Meng Xuenong

Meng was born in Penglai County, Shandong. Meng studied engineering[2] at Beijing Normal University (1969–72) during the later stages of the Cultural Revolution before being assigned to Beijing's No.2 Motor Vehicle Plant.[3] He joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in July 1972,[1] rising through the ranks of the Beijing municipal Communist Youth League (CYL) and the car industry. In 1986 he was transferred to senior posts in the hospitality industry, briefly serving as General Manager of the Beijing Hotel group. He then spent four years (1991–1995) at the University of Science and Technology of China, alongside Qiang Wei, who had been a consistent colleague.[3] After graduating with an MBA,[4] he became a vice-mayor of Beijing in 1993.[1]

In January 2003, Meng was appointed Mayor of Beijing; as mayor he also held the title of Deputy Party Secretary of Beijing.[1] The SARS crisis hit Beijing sometime in March of that year, and Meng is said to have moved patients between hospitals in a botched cover-up that worsened the outbreak.[5] The Politburo Standing Committee decided to remove him from his posts on 16 April as part of a double sacking with health minister Zhang Wenkang. The pair were held responsible both for the public health failure and the damage to trust in the Party. The sacking was described by one journalist as "the biggest political earthquake since the time of Tiananmen in 1989."[6][7] The harsh treatment was privately questioned by other cadres in Beijing, but they were assured that Meng's co-operative attitude would be rewarded.[8] Five months later, he was quietly created deputy director of the South-North Water Transfer Project, reporting to the State Council.[1]

Meng was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Shanxi Party Committee on August 30, 2007 as part of a wider Party reshuffle, and then elected Vice Governor and acting Governor by the Shanxi Provincial People's Congress on 3 September.[1] His political fortunes, however, proved short-lived when he tendered his resignation on September 14, 2008, after the mudslide in Xiangfen.[9]

Meng is a member of the tuanpai faction of former Communist Youth League officials and has close personal ties to Party General secretary Hu Jintao.[10] As he stated himself, "My career in the CCYL [sic] provided a foundation for my political career later on."[11] At a news conference in January 2003, he portrayed himself as an old friend of Hu, stating "Comrade Jintao was a major leader in the Communist Youth League 20 years ago and some of us worked under his leadership... What I remember most deeply are his fairness, personal integrity and selflessness. Those qualities make up his unique charisma."[12] However, this has been subsequently disputed.[13] Hu allegedly fired his protégé in order to remove Zhang, linked to rival Jiang Zemin.[14] Some reports claimed the mayor was "sacrificed" to protect Liu Qi.[7] It was even claimed that Meng is closer to Liu (and thus Jiang) than Hu.[13] However, most commentators saw Meng's return to power as a sign of the tuanpai faction's dominance.[14] Ultimately much of this turned out to be irrelevant as tuanpai became a diminished force under the leadership of Xi Jinping.[15]

The People's Daily at one point portrayed Meng as reformist. Meng said that his CYL experience helps him stay in touch with young people and remain open-minded. Meng once resided in Beijing's Siheyuan, and kept in touch with his former neighbours during his time as mayor, claiming a special understanding of the people.[16] On his election in Taiyuan, he told delegates, "I will do my utmost best to get familiar with Shanxi and become like a native... [the governorship is] a great honour, but also comes with great responsibility." [17]

• Official biography
• China Vitae page