Sha Wen-han

1907

China

It is likely that he was active in the New Fourth Array, the main Communist force in east China from 1937 until it was redesignated as the East China PLA in 1948. In any event, when the central government was established in Peking at the first session of the CPPCC in September 1949, Sha attended as a representative of the East China Liberated Areas, areas that had formerly been the territory of the New Fourth Army. (He was identified at that time as having the pseudonym of Chang Teng.) Earlier in 1949 Sha had taken part in the occupation of Ningpo in Chekiang after it fell in May 1949 to the forces in east China under the over-all command of Ch'en I, Sha served in 1949 as a vice-chairman of the Ningpo Military Control Commission. Until his purge in 1957, Sha, who was apparently considered a specialist in propaganda and education, was one of the more important officials in Chekiang, serving under such prominent leaders as T'an Chen-lin (later a Politburo member), T’an Ch i-lung and Chiang Hua. In 1949-50 he served as head of the provincial Education Department, he was a vice-governor from 1951 to 1952 and from 1951 to an uncertain date he was chairman of the provincial People’s Supervision Committee the government organ with wide inspection and discipline responsibilities. These positions within the Chekiang government were climaxed in January 1955 when he replaced T’an Ch’i-lung (who had been transferred to Shantung) as the Chekiang governor. Aside from these government positions, Sha held a number of posts under the Chekiang Party Committee. In the 1950-51 period he headed the Party Propaganda Department and in 1951 he served concurrently as director of the United Front Work Department. And at the time of his purge in late 1957 he was serving as a member of the Party’s Standing Committee. At the regional level, Sha was a member of the Culture and Education Committee of the East China Military and Administrative Committee (ECMAC) from 1950 (and after the ECMAC was changed to the East China Administrative Committee in 1953, he continued in the post until 1954). Still another position he held within the educational field was the presidency of Chekiang University, one of China's best schools from 1952 to about 1957. He was also a deputy from Chekiang to the First NPC, which met initially in September 1954, however, owing to his purge he was removed as a deputy before the end of the First NPCin 1959.

Sha Wen-han

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politician

Background

Nothing is known about his background.

Education

He was educated locally.

Career

It is likely that he was active in the New Fourth Array, the main Communist force in east China from 1937 until it was redesignated as the East China PLA in 1948. In any event, when the central government was established in Peking at the first session of the CPPCC in September 1949, Sha attended as a representative of the East China Liberated Areas, areas that had formerly been the territory of the New Fourth Army. (He was identified at that time as having the pseudonym of Chang Teng.) Earlier in 1949 Sha had taken part in the occupation of Ningpo in Chekiang after it fell in May 1949 to the forces in east China under the over-all command of Ch'en I, Sha served in 1949 as a vice-chairman of the Ningpo Military Control Commission.

Until his purge in 1957, Sha, who was apparently considered a specialist in propaganda and education, was one of the more important officials in Chekiang, serving under such prominent leaders as T'an Chen-lin (later a Politburo member), T’an Ch i-lung and Chiang Hua. In 1949-50 he served as head of the provincial Education Department, he was a vice-governor from 1951 to 1952 and from 1951 to an uncertain date he was chairman of the provincial People’s Supervision Committee the government organ with wide inspection and discipline responsibilities. These positions within the Chekiang government were climaxed in January 1955 when he replaced T’an Ch’i-lung (who had been transferred to Shantung) as the Chekiang governor. Aside from these government positions, Sha held a number of posts under the Chekiang Party Committee. In the 1950-51 period he headed the Party Propaganda Department and in 1951 he served concurrently as director of the United Front Work Department. And at the time of his purge in late 1957 he was serving as a member of the Party’s Standing Committee.

At the regional level, Sha was a member of the Culture and Education Committee of the East China Military and Administrative Committee (ECMAC) from 1950 (and after the ECMAC was changed to the East China Administrative Committee in 1953, he continued in the post until 1954). Still another position he held within the educational field was the presidency of Chekiang University, one of China's best schools from 1952 to about 1957. He was also a deputy from Chekiang to the First NPC, which met initially in September 1954, however, owing to his purge he was removed as a deputy before the end of the First NPCin 1959.

Politics

In the mid-1950’s Sha’s career had all the suggestions of a man on the rise within the Communist hierarchy. As governor of Chekiang he was constantly in the news in these years giving reports before the sessions of the Chekiang government, welcoming foreign visitors to Hangchow, and attending the numerous conferences convened by the government for a variety of purposes. Interestingly, news about him appeared regularly up to the time of his purge in December 1957. Then, however, he was suddenly attacked in press with a series of devastating articles detailing his alleged offenses. He was accused of leading a corrupt and immoral life, engaging in criminal activities, advocating a provincial and sectarian viewpoint, and a series of lesser charges. But probably most important was the charge that he had been guilty of “anti-Party” activities, one of the most serious charges in the Communist lexicon. It was also noted at this time that he had been warned of his errant ways as early as the fall of 1956. One more nail was driven into the coffin of Sha’s political career at the Second Session of the Eighth Party Congress in May 1957.

In the resolution of the session reviewing the campaign against the “rightists,” Sha’s name headed the list of those accused. Once again, semantics seemed to suggest the seriousness of the offense: one list of names referred to the accused by the title “comrade,” but the others (including Sha) were cited by name alone. (Some of the “comrades” were later reinstated to rather high political posts, e.g., P'an Fu- sheng) Yet, 10 months after the charges against Sha, he was named (October 1958) as a member of the Second Chekiang Committee of the CPPCC. This large committee (totaling 292 members) is of little significance and nothing further has been heard of him since. One of the characteristics of the CCP since the Long March in the mid-1930's has been that total purges are few and far between. A large number, such as Sha, have been stripped of important positions and authority, but many of them are later given posts of trivial significance.

Connections

In private life Sha is married to Ch'en Hsiu-liang, who was elected a member of the Second Executive Committee of the All-China Federation of Democratic Women in April 1953. In retrospect, it is interesting that she was not re-elected to the Third Committee, formed in September 1957, just three months prior to the formal charges made against her husband.

Spouse:: Ch'en Hsiu-liang

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Sha Wen-han

Background

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Career

1949

1949 - 1950

1951

1957