Politics of Shanghai

The politics of Shanghai is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in the mainland of the People's Republic of China. In the last few decades the city has produced many of the country's eventual senior leaders, including Jiang Zemin, Zhu Rongji, Wu Bangguo, Huang Ju, Xi Jinping, Yu Zhengsheng, Han Zheng, and Li Qiang.

Overview

The Mayor of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government is the highest ranking executive official in Shanghai. Since Shanghai is a direct-controlled municipality of China, the Mayor occupies the same level in the order of precedence as provincial governors. However, in the city's dual party-government governing system, the mayor has less power than the Shanghai Municipal Chinese [Communist Party Committee Secretary], colloquially termed the "Shanghai CCP Party Chief" in English.
Before 1941, Shanghai had a split administration: the International Settlement, the French Concession, and the Chinese City. The Chinese city was invaded by the Japanese in 1937 and the foreign concessions were occupied by the Japanese in 1941. After the occupation, the foreign powers formally ceded the territory to the Nationalist Government in Chongqing.
Political power in Shanghai has frequently been a stepping stone to higher positions in the central government. Since Jiang Zemin became the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in June 1989, all former Shanghai party secretaries but one were elevated to the Politburo Standing Committee, the de facto highest decision-making body in China, including Jiang himself, Zhu Rongji, Wu Bangguo, Huang Ju, Xi Jinping, Yu Zhengsheng, Han Zheng, and Li Qiang. Zeng Qinghong, a former deputy party secretary of Shanghai, also rose to the Politburo Standing Committee and became the Vice President and an influential power broker. Li Xi, another former deputy party secretary of Shanghai, has become the Politburo Standing Committee and Secretary of CCDI member in 2022. The only exception is Chen Liangyu, who was fired in 2006 and later convicted of corruption.

List of provincial-level leaders

Chairpersons of the Political Conference Shanghai Committee

Ke Qingshi : 1955–1958
Chen Pixian : 1958–1967
Peng Chong : 1977–1979
Wang Yiping : 1979–1983
Prof. Li Guohao : 1983–1988
Prof. Xie Xide : 1988–1993
Chen Tiedi : 1993–1998
Wang Liping : 1998–2003
Jiang Yiren : 2003–2008
Feng Guoqin : 2008–2013
Wu Zhiming : 2013–2018
Dong Yunhu : 2018–2023
Hu Wenrong : 2023–incumbent

Chairpersons of the Shanghai Supervisory Committee