Chen Xitong (陈希同) (born June 1930) was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and the Mayor of Beijing until he was removed from office on charges of corruption in 1995. A graduate of Peking University, he shared close ties to Deng Xiaoping and his family. Chen was once considered a possible successor to Deng Xiaoping. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Politburo of the Communist Party of China ( Chinese: 中国共产党中央政治局 pinyin: Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Zhèngzhìjú) is a group of 19 to 25 people who oversee the Communist Party of China. ... The politics of China may also include or exclude, depending on context or point of view: The politics of the Peoples Republic of China (mainland China 1949-present) The politics of Hong Kong The politics of Macau The politics of the Republic of China (Taiwan) The politics of imperial... Peking University (Traditional Chinese: 北京大學; Simplified Chinese: 北京大学; pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng Dàxué), colloquially known in Chinese as Beida (北大, BÄ›idà), was established in 1898, and is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China. ... Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (Simplified Chinese: 邓小平; Traditional Chinese: 鄧小平; Pinyin: Dèng XiÇŽopíng; Wade-Giles: Teng Hsiao-ping; August 22, 1904–February 19, 1997) was a leader in the Communist Party of China (CPC). ...

Chen Xitong was the Mayor of Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He strongly advocated the use of force to quell the protests, and was responsible for the declaration of martial law in Beijing during the incident. The Unknown Rebel - This famous photo, taken by Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener, depicts a lone protester, whose actions halted the progress of a column of advancing tanks until he was pulled into the crowd. ... Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice. ...

A onetime rival to Jiang Zemin, Chen's downfall came in 1995 during an anti-corruption campaign led by Jiang's Shanghai clique. Clique members Zeng Qinghong and Jia Qinglin played key roles in the campaign that eventually led to Chen's arrest; some observers view Chen's downfall as a political struggle between Chen and Jiang. In the wake of the charges, Chen's Vice Mayor, Wang Baosen, commited suicide. In 1998, Chen Xitong was given a 16 year jail sentence on charges of corruption and dereliction of duty. His son, Chen Xiaotong, was also sentenced. Chen was released early from jail in 2006, officially due to reasons of ill health. Jiāng Zémín (born August 17, 1926) was the core of the third generation of Communist Party of China leaders, serving as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the Peoples Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and... The Shanghai clique is an informal name for officials in Chinese Communist Party especially central government of the Peoples Republic of China or CCP centre who rose to prominence in the Shanghai city administration under Jiang Zemin or used to be subordinates of Jiang. ... Zeng Qinghong (simplified Chinese: 曾庆红 Pinyin: Zēng Qìnghóng) (born July 1939) is a Chinese politician. ... Jia Qinglin (Simplified Chinese: 贾庆林; Traditional Chinese: 賈慶林; pinyin: ) (born March 1940, Botou, Hebei Province) is the fourth ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the Chairman of the Peoples Political Consultative Conference. ... Robert Buzz Patterson is a US Marine officer and author. ...

External links

• The corrupt comrade (BBC News)