Zhang Chengxian

Zhang Chengxian (Chinese: 张承先, January 5, 1915 - January 26, 2011), also known as Zhang Xiaotong (Chinese: 张孝统), a native of Gaoyuan County, Qingzhou, Shandong Province, is a Chinese politician. He served as Executive Vice Minister of Education of China, and former Deputy Director and Director of the Political Department of the State Science and Technology Commission.

Biography

Second Sino-Japanese War

In February 1936, Zhang Chengxian became a member of the Chinese National Liberation Vanguard and subsequently joined the Communist Youth League of China. In May 1936, he became a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and subsequent to 1937, upon enrolling at Tsinghua University, he held the position of secretary of the clandestine CCP section. Following the commencement of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, the CCP Special Committee of Northwestern Shandong Province endeavored to achieve collaboration with the Kuomintang Shandong Province Commissioner of the Sixth Special Office and Security Commander, Fan Chuxian [zh] and subsequently appointed an individual to serve as his secretary.^[1][2] Simultaneously, he was involved in the enhancement of military forces and the reestablishment of party organizations in Gaotang, Qingping, Xiajin, Pingyuan, Wucheng, Enxian, among others. In the spring of 1938, representing local party organizations, he collaborated with the Jinpu detachment of the Eighth Route Army to establish the Eighth Route Army Cadre School in the ancient city of Enxian [zh], where he assumed the role of headmaster. In June 1938, he established the Northwest Shandong Special Committee of the CCP, headquartered in Linqing, and assumed the role of secretary of the Special Committee. In the spring of 1939, upon the formation of the Party Committee of Lu Xi District, he was appointed as a member of the District Party Committee and the secretary of the CPC Weidong Local Committee.^[3] In September 1939, he was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and as Minister of the Publicity Department. In July 1941, the Party Committee of the Ruxi and Jiluyu Districts consolidated to establish the Party Committee of the Jiluyu District, and he was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department.^[4]

Second Nationalist-Communist Civil War

During the Chinese Civil War, Zhang Chengxian held the positions of secretary of the CPC Yuncheng District Committee, political commissar of the military sub-district, director of the research office of the Party Committee of the Jiluyu District, minister of the Department of the People's Liberation Movement, and minister of the Publicity Department.^[5]

People's Republic of China

After 1949, Zhang Chengxian served as a member of the Standing Committee of the CCP Pingyuan Provincial Committee [zh] and Minister of the Publicity Department,^[6] Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the North China Bureau and Deputy Director of the Literary and Educational Committee of the North China Administrative Committee,^[7] Deputy Secretary of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Registry and Director of the Hebei Provincial Scientific Work Committee, President of Hebei University, and Vice-Chairman of the Third Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of Hebei. He was persecuted in the Cultural Revolution.^[8][9]

Subsequent to 1977, he assumed membership in the Standing Committee of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, served as Deputy Director of the Hebei Provincial Reform Committee, Deputy Director of the National Science and Technology Commission, and Director of the Political Department, as well as Executive Vice Minister and Secretary of the Party Group of the Ministry of Education, and President of the Chinese Education Society, among other positions. Subsequent to 1988, he was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee of the Sixth and Seventh National People's Congresses, Deputy Director of the Committee of Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports, President of the Second and Third Chinese Education Society, and Vice-President of the Award Foundation for Primary and Secondary Teachers. Subsequent to 1988, he joined the Standing Committee of the 6th National People's Congress, served as vice director of the Education Science, Culture and Hygiene Committee, presided over the Second and Third Chinese Education Society, acted as vice chairman of the China Primary and Secondary School Teachers' Award Foundation, and held the title of honorary president at Qingdao University and Yantai University.^[10]

He died on January 26, 2011, in Beijing at the age of 96.^[11][12]

Zhang Chengxian served as a delegate to the 8th and 12th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, was elected as a member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) during the 3rd plenary session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and held the position of vice-chairman of the Science, Education, Culture and Health Committee of the National People's Congress.^[13]