Xu Shijie

Xu Shijie (; 29 November 1920 – 27 July 1991)

Career in Guangdong After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Xu became the first party secretary of Chenghai County. He then served as deputy director of the Guangdong Policy Research Institute, deputy director of the Rural Department of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, and party chief of Xinhui County.

Career in Hainan In 1987, the national government, led by Zhao Ziyang, Hu Yaobang, and Deng Xiaoping, approved the proposal to establish Hainan Island as a separate province, and the entire province would be a special economic zone (SEZ).

Despite his former reputation as a conservative official, in Hainan Xu became one of the most liberal provincial party chiefs in the country. He proclaimed that "The policies [of the central government] only prohibit us from doing a few things, whereas we can do everything else. We in Hainan have the power to do everything not proscribed." He also wrote that state-owned enterprises could be leased out, turned into joint-stock companies, accept foreign investors, or even sold.