Li Xiannian

Li Xiannian joined the Communist Party in December 1927 and became a Red Army soldier, studying at the Military-Political University before distinguishing himself as a commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Civil War's Huaihai campaign. After 1949 he governed Hubei Province, then moved to Beijing as Minister of Finance from 1954 to 1970 and Vice Premier through 1982, backing Mao's successor Hua Guofeng and earning Vice Chairmanship of the Party from 1977 to 1982. A full Politburo member from 1956 and Standing Committee member from 1977, he served as president from 1983 to 1988 under Deng Xiaoping, then chaired the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference until his death in 1992. Among the Eight Elders he stood as the most conservative, blocking marketization to maintain state control, patronizing orthodox theorists like Hu Qiaomu and Deng Liqun, orchestrating the purges of liberals Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang, and advocating enthusiastically for troops at Tiananmen.