T'an Ch'i-lung

politician first secretary alternate member

1911

China

T’an’s wartime career is obscure, but at some time in 1944 his San-pei Guerrillas were organized into the East Chekiang Column, a part of the Communist New Fourth Army of east-central China, with T'an remaining as the political commissar. By about September 1945 his column was moved from east Chekiang into Shantung, and in 1945 (but not necessarily connected with this move) T'an was identified as political commissar of the Eighth Division of the New Fourth Army, a division about which very little is known. (The Eighth Division is probably the same as the East Chekiang Column.) In addition, from 1945 to 1946 he was commanding officer of the East Kiangsu Military District, possibly the area over which the Eighth Division had control. T'an may have been transferred here from Shantung, or he may have been separated from his original guerrilla unit before it moved into Shantung in the fall of 1945. From 1947 to 1948 T’an was secretary of the “South Chekiang Special Area Committee” of the CCP, a committee subordinate to the Kiang- nan’’(“southoftheriver”)CCP Bureau. Kiang- nan was the area held by the Sixth Division of the New Fourth Army, the division under the command of T’an Chcn-lin, and was located in the delta plain of southern Kiangsu and northern Chekiang. Although specific evidence linking Tan Chen-lin and T’an Ch’i-lung at this time is lacking, they were closely associated in the early 1950-8, a fact that may have added to T’an Ch’i-lung’s rise in Party ranks, possibly as a protege of Tan Chen-lin, a Politburo member since 1958. In about 1948 or 1949, T’an was apparently transferred to Chang Ai-p’ing’s Seventh Group Army, which had been operating in the Chekiang area from 1944. Tan was the political commissar of this group army, which was a part of the East China Liberation Army (later the Third Field Army), the force that conquered the east coast provinces of China. In April 1949, when Hangchow fell to the Communists, Tan was a member of the Third Field Army forces that occupied the city. In charge of these occupying forces was Tan Chen-lin, the man with whom T’an Ch’i-lung was to work so closely for the next few years. In 1949 T'an was vice-chairman of the Hangchow Military Control Commission, serving under Tan Chen-lin, political commissar of the Hangchow Garrison Headquarters and secretary of the Chekiang Provincial Committee of the national New Democratic Youth League. He also served as deputy political commissar of the Chekiang Military District from the spring of 1949 until about August 1952, when he succeeded T'an Chen-lin as political commissar, holding the post until 1954. From 1950 to 1954 he was a member of T'an Chen-lin's Land Reform Committee under the ECMAC-ECAC. More important, however, were the Party and government positions he held first in Chekiang and later in Shantung. From the spring of 1949 until late 1952 or early 1953, he was a deputy secretary of the Chekiang CCP Committee, holding the post until he succeeded to the ranking secretaryship, which he took over from Tan Chen-lin. Similarly, he served under T’an from February 1951 to November 1952 as a vicegovernor of Chekiang, succeeding him as governor in November 1952. In 1952 T'an Chen-lin was transferred from Chekiang to Kiangsu, thus ending the close association between the two men. From 1952 to 1954 T’an Ch’i-lung was the principal Party official in Chekiang, and then in about December 1954 he was transferred to Shantung. In Shantung T’an was given a succession of increasingly important assignments. From January 1955 to May 1961 he was known both as the second secretary and simply as secretary, but in fact both positions amounted to the number two post on the Shantung CCP Committee. During these six years he served under Shu Tung and Tseng Hsi-sheng, the successive first secretaries during this period. Finally, in May 1961, he succeeded Tseng as the Shantung first secretary. In 1958 the accelerated pace of the Great Leap was widely resisted in Shantung, with dissension reaching into the top ranks of the Party Committee. Governor Chao Chien-min was among those opposing the Leap, advancing the argument that Shantung lacked the agricultural resources to sustain the tremendously accelerated pace in production. At a Shantung Provincial Peopled Congress in October-Novem- ber 1958, T’an devoted a long section of his report to a denunciation of Governor Chao's “errors.” As a consequence, Chao was purged from the governorship on charges of being a “rightist,” and T’an succeeded him as governor. In addition to his positions on the Shantung Party Committee, T’an was elected chairman of the First Shantung CPPCC in January 1955 and re-elected to the Second provincial CPPCC in May 1959, a post he continues to hold. In September 1956, at the Party Eighth National Congress, he was elected an alternate member of the Central Committee. He submitted a written speech to the Congress endorsing Party policy and stressing the importance of developing agricultural production in Shantung.

T'an Ch'i-lung

Edit Profile

politician first secretary alternate member

Background

Nothing is known about his background.

Education

He was educated locally.

Career

T’an’s wartime career is obscure, but at some time in 1944 his San-pei Guerrillas were organized into the East Chekiang Column, a part of the Communist New Fourth Army of east-central China, with T'an remaining as the political commissar. By about September 1945 his column was moved from east Chekiang into Shantung, and in 1945 (but not necessarily connected with this move) T'an was identified as political commissar of the Eighth Division of the New Fourth Army, a division about which very little is known. (The Eighth Division is probably the same as the East Chekiang Column.) In addition, from 1945 to 1946 he was commanding officer of the East Kiangsu Military District, possibly the area over which the Eighth Division had control. T'an may have been transferred here from Shantung, or he may have been separated from his original guerrilla unit before it moved into Shantung in the fall of 1945.

From 1947 to 1948 T’an was secretary of the “South Chekiang Special Area Committee” of the CCP, a committee subordinate to the Kiang- nan’’(“southoftheriver”)CCP Bureau. Kiang- nan was the area held by the Sixth Division of the New Fourth Army, the division under the command of T’an Chcn-lin, and was located in the delta plain of southern Kiangsu and northern Chekiang. Although specific evidence linking Tan Chen-lin and T’an Ch’i-lung at this time is lacking, they were closely associated in the early 1950-8, a fact that may have added to T’an Ch’i-lung’s rise in Party ranks, possibly as a protege of Tan Chen-lin, a Politburo member since 1958.

In about 1948 or 1949, T’an was apparently transferred to Chang Ai-p’ing’s Seventh Group Army, which had been operating in the Chekiang area from 1944. Tan was the political commissar of this group army, which was a part of the East China Liberation Army (later the Third Field Army), the force that conquered the east coast provinces of China. In April 1949, when Hangchow fell to the Communists, Tan was a member of the Third Field Army forces that occupied the city. In charge of these occupying forces was Tan Chen-lin, the man with whom T’an Ch’i-lung was to work so closely for the next few years.

In 1949 T'an was vice-chairman of the Hangchow Military Control Commission, serving under Tan Chen-lin, political commissar of the Hangchow Garrison Headquarters and secretary of the Chekiang Provincial Committee of the national New Democratic Youth League. He also served as deputy political commissar of the Chekiang Military District from the spring of 1949 until about August 1952, when he succeeded T'an Chen-lin as political commissar, holding the post until 1954. From 1950 to 1954 he was a member of T'an Chen-lin's Land Reform Committee under the ECMAC-ECAC. More important, however, were the Party and government positions he held first in Chekiang and later in Shantung. From the spring of 1949 until late 1952 or early 1953, he was a deputy secretary of the Chekiang CCP Committee, holding the post until he succeeded to the ranking secretaryship, which he took over from Tan Chen-lin. Similarly, he served under T’an from February 1951 to November 1952 as a vicegovernor of Chekiang, succeeding him as governor in November 1952. In 1952 T'an Chen-lin was transferred from Chekiang to Kiangsu, thus ending the close association between the two men. From 1952 to 1954 T’an Ch’i-lung was the principal Party official in Chekiang, and then in about December 1954 he was transferred to Shantung.

In Shantung T’an was given a succession of increasingly important assignments. From January 1955 to May 1961 he was known both as the second secretary and simply as secretary, but in fact both positions amounted to the number two post on the Shantung CCP Committee. During these six years he served under Shu Tung and Tseng Hsi-sheng, the successive first secretaries during this period. Finally, in May 1961, he succeeded Tseng as the Shantung first secretary.

In 1958 the accelerated pace of the Great Leap was widely resisted in Shantung, with dissension reaching into the top ranks of the Party Committee. Governor Chao Chien-min was among those opposing the Leap, advancing the argument that Shantung lacked the agricultural resources to sustain the tremendously accelerated pace in production. At a Shantung Provincial Peopled Congress in October-Novem- ber 1958, T’an devoted a long section of his report to a denunciation of Governor Chao's “errors.” As a consequence, Chao was purged from the governorship on charges of being a “rightist,” and T’an succeeded him as governor.

In addition to his positions on the Shantung Party Committee, T’an was elected chairman of the First Shantung CPPCC in January 1955 and re-elected to the Second provincial CPPCC in May 1959, a post he continues to hold. In September 1956, at the Party Eighth National Congress, he was elected an alternate member of the Central Committee. He submitted a written speech to the Congress endorsing Party policy and stressing the importance of developing agricultural production in Shantung.

Politics

By 1949 the Third Field Army gained control of the coastal provinces. To govern this area the Communists established in January 1950 a regional government known as the East China Military and Administrative Committee (EC- MAC), called the East China Administrative Committee (ECAC) after December 1952. In the early years of the PRC, T’an Ch’i-lung worked principally in Chekiang, but he also served in a minor capacity on the regional ECMAC-ECAC. Some idea of his rather rapid rise can be gathered from a brief resume of his principal posts in the years from 1949 to 1954 when the constitutional government came into being and all regional administrations were abolished.

Membership

Politburo member K’ang Sheng was the principal Party official in Shantung from 1949 to 1954, when he was assigned to more important responsibilities in Peking. Tan was transferred to Shantung in about December 1954, serving briefly as acting governor. The new governor, Chao Chien-min, was appointed in March 1955 at which time T’an was made a member of the Shantung Provincial People’s Government, a post he held until November 1958.

Main Photo

School period

College/University

Career

Achievements

Membership

Awards

Other Photos

Connections

Connections

T'an Ch'i-lung

Background

Education

Career

Politics

Membership

Born

Nationality

Ethnicity

Political Party

Career

1952

1945

1947 - 1948

1948 - 1949

1961