Yao Yilin
Encyclopedia
Yao Yilin (6 September 1917 - 1 December 1994) was a deputy Vice Premier
of the People's Republic of China
from 1983 to 1988, and the country's First Vice Premier from 1988 to 1993. He was born in Hong Kong
in 1917, and spent his early years in Guichi
, Chizhou
, Anhui
. Yao joined the Communist Party of China
in 1935. During the December 9th Movement
, Yao was the secretary of the Beijing
city Party study group. During the Second Sino-Japanese War
, he became the vice-director of the Finance Office of the Communist-controlled area. This began a long period of leadership in financial positions. In 1979, Yao became the Vice-Premier of the State Council
. At the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1987, Yao was elected to the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
and later rose to the position of First Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China.
Yao Yilin died after an illness on December 11, 1994. He was 77 years old.
.
, Yao Yilin held the position of Deputy Vice Premier of the Communist Party of China
and was responsible for economic planning and management. Yao was associated with the conservative side of the party which denied that the students were patriotic and advocated a quick suppression to the movement. Yao Yilin and Li Peng
were both able to effectively oppose Zhao Ziyang
in order to ensure that conservative influence would dominate the decisions made in the CPC.
published in the People's Daily
angered the students and greatly contributed to the growing numbers in the square. The official report of the Communist Party of China stated that the movement was not patriotic and the students were being led by a small group of anti-communist conspirators to cause “turmoil”. Deng Xiaoping
's own opinions were placed in the editorial to help support it and ensure that the people of China would obediently accept the party's view of the protests. However, two opposing sides emerged in the party: one supported keeping the editorial the same, the other wanted to change the editorial to appease the students. Yao rejected Zhao's offer to take the blame for changing the party's opinion of the movement because the people would begin to doubt the cohesiveness of the party. Yao proposed less conciliatory action with the students. Instead he wanted to further prevent other political leaders from supporting the protests, force students to end class boycotts, and maintain labor discipline in industry and commerce to keep production on track. Yao Yilin and Li Peng
were the leaders of the conservative faction and gained support by siding with Deng Xiaoping's view of the protests. Deng Xiaoping held a considerable amount of honour and prestige in China because of his long term involvement with the Communist Party and his close ties with China's previous iconic leader, Mao Zedong
. Yao slowly pulled support away from Zhao Ziyang's reformist faction by making his supporters believe that Zhao sided too much with the students over the clarification of the editorial. Yao Yilin attacked Zhao because he blamed the party for allowing corruption to go unchecked and making democracy and law worse in China. Zhao found himself in a difficult situation when Yao and other conservatives worked together and opposed the decisions he made with other reformers such as Chen Yizi and Bao Tong
.
how Li Peng and Yao Yilin favoured martial law because it would allow the hardliners to hold the power they had in the country.
Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China is a high-ranking executive assistant to the Premier. There is a First-ranking Vice Premier , sometimes called Executive Vice Premier wrongly by the non-official media. It is an informal title and takes over duties of the...
of the People's Republic of China
People'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...
from 1983 to 1988, and the country's First Vice Premier from 1988 to 1993. He was born in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 1917, and spent his early years in Guichi
Guichi District
Guichi District is a district of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China under the jurisdiction of Chizhou City and the seat of the city government...
, Chizhou
Chizhou
Chizhou is a prefecture-level city in Anhui province, People's Republic of China. It borders Anqing to the northwest, Tongling and Wuhu to the northeast, Xuancheng to the east, Huangshan to the southeast, and the province of Jiangxi to the southwest....
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
. Yao joined 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...
in 1935. During the December 9th Movement
December 9th Movement
The December 9th Movement refers to a mass protest led by students in Beiping on December 9, 1935 that demands the Kuomintang government to actively resist potential Japanese aggression.-Background:...
, Yao was the secretary of the 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...
city Party study group. During the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, he became the vice-director of the Finance Office of the Communist-controlled area. This began a long period of leadership in financial positions. In 1979, Yao became the Vice-Premier of the State Council
State Council of the People's Republic of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China , which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency...
. At the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 1987, Yao was elected to the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China, whose membership varies between 5 and 9 people. The inner workings of the PSC are not well known, although it is believed that decisions of the PSC are...
and later rose to the position of First Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China.
Yao Yilin died after an illness on December 11, 1994. He was 77 years old.
Family
Yao and his wife Hong Shouzi had three children, including daughters Yao Mingshan and Yao Mingduan and son Yao Qing. Yao Mingshan's husband is current Vice Premier and member of the Politburo Wang QishanWang Qishan
Wang Qishan is a politician in the People's Republic of China who currently serves as the Vice-Premier in charge of economic, energy and financial affairs under premier Wen Jiabao. Previously Wang served in regional positions in Hainan and Beijing...
.
Role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests
During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
, Yao Yilin held the position of Deputy Vice Premier 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...
and was responsible for economic planning and management. Yao was associated with the conservative side of the party which denied that the students were patriotic and advocated a quick suppression to the movement. Yao Yilin and Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and 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 ...
were both able to effectively oppose Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang was a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China . He was the third Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1987 to 1989....
in order to ensure that conservative influence would dominate the decisions made in the CPC.
Involvement with April 26th Editorial
The April 26th editorialPeople's Daily editorial of April 26
On the morning of April 25, 1989, members of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo met at the home of Deng Xiaoping to discuss the recent student response to the death of former General Secretary Hu Yaobang. The words exchanged at this meeting were then used to construct the People’s Daily ...
published in the People's Daily
People's Daily
The People's Daily is a daily newspaper in the People's Republic of China. The paper is an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. In addition to its main Chinese-language edition, it has editions in English,...
angered the students and greatly contributed to the growing numbers in the square. The official report of the Communist Party of China stated that the movement was not patriotic and the students were being led by a small group of anti-communist conspirators to cause “turmoil”. Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
's own opinions were placed in the editorial to help support it and ensure that the people of China would obediently accept the party's view of the protests. However, two opposing sides emerged in the party: one supported keeping the editorial the same, the other wanted to change the editorial to appease the students. Yao rejected Zhao's offer to take the blame for changing the party's opinion of the movement because the people would begin to doubt the cohesiveness of the party. Yao proposed less conciliatory action with the students. Instead he wanted to further prevent other political leaders from supporting the protests, force students to end class boycotts, and maintain labor discipline in industry and commerce to keep production on track. Yao Yilin and Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and 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 ...
were the leaders of the conservative faction and gained support by siding with Deng Xiaoping's view of the protests. Deng Xiaoping held a considerable amount of honour and prestige in China because of his long term involvement with the Communist Party and his close ties with China's previous iconic leader, 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...
. Yao slowly pulled support away from Zhao Ziyang's reformist faction by making his supporters believe that Zhao sided too much with the students over the clarification of the editorial. Yao Yilin attacked Zhao because he blamed the party for allowing corruption to go unchecked and making democracy and law worse in China. Zhao found himself in a difficult situation when Yao and other conservatives worked together and opposed the decisions he made with other reformers such as Chen Yizi and Bao Tong
Bao Tong
Bao Tong was former Director of the Office of Political Reform of the CPC Central Committee and the Policy Secretary of Zhao Ziyang, Premier of the State Council, from 1980 to 1985. He was also Director of the Drafting Committee for the CCP 13th Party Congresses, known for its strong support for...
.
Justification for Martial Law
Yao Yilin and Li Peng are the two figures most associated with the initiation of martial law on June 4th. The need for martial law came from the fear that the continuing stream of students entering the square were secretly coerced by anti-communist powers. Party leaders were afraid that these powers were continuing to fill Tiananmen Square with students and protesters that would only function to obstruct the CPC from governing the Chinese people. Martial law was seen by the conservative faction as the only method that could bring about a crackdown with enough force to prevent future protesters from attempting to reach the square. According to Tony Saich, Yao was such a strong supporter of martial law because he saw it as a last resort option to end the protests and return proper functioning to Beijing. In a discussion with other party leaders, Yao Yilin was quoted saying “The nature of this student movement has changed. It began as a natural expression of grief and has turned into social turmoil.” He advocated that all unofficially recognized student organizations should be considered illegal because he feared they would spread the turmoil outside Beijing and throughout the rest of the country. Yao was also the only member of the Standing Committee to refuse dialogue with the students because he believed that a small group of conspirators were behind these student organizations and dialogue with them would only strengthen their ability to overthrow the CPC. Chow Chung-Yan discusses in his article published in the South China Morning PostSouth China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....
how Li Peng and Yao Yilin favoured martial law because it would allow the hardliners to hold the power they had in the country.