31 Facts About Wang Guangmei

Wang Guangmei was a Chinese politician, philanthropist and the wife of Liu Shaoqi, who served as the President of the People's Republic of China from 1959 to 1968.

Wang Guangmei grew up in a distinguished and prominent Chinese family.

Wang Guangmei's father, Wang Zhichang, was a government minister and a diplomat, having taught at Tianjin Women's Normal College after graduating from the Commerce Department at Waseda University in Japan.

Wang Guangmei later served in various government roles during the warlord period, including head of the Bureau of Industry and Commerce in the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, and as acting minister of Agriculture and Commerce during the warlord period.

Wang Guangmei was one of ten siblings: her eldest brother died at an early age and two elder brothers lived overseas, while the remaining six siblings all joined the CCP and became prominent in various fields.

Wang Guangmei studied French, Russian, and English, becoming fluent in all three.

Wang Guangmei attended Furen University in Beijing, studying optics and cosmic rays.

Wang Guangmei was the first woman in China to earn a graduate degree in atomic physics.

Later in 1946, it was arranged for Wang Guangmei to be transferred to Yan'an, where she initially worked as a translator in the Foreign Affairs Department of the CCP Central Committee and then in land reform in the Jin-Sui liberated areas.

In 1948, Wang Guangmei moved with the Military Commission of the Central Committee to Xibaipo in Hebei Province and became an editor and translator on Neibu cankao, a digest of news stories from around the world intended for the eyes of designated personnel only.

Wang Guangmei became once widely known in China as its beautiful, articulate, sophisticated first lady.

Wang Guangmei joined the Communist Party and became Liu Shaoqi's personal secretary.

Wang Guangmei was transferred to the General Office of the Central Committee and worked as her husband's private secretary for nearly twenty years, until she was imprisoned in 1967 at the start of the Cultural Revolution.

Wang Guangmei was elected to the executive committee of the All-China Women's Federation in 1957.

Wang Guangmei's report was highly praised by Mao Zedong and became an official Party document, widely disseminated and used as a model for similar campaigns nationwide.

Ironically, the same revolutionary methods Wang Guangmei promoted were turned against her during the Cultural Revolution.

Wang Guangmei's husband was under fire by Mao and his deputies for being the leading "capitalist roader".

Wang Guangmei initially managed to deflect their accusations, but by spring, she faced a more severe struggle session attended by half a million people.

Wang Guangmei was imprisoned in Qincheng Prison, enduring solitary confinement and harsh conditions for twelve years.

Wang Guangmei was finally released in December 1978, two years after Mao's death.

Wang Guangmei then dedicated herself to rehabilitating Liu Shaoqi's reputation and engaging in philanthropy, founding Project Happiness to assist mothers living in poverty.

Wang Guangmei's experience reflects the brutal and chaotic nature of the Cultural Revolution, as well as the complex interplay of personal and political conflicts within the Chinese Communist Party.

Soon, Liu's reputation was rehabilitated, and Wang Guangmei received compensation for her suffering during the Cultural Revolution.

In March 1979, Wang Guangmei was elected as a member of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Later, Wang Guangmei was elected as a permanent member of the National People's Political Consultative Conference.

In 1989, Wang Guangmei suffered from breast cancer and went through two major operations before and after.

Wang Guangmei donated her family's valuable antiques, a few dating back to the Qing and Song dynasties, to charity and donated the proceeds of 566,000 yuan to the "Hope Project".

Wang Guangmei died on October 13,2006, at the No 305 Military Hospital in Beijing due to lung infection caused by heart failure.

Wang Guangmei's funeral was held at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in Beijing on October 21,2006.

Wang Guangmei had four children: Liu Yuan, Liu Ting, Liu Pingping, Liu Xiaoxiao.

Wang Guangmei's son, retired general Liu Yuan, was a prominent officer in the People's Liberation Army.