Zhang Weizhen

Zhang Weizhen
张维桢
Secretary of the Secretariat of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions
In office
1950s–1960s
Personal details
BornFebruary 1901 (1901-02)
Huarong County, Hunan, China
DiedMarch 21, 1993(1993-03-21) (aged 92)
Beijing, China
PartyChinese Communist Party
OccupationPolitician, trade union leader

Zhang Weizhen (Chinese: 张维桢; February 1901 – March 21, 1993) was a Chinese politician and veteran trade union leader. He was a member of the Central Advisory Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and served as secretary of the Secretariat of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU).[1]

Biography

Zhang was born in February 1901 into a peasant family in Huarong County, Hunan Province. In 1920, he began work as a spinner at the First Hunan Cotton Mill, where he developed a strong interest in newspapers and political literature. His involvement in labor activism led to his dismissal in 1922 after participating in a strike. Despite financial hardship, he continued to engage in workers’ movements and joined the Socialist Youth League in 1923.[2]

In 1925, Zhang moved to Shanghai, where he was received by Ren Bishi and assigned to work at the Fourth Office of the Shanghai General Labor Union. He joined the Chinese Communist Party the same year and took part in the May Thirtieth Movement, helping to organize demonstrations and strikes against foreign capitalists. Over the next two years, he played a leading role in the organization of textile workers, becoming involved in the three armed uprisings of Shanghai workers. He worked closely with Chen Yun and came under the guidance of Zhou Enlai during the preparations for the third uprising in 1927.[3]

Following the suppression of the revolution, Zhang was arrested in 1928 due to betrayal and endured years of imprisonment in various jails, including Suzhou Prison and Nanjing Central Military Prison.[4] Despite severe torture, he maintained Party discipline and protected fellow revolutionaries.[5] After his release in 1933, he resumed labor activism in Shanghai, organizing strikes at Japanese-owned textile mills and serving as director of the Cotton Mill General Union.[6][7]

In 1937, Zhang went to Yan'an and studied at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University.[8] At the end of the year, he was dispatched to Henan, where he held a series of Party leadership posts, including county Party secretary, regional Party secretary, and eventually acting provincial Party secretary. In 1941, he returned to Yan’an for further study at the Central Party School. After the victory of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he became Secretary-General of the Liaoji Provincial Committee for Labor Movements, chairman of the Harbin General Labor Union, and vice chairman of the Northeast General Labor Union.[9]

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Zhang served as chairman of the Northeast General Labor Union, a member of the Northeast People's Government, and Minister of Labor in the Northeast Bureau.[10] Later, he moved to Beijing, where he held national posts including chairman of the China Light Industry Workers' Union and secretary of the ACFTU Secretariat. He was also a member of the First Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and later elected to the Central Advisory Commission in 1982.[11]

Zhang Weizhen died in Beijing on March 21, 1993.[12]

References

  1. ^ 河南党史研究 (in Chinese). 《河南党史研究》编辑部. 1990. p. 69. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  2. ^ 中国人物年鉴 (in Chinese). Huayi Publishing House. 1994. p. 242. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  3. ^ 上海文史资料选辑 (in Chinese). Shanghai People's Press. 1985. p. 60. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  4. ^ 中国工会运动史料全书: 轻工业卷 (in Chinese). 北京图书馆出版社. 1998. p. 1249. ISBN 978-7-5013-1532-1. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  5. ^ 上海文史资料选辑 (in Chinese). Shanghai People's Press. 1986. p. 13. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  6. ^ 河南省地方史志编纂委员会. 河南省志: 人物志 (传记上) (in Chinese). 河南人民出版社. p. 152. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  7. ^ 中国工会运动史料全书: 纺织卷 (in Chinese). 中国纺织出版社. 1999. p. 373. ISBN 978-7-5064-1588-0. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  8. ^ 邓小平评历史 (in Chinese). 中国言实出版社. 1998. p. 179. ISBN 978-7-80128-138-8. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  9. ^ 抗战时期的河南省委 (in Chinese). 河南人民出版社. 1986. p. 13. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  10. ^ 工会大辞典 (in Chinese). 经济管理出版社. 1989. p. 189. ISBN 978-7-80025-117-7. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  11. ^ 简明中国工会史 (in Chinese). 中国工人出版社. 2005. p. 253. ISBN 978-7-5008-3509-7. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  12. ^ 工人组织与活动 (in Chinese). 中国人民大学书报资料社. 1993. p. 53. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
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