Song Renqiong

Song Renqiong (Chinese: 宋任穷; pinyin: Sòng Rènqióng; Wade–Giles: Sung Jen-ch’iung; 11 July 1909 – 8 January 2005), born Song Yunqin (Chinese: 宋韵琴; pinyin: Sòng Yùnqín), was a general in the People’s Liberation Army of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and one of the Eight Elders of the Communist Party of China.

Early Life and Military Career

Song Renqiong was born in Liuyang, Hunan Province, in 1909. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he served as the vice director of the political department of the 129th Division. Toward the end of the Chinese Civil War, he was the vice political commissar of the Northeastern Field Army.

Political Career

After the establishment of the PRC in 1949, Song held numerous significant positions:

  • Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC)’s committee in Yunnan Province
  • Vice Secretary of the Southwestern Bureau of the CPC
  • Vice Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee
  • Minister of the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 7 Mechanical Industry Departments
  • No. 1 Secretary of the Northeastern Bureau of CPC
  • Vice Chairman of the 4th and 5th National Political Consultative Conference
  • Alternate member of the Politburo of the 8th CPC Central Committee
  • Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the 11th CPC Central Committee
  • Politburo member of the 12th CPC Central Committee

Like many others, he was purged during the Cultural Revolution and rehabilitated after Mao’s death. He served as vice-chairman of the PRC’s Central Advisory Committee under Deng Xiaoping. Although the commission was theoretically a council of retired elders with no official power, its members effectively held veto power over major policies and personnel affairs.

Role in the Tiananmen Square Protests

During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, Song was one of the most ardent supporters of Deng Xiaoping, who decided to use force to crush the student movement. He was a significant Chinese leader during the 1980s and is considered one of the Eight Elders of the Communist Party of China.

Death

Song Renqiong died at the age of 95 in Beijing following an illness. Despite passing away before Zhao Ziyang, he requested that his floral wreath and elegiac couplet be present at Zhao’s funeral. His funeral was held on 15 January, attended by the highest Chinese officials, including Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin. Chinese media reported, “Song was an outstanding member of the CPC, a great Communist soldier, a remarkable proletarian revolutionary and a prominent leader of the party’s political work.”