Guo Shuyan

In this Chinese name, the family name is Guo.
Guo Shuyan
郭树言
Governor of Hubei
In office
1990–1993
Party ChiefGuan Guangfu
Preceded byGuo Zhenqian
Succeeded byJia Zhijie
Personal details
BornOctober 1935 (1935)
Zhenping County, Henan, China
Died23 January 2022 (aged 86–87)
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Alma materNankai University, Ural Polytechnic Institute

Guo Shuyan (Chinese: 郭树言; October 1935 – 23 January 2022)[1] was a Chinese engineer and politician. He served as Governor of Hubei Province from 1990 to 1993. He also served as the deputy director of the State Science and Technology Commission from 1985 to 1990 and deputy director of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee from 1993 to 2003.

Early life and education

Guo Shuyan was born in October 1935 in Zhenping County, Henan, Republic of China.[2][3] He attended Nankai University in 1952,[3] before going to the Soviet Union to study at the Ural Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a degree in metallurgy in 1959.[2] He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1957.[4]

Career

In 1959, in the midst of the Great Leap Forward, Guo returned to China and worked at the Shenyang Manufacturing Research Institute of the First Ministry of Machine Building.[2] He would work at the institute for nearly two decades, later rising to deputy director.[3]

From 1978 to 1982, Guo served as deputy director and Chief Engineer of the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.[3] He served as deputy director of the Bureau of Development Estimates of the State Science and Technology Commission from 1982 to 1983, and deputy director of the Science and Technology Leading Group of the State Council from 1983 to 1984.[3]

From 1985 to 1990, Guo served as deputy director of the State Science and Technology Commission.[2][5] In this capacity, he was instrumental in introducing the Chinese-developed anti-malarial drug artemisinin to Africa.[6]

In 1990, Guo was appointed Governor and Deputy Party Secretary of Hubei Province.[3][4] His predecessor, Guo Zhenqian (no relation), had disagreed with Guan Guangfu, the Party Secretary of Hubei, over the ambitious "Rising Abruptly" strategy, which aimed to dramatically increase the province's economic output.[7] However, Guo Shuyan also proved incompatible with Guan, and similarly ended his term prematurely.[7]

From 1993 to 2003, Guo Shuyan served as deputy director of the Three Gorges Project Construction Committee.[4] He also concurrently served as deputy director of the State Planning Commission from 1993 to 1998.[3] From 2003 to 2008, he served as Vice Chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the 10th National People's Congress.[4]

References

  1. ^ 郭樹言同志逝世，曾任湖北省省長、原國務院三峽辦主任 Archived 14 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine (in Chinese)
  2. ^ a b c d Dai, Qing (2016). The River Dragon Has Come! – Three Gorges Dam and the Fate of China's Yangtze River and Its People. Routledge. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-315-50276-2.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "简历：全国人大常务委员会委员郭树言". Sohu. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d "Biography of Guo Shuyan". China Vitae. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  5. ^ "邓小平南巡中鲜为人知的故事：插柳不叫春知道". China Institute for Reform and Development. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  6. ^ Zhang, Jianfang (2013). A Detailed Chronological Record of Project 523 and the Discovery and Development of Qinghaosu (Artemisinin). Strategic Book Publishing. pp. 125–6. ISBN 978-1-62212-164-9.
  7. ^ a b Hendrischke, Hans (2013). The Political Economy of China's Provinces: Competitive and Comparative Advantage. Routledge. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-134-62101-9.