Eight Immortals of Communist China

This article is about one of the less famous set of Eight Immortals. For the most popular set of "Eight Immortals", see Eight Immortals, which also contains a list of other sets of Eight Immortals.

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Eight Immortals is a group of elderly members of the Communist Party of China who held substantial de facto power at the time. In Chinese, however, they are called instead the Eight Great Eminent Officials (八大元老 in pinyin: ba1 lao2), abbreviated as the Eight Elders (八老 ba1 lao2). The majority of the Immortals have died.

The name originated in the 1990s and is an allusion to the Taoist deities by the same name.

Seven of them are set:

• Deng Xiaoping, "Paramount Leader", Central Military Commission Chairman 1980-1989
• Chen Yun (陳雲), Central Advisory Committee Chairman 1982-1992
• Peng Zhen (彭真), National People's Congress Chairman 1983-1988
• Yang Shangkun (楊尚昆), President of the PRC 1988-1993, 1907-1998.
• Bo Yibo (薄一波), Central Advisory Committee Vice-Chairman
• Li Xiannian (李先念), President of the PRC 1983-1988
• Wang Zhen (王震), Central Advisory Committee Vice-chairman

The name of the last person varies between:

• Song Renqiong (宋任窮), CAC Vice-Chairman
• Madame Deng Yingchao (鄧穎超), CPPCC Chairwoman 1983-1988
• Sometimes: Wan Li (萬里), National People's Congress Chairman 1988-1993
• Sometimes: Xi Zhongxun (習仲勛 xi2 zhong4 xun1)

Some descendants of the Immortals are in the "Crown Prince Party".

See also: People's Republic of China, Politics of the People's Republic of China

External links

• AsiaWeek article