16 Facts About Tan Shaowen

Tan Shaowen served as the Communist Party Chief and top leader of the direct-controlled municipality of Tianjin, and was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, one of the most powerful political bodies in the People's Republic of China.

Tan Shaowen was born on July 4,1929 in Xinjin County, Sichuan province.

From 1948 to 1952 Tan attended several institutes of higher learning, including the Ming Yin College in Chengdu Textile Engineering and the Northwest Institute of Textile Engineering.

Tan Shaowen was assigned to a state-owned cotton mill in Tianjin as a technician from 1953 to 1958.

Tan Shaowen became a teacher, and eventually the deputy director of the Woven Textile Industry School in Tianjin.

Tan Shaowen eventually went on to become the President of the Hebei University of Technology.

In May 1953, Tan Shaowen joined the Communist Youth League of China, and became a full member of the Chinese Communist Party in May 1953.

In May 1982, Tan Shaowen became a member of the CCP Tianjin Committee, and was promoted to Deputy Communist Party Chief of Tianjin in March 1983.

Tan Shaowen was responsible for education, science and technology, and propaganda in Tianjin.

In October 1992, Tan Shaowen became a member of the 14th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and was elected by that committee to serve in the 14th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, under the leadership of Jiang Zemin.

Tan Shaowen was supposedly drawn into the central leadership in order to counteract the growing trend for local politicians to ignore the policy of the central government.

Tan Shaowen is credited with the modernisation of the Tianjin education system, as well as undertaking a series of measures to bolster Tianjin's economy.

In terms of economic reform, Tan Shaowen focused mainly on medium to large state-owned enterprises, and constructed several development zones in Tianjin, including the New Technology Industrial Park.

Tan Shaowen constructed urban and economic infrastructure, and promoted Tianjin to foreign investors.

Tan Shaowen died in Tianjin on February 3,1993, at the age of 63 due to lung cancer.

Tan Shaowen's death was significant, as it meant that the city of Tianjin was no longer represented in the Politburo.