Compiled by Caijing staff

Former Chinese leader, Mao Zedong’s appointed heir, Hua Guofeng, died August 20 in Beijing. He was 87.

Born in Shanxi Province, Hua spent his early adult years fighting in the war against Japan and China’s civil war. He later served as Communist Party secretary of Hunan Province during the Cultural Revolution decade, from 1966 to ’76.

Hua was named the nation’s premier as well as chairman of the Communist Party and Central Military Commission after Mao died in 1976.

Mao’s famous, six Chinese character comment on Hua – “With you in charge, I am at ease” – paved the way for him to rule China. But his term was brief.

Joining forces with senior leaders such as Ye Jianying, Hua ended the Cultural Revolution by jailing the so-called Gang of Four, which included Mao’s widow, Jiang Qing.

As the curtain fell on that disastrous period, Hua promoted his doctrine called “Two Whatevers” in an effort to continue Mao’s legacy. He declared, “We will resolutely uphold whatever policy decisions Chairman Mao made, and unswervingly follow whatever instructions Chairman Mao gave.”

But the doctrine was heavily criticized by other senior leaders, including Deng Xiaoping, who later replaced Hua as the top leader and ushered in a three-decade economic reform movement that continues today.

Hua’s life course changed in May 1977, when the party named reformist Hu Yaobang director of the party organization department and launched a massive reversal of decisions made during the Cultural Revolution. That action effectively nullified the Two Whatevers. And in 1978, a nationwide discussion over “truth,” led to the conclusion that practice is the sole criteria for testing whether or not a matter is true.
Hua’s influence quickly faded. In September 1980, he resigned as premier, and the next year he stepped down as chairman of the party and military commission.

Hua served as a member of the party’s National Congress until 2002. But he seldom discussed politics, spending most of his time practicing calligraphy.

Meanwhile, Hua never forgot Mao. He routinely visited the mausoleum containing Mao’s body twice a year: on the former leader’s birthday December 26, and on the anniversary of his death September 9.