Lü Zushan

Lü Zushan
吕祖善
Governor of Zhejiang Province
In office January 2003 – August 2011
Preceded by	Xi Jinping
Succeeded by	Xia Baolong
Personal details
Born	November 1946 (age 69) Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Political party	Communist Party of China
Alma mater	Nanjing Aeronautical Institute; Central Party School

Lü Zushan
Traditional Chinese	呂祖善
Simplified Chinese	吕祖善
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǚ Zǔshàn

Lü Zushan^[1] (born November 1946) is a politician of the People's Republic of China. He succeeded Xi Jinping as Governor of Zhejiang province in 2003. After retiring from provincial leadership in 2011, he has served as Vice-Chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress.^[2][3]

Early life and career

Lü Zushan was born in November 1946 in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. In 1963 he entered the Nanjing Aeronautical Institute (now Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in March 1966.^[2][3]

After graduating from university in 1968 during the Cultural Revolution, Lü was sent to do manual labour on a People's Liberation Army farm until 1970, before becoming a technician at the Shaoyang Water Generator Plant in Shaoyang, Hunan province.^[2] Later he returned to Zhejiang and worked for the Zhejiang Automobile Industry Company, first as a technician and later as a manager. He then worked for the Machinery Department of the Zhejiang provincial government, first as an engineer, and later becoming deputy director and then director of the department.^[3]

Provincial leadership

In 1995, Lü became a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee. In January 1998, he became Executive Vice-Governor of Zhejiang, and Deputy Communist Party Secretary of the province.^[2][3]

In January 2003, the Zhejiang People's Congress elected Lü Zushan as Governor of Zhejiang, replacing Xi Jinping who became the Communist Party Secretary of Zhejiang.^[3][4] He served under Xi, who later became President of China, during Xi's five-year term as the provincial party chief,^[5] and retired as governor in 2011^[3] when he reached 65, the mandatory retirement age for provincial party chiefs and governors.^[5] After serving as governor, Lü was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress.^[6]

Lü was an alternate member of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and a full member of the 17th Central Committee.^[2][3] Like many other provincial governors, he holds a master's degree in engineering from the Central Party School.^[7][8]

References

1. Note: his surname Lü (吕) can also be romanized as Lu, Lv, or Lyu.
2. "Lu Zushan 吕祖善". ChinaVitae. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
3. 吕祖善 [Lü Zushan] (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
4. Bo Zhiyue (2010). "Local Leadership and Economic Development: Democratic India vs. Authoritarian China" (PDF). Victoria University of Wellington. p. 44. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
5. Miller, Alice. "Who Does Xi Jinping Know and How Does He Know Them?" (PDF document). Hoover Institution. p. 4. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
6. "Gov't leadership changes continue". China.org.cn. China Daily. August 30, 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
7. Li, Chen. "Educational and Professional Backgrounds of Current Provincial Leaders" (PDF document). Hoover Institute. p. 4. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
8. Hersh, Adam S. (February 1, 2011). "Why China grew: understanding the financial structure of late development" (PDF document). ScholarlyWorks@UMassAmherst. Retrieved 9 September 2014.