Yang Rudai

Yang Rudai (; December 1926 – 24 February 2018) was a politician of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He served as the Party Secretary of Sichuan, then China's most populous province, and was the first native Sichuanese to become the top leader of the province since the founding of the PRC. He was a member of the 13th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, the top governing body of China. Yang was considered a protégé of the purged reformist leader Zhao Ziyang.

Early life and career Yang Rudai was born in December 1926 in Renshou County, Sichuan province. He received the equivalent of a high school-level education at Ren Shou No.1 Middle School.

In the early 1950s Yang actively participated in the land reform that was carried out by the newly established People's Republic of China and was rewarded for his performance. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1952, and was promoted just two years later to Deputy Party Chief of Renshou County. During the political radicalization of the 1960s, Yang's humble family background made him a model of the "class line" of the Sichuan provincial chief Li Jingquan, and he was promoted to First Party Secretary of Renshou. However, he subsequently was persecuted due to this tie to Li Jingquan when Li fell from power during the Cultural Revolution.

Rise to prominence Despite his suffering during the Cultural Revolution, Yang worked hard and took a leadership role in the building of a major reservoir which solved a key irrigation problem. Zhao Ziyang, the new reformist Party Chief of Sichuan, was impressed by his performance and promoted him first to Party Chief of Leshan prefecture in 1977, and only a year later, to Vice Governor of Sichuan province. Yang became a close assistant of Zhao Ziyang.

Three Gorges Dam In early 1992, the National People's Congress passed a resolution to build the Three Gorges Dam, the world's biggest. It was projected that at the completion of the dam, Sichuan would lose of land, and nearly a million people would need to be relocated. Yang Rudai was opposed to the dam and supported Sichuanese deputies who strongly protested the decision at the National Congress.

Personal life Yang was said to lead a simple private life.

Death On 24 February 2018, Yang died in Beijing at the age of 91 (92 in East Asian age reckoning). He was extolled by the Chinese government as "an excellent member of the Communist Party of China, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier, and an outstanding leader in agriculture and the economic development of the country".

Career timeline Date Position 1993–2003 Vice-Chairman of the 8th and 9th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 1993–1998 Member of the 8th National People's Congress 1987–1992 Member of the 13th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, elected to its politburo 1982–1987 Member of the 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party 1983–1993 Party Secretary of Sichuan 1978–1982 Vice Governor of Sichuan 1978–1982 Member of the CPC Sichuan Provincial and Standing Committees 1977–1978 Party Secretary of Leshan 1975–1978 Member of the 4th National People's Congress 1952–1968 Party Secretary of Renshou Source: