Liu Shaoqi

Who was Liu Shaoqi?

Liu Shaoqi was a Chinese revolutionary, statesman, and theorist. He was Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee from 1954 to 1959 and President of the People's Republic of China, China's head of state, from 1959 to 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China.

Shaoqi fell out of favour in the later 1960s during the Cultural Revolution because of his perceived 'right-wing' viewpoints and because Mao viewed Liu as a threat to his power. He disappeared from public life in 1968 and was labelled China's premier 'Capitalist-roader' and a traitor.

He died under harsh treatment in late 1969. He was posthumously rehabilitated by Deng Xiaoping's government in 1980 and given a state funeral.