Hu Jintao is a former leader of the Chinese Communist Party. He is widely regarded as the world’s second most powerful person by the media. From 2002 to 2012, he held the positions of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, and President of the People’s Republic of China from 2003 to 2013. He assumed the presidency at a time when China was confronted with enormous internal social, political, and environmental problems. There was a significant economic divide between the country’s citizens, which created dissatisfaction and anger in their minds. Additionally, corruption was widespread and permeated all sectors, including the civil, military, educational, judicial, and medical systems. With his tenacity and futuristic vision, Jntao worked tirelessly to introduce newer reforms and increased control in order to transform the country into a major world power. He promoted sustained economic growth and development and worked to close the socioeconomic divide and achieve equality. He also founded several programs, including the ‘8 Honours and 8 Sins’ movement, which aimed to instill in people a selfless and moral outlook. Continue reading to learn more about his life and contributions.
Childhood & Adolescence
Hun Jintao was born in Taizhou, Jiangsu, to a poor and impoverished family. He was raised by an aunt after his mother died when he was seven. His father, a tea merchant, was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, an incident that had a profound effect on Hu.
Academically, he excelled in both academics and extracurricular activities. He attended Tsinghua University to study hydraulic engineering after completing his primary education.
He was elected chairman of the Tsinghue Student Union and joined the Communist Party of China while a student. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the university in 1965.
Career of Hu
He worked for Gansu and was involved in the construction of the Liujiaxia Hydroelectric Station. Meanwhile, he oversaw party affairs under the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power’s branch.
He worked as an engineer for Sinohydro Engineering Bureau from 1969 to 1974. By 1974, he had been promoted to the position of Vice Senior Chief.
In 1980, he was identified as a young, knowledgeable, specialized, and revolutionary communist leader by Song Ping, the first secretary of the CPC Gansu Committee. He was mentored by Song Ping, who introduced him to CCP General Secretary Hu Yaobang.
He quickly rose through the ranks and was appointed Communist Youth League Gansu Branch Secretary in 1982. Additionally, he served as the Director of the All-China Youth Federation.
He relocated to Beijing the following year and was appointed secretary of the Communist Youth League Central Committee following a brief period of study at the Central Party School. He was appointed First Secretary of CY Central two years later.
He was appointed Provincial Committee Secretary of the Communist Party of China in 1985. He instituted several educational and economic reforms in his new capacity.
Hu Yaobang’s forced resignation in 1987 resulted in his appointment as the Tibetan Autonomous Region’s Party Regional Committee Secretary in 1988. Additionally, he served as the local People’s Liberation Army’s political commissar.
1988 and 1989 were years of unrest and ethnic conflict in Tibet, as anti-Han Chinese sentiments grew among well-connected Tibetans. The riot intensified in part as a result of increasing clashes and the Tibetan uprising. In 1989, he finally declared martial law in order to put an end to the revolution.
His actions garnered him unprecedented attention from those in the highest echelons of party power. He was one of the first regional leaders to declare his allegiance to the central government.
In 1990, he returned to Beijing due to high-altitude sickness. Two years later, on the recommendation of his mentor Song Ping, he was appointed to the Politburo Standing Committee as one of the seven members. He was the PSC’s youngest member.
As Secretary of the Communist Party of China, he was in charge of the Central Committee and the Central Party School on a day-to-day basis. He was even held accountable for the CPC’s ideological work. He established networks throughout the party as a result of this position.
He was appointed Vice President of China in 1998 and Vice President of the CCP Central Military Commission the following year. He raised his voice the following year during NATO’s bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
By 2002, he had succeeded Jiang as General Secretary of the CCP at the Communist Party of China’s Sixteenth National Congress. He was then elected President of China by the National People’s Congress in 2003.
Throughout his tenure as General Secretary, he proposed numerous reforms aimed at improving society. He founded the Socialist Harmonious Society with the goal of reducing inequality. He also traveled to impoverished areas of China to gain a better understanding of the situation.
He also emphasized the importance of causing less environmental damage and utilizing green and environmentally friendly domestic products. Under his leadership, the party transitioned from revolutionary to ruling status. He modernized the party by promoting advancement and increasing governance transparency.
In essence, he sought to establish a country characterized by rapid economic growth, a free market, cultural enlightenment, and a humanistic approach to a variety of social issues.
During his tenure, he put an end to a number of activities and traditions that had existed for a long period of time and, in his opinion, contributed nothing to progress except corruption.
Among these events were lavish send-offs and welcomes for Chinese leaders visiting foreign lands, as well as annual cadre gatherings at Beidaihe’s seaside retreat. However, his tenure was not without its flaws.
In 2006, he founded the ‘8 Honours and 8 Shames’ movement to instill in the populace a more selfless and moral outlook. Alternatively titled ‘Eight Disgraces and Honors,’ it contained eight poetic lines summarizing what a good citizen should regard as an honor and what he or she should regard as a disgrace.
On October 22, 2007, he was re-elected General Secretary of the Central Committee and Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission for his unwavering commitment and futuristic thinking. He was re-elected President and Chairman of the PRC Central Military Commission the following year.
In 2012, he resigned as general secretary and also resigned as chairman of the CMC. He was succeeded by Xi Jinping, who assumed control of both positions.
Personal History and Legacies
He and Liu Yongqing tied the nuptial knot. Hu Haifeng and Hu Haiqing are the couple’s two children.
Estimated Net Worth
Hu Jintao net worth and salary: Hu Jintao is a Chinese politician who is worth $800,000 in the United States. Hu Jintao was born in December 1942 in Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
He served as China’s paramount leader from 2002 to 2012. Jintao has also served as the Communist Party’s General Secretary, the People’s Republic of China’s President, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Trivia
He is referred to as China’s paramount leader due to his simultaneous holding of three of the country’s most powerful positions: Communist Party General Secretary from 2002 to 2012, President from 2003 to 2013, and Commander in Chief from 2004 to 2012.