11 Facts About Zhang Tianxin

Zhang Tianxin is a former Chinese politician, and Communist Party Secretary of Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan Province, between 2011 and 2014.

Zhang Tianxin was dismissed from his position in July 2014, after he came under investigation for violating "party discipline", and subsequently expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.

Zhang Tianxin got involved in politics in May 1978, first taking a job as an ordinary office worker at the Prefecture government of Yuxi, where he began rising through the ranks.

Zhang Tianxin joined the Chinese Communist Party in June 1984.

In 1989, Zhang Tianxin was named the deputy party chief of Yimen County.

In June 1998, Zhang Tianxin was appointed the deputy party chief of Yuxi, he remained in that position until October 1999, when he was transferred to Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture as the Party Secretary, occupying a regional top office for the first time.

In November 2006, Zhang Tianxin was promoted to become the head of the provincial Propaganda Department.

In December 2011, Zhang Tianxin was named the Communist Party Secretary of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province.

In Kunming, Zhang Tianxin was largely known for his extensive street renovation projects, which he said was part of a strategy to make Kunming more attractive to tourists.

In 2013, rumours began circulating in the city's political circles about Zhang Tianxin possibly facing an investigation.

In July 2014, Zhang Tianxin was removed from office for "serious disciplinary violations".