Li Weihan (1896-1984)

Chinese proletarian revolutionary; famous theorist and outstanding leader of the CPC and the country in the united front and national work. Originally known as Hou Ru, He Sheng, and also as Luo Mai, he was born in Changsha County, Hunan Province. In 1916, he was admitted to Hunan Provincial First Normal School, met with Mao Zedong, Cai Hesen and others, and they founded Xinmin Society together. After studying in France in 1919, he participated in the preparatory work of the European Branch of the CPC and became one of the earliest members of the Communist Party of China.

After the August Seventh Conference in 1927, Li Weihan was elected to form the Provisional Central Committee of the CPC and became one of the main leaders. In January 1931, at the Fourth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, his leading positions in the Party were removed. Afterwards he went to Moscow to study. In 1933, he returned to Jiangxi Soviet Area and served as the secretary of the Central Organization Department and then the minister. In January 1934, he was elected alternate member of the Central Committee at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. At the Zunyi Conference in January 1935, he supported Mao Zedong's leadership in the Central Committee. After the arrival of the Long March of the Central Red Army in Northern Shaanxi, he served as the head of the Central Organization Department.

Since September 1936 on, he served as Secretary of the Working Committee of Minorities in the Dingbian Region of the Communist Party of China, Secretary of the Shaanxi-Gansu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Secretary of the Committee of Mass Work of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Acting Principal of the Central Party School, Vice-Minister of Education of the Central Cadres, Secretary-General of the Northwest Work Committee of the CPC Central Committee.

“The Outline on Hui Nationality Issues” and “The Outline on Mongolian Nationality Issues” in the Anti-Japanese War were drafted by Li Weihan successively, which were discussed and approved by the Central Committee.

This was the beginning of the CPC's systematic study of ethnic issues. Since September 1942 on, he successive became member of the Northwest Bureau of the Communist Party of China, Secretary-General of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government, Vice-Minister of the Urban Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In April 1949, he was a representative of the delegation of the CPC and participated in the peace negotiations with the delegation of the KMT. On June 15, 1949, at the Firstt Plenary Meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference, he was elected Secretary-General of the Standing Committee of the Preparatory Committee for the New Political Consultative Conference and was responsible for the nomination of CPPCC representatives. His proposal to implement autonomous region system in a unified (unitary) country was discussed by the Central Committee and included in the “Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference” as a system of regional national autonomy in China.

On October 21, 1949, he served as Secretary-General of the State Council of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. In May 1951, as the chief plenipotentiary representative of the Central People's Government, he negotiated with the plenipotentiary representatives of the local government of Xizang and reached the “Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Xizang”, which contributed to the peaceful liberation of Xizang.

In December 1964, he was removed from the post of Minister of the Central United Front Work Department. Subsequently, he was removed from the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the Vice-Chairman and the Standing Committee and Vice-Chairman of the National Political Consultative Conference. During the “Cultural Revolution”, he was persecuted, criticized more than 40 times and held in custody for eight years. He regained his freedom after the “Cultural Revolution”. In September 1982, at the Twelfth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he was elected as the Deputy Director of the Central Advisory Committee. On August 11, 1984, he died in Beijing. The main works are Selected Works of Li Weihan and Memories and Research.