Eight Elders


The Eight Great Eminent Officials, abbreviated as the Eight Elders, were a group of elderly members of the Communist Party of China who held substantial power during the 1980s and 1990s. In the English-speaking world, these men are often called The Eight Immortals as an allusion to the Taoist deities commonly known as the Eight Immortals.

Membership

The Eight elders were:
ImageNamePosition Held
Deng Xiaoping
Paramount Leader
Politburo Standing Committee
Political Consultative Conference Chairman
Central Military Commission Chairman
Central Advisory Commission Chairman
Chen Yun
Politburo Standing Committee 1977–1987
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection First Secretary
Central Advisory Commission Chairman
Li Xiannian
Politburo Standing Committee
President of the PRC
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Chairman
Peng Zhen
National People's Congress Chairman
Yang Shangkun
President of the PRC
Central Military Commission Vice Chairman
Bo Yibo
Central Advisory Committee Vice Chairman
Wang Zhen
Central Advisory Committee Vice Chairman
Song Renqiong
Central Advisory Committee Vice Chairman

Role in "strongman politics"

The politburo system was created by the Bolsheviks in 1917, when Vladimir Lenin established it to command and control the October Revolution. It was later adopted by the Chinese communists. In both the early Chinese and Russian politburos, "strongman politics" played a large role in internal decision-making. Politburos under both Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong were later criticized for being dysfunctional and largely decorative, allowing the top leaders to dictate both party policy and the fate of the other leaders.
Under Deng Xiaoping, important decisions were often made in Deng's home with a caucus of eight senior party cadres, called "Eight Elders". Deng ruled as paramount leader, although he never held the top title of the party or the state. However, Deng was able to remove three Party leaders with the aid of the Eight Elders. Hua Guofeng was gradually removed from Premier and Party Chairman between 1980 and 1981; Hu Yaobang was removed in 1987; and, Zhao Ziyang was removed in 1989.

Descendants

Descendants of the Eight Elders who have benefited significantly from nepotism and cronyism constitute a group now known as "the Princelings" or the "Crown Prince Party". Its members, rising through party ranks, can easily overrule any opposition in their jurisdictions, even if they are assigned to a local administrative position. They are often seen to outrank other party officials and possess greater prestige due to their lineage. Bloomberg has reported on the extensive wealth accumulated by these descendants via their roles in various public and private companies.