Li Ruihuan


Li Ruihuan is a retired Chinese politician. Li was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the country's top decision making body, between 1989 and 2002. Li served as Chairman of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 1993 to 2003; before that, he was the party chief of Tianjin.

Biography

A native of Baodi, Tianjin, and originally a carpenter by trade, he was elected and reelected chairman of the 8th and 9th CPPCC National Committees in March 1993 and March 1998. Li Ruihuan is the sixth chairman of the CPPCC after Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Deng Yingchao, and Li Xiannian. Since this post has been held by some of the most prominent revolutionary elders, it is spoken of "noble and sacred" by reverent observers. The principal duties of the CPPCC chief are mainly advisory and conciliatory; Li's duties focused on mitigating conflict between different sectors of society, conferring on state affairs, and providing ideas for the top bodies of PRC central government for reference.
Li, born into ordinary peasant family on September 1934; worked as construction worker in Beijing Third Construction Company, 1951–1965; attended spare-time architecture engineering institute, 1958–1963; and received a college certificate. Li is known as the inventor of the "simplified calculation method," which updated the traditional "lofting method" in carpentry, Li was known as "young Lu Ban," a legendary master carpenter in ancient China. He rose up the ranks of the construction industry and Tianjin politics.
During his tenure of office as Tianjin mayor, he actively supported institutional restructuring, focusing attention on improving urban housing and public transport conditions. He gained great popularity among Tianjin residents with his call-in radio and television programs through which he directly answered residents' inquires in concrete terms.
In 1989, he became a member of the Politburo Standing Committee. He retired at the 2002 16th party congress.