Cao Diqiu

Cao Diqiu (; Wade–Giles Ts'ao Ti-ch'iu; August 1, 1909 – March 29, 1976) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and politician.

Biography Cao Diqiu was born in Ziyang, Sichuan, China. He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1929. After graduating from Sichuan University, he went to northern Jiangsu Province after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War to participate in guerrilla activities.

In November 1949, Cao Diqiu served as the third secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee and deputy mayor of Chongqing. He was de-facto in charge of the work of the municipal government. Cao was unanimously elected as Mayor of Chongqing in January 1951 by the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress. He later became the municipal committee's first secretary in 1952, holding both offices concurrently. In 1954, Cao was also chosen as the third secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Committee.

Cao was imprisoned for six years up till his transferring to the Municipal May 7 Cadre School for labour in May 1973 as a result of there being insufficient evidence for him to be labelled as a traitor. His imprisonment led to immense physical and mental damage dealt to his health.