rao was transferred to Beijing and got promotion as Minister of Organization Department of CPC, which was in charge of senior cadres promotion and candidate recommendation.It was said that Gao Gang
Gao Gang
Gao Gang was a Chinese Communist Party leader during the Chinese Civil War and the early years of the People's Republic of China , before becoming the victim of the first major purge within the CCP since before 1949...
who was transferred to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in 1953 too, competed with Liu Shaoqi
Liu Shaoqi
Liu Shaoqi was a Chinese revolutionary, statesman, and theorist. He was Chairman of the People's Republic of China, China's head of state, from 27 April 1959 to 31 October 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China...
as heir to Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, exploiting Rao's hostilities to Liu and set up ally with Rao. Unfortunately, Gao and Rao obviously underestimated Mao's fear of being a puppet and Liu's influence in the CPC. Both of them were purged in 1954 and stripped the membership of CPC in 1955.
Gao Gang
Gao Gang
Gao Gang was a Chinese Communist Party leader during the Chinese Civil War and the early years of the People's Republic of China , before becoming the victim of the first major purge within the CCP since before 1949...
expressed his resistance by way of suicide in 1954, Rao was put in jail
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in humiliation in 1955. After ten years in jail, Rao suffered from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. Mao showed his clemency by releasing Rao and taking Rao custody in a farm until his death in 1975.