6th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party

The 6th Politburo, formally the Political Bureau of the 6th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, was elected by the 1st plenary session of the 6th Central Committee in 1928, in the aftermath of the 6th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This electoral term was preceded by the 5th Politburo and succeeded by the 7th in 1945.

Alternate membership was discontinued in the October 1936 reorganisation, and the Provisional Politburo had no alternates.

Composition

Members

Members of the Political Bureau of the 6th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

Officeholder		5th PB	1st PLE	3rd PLE	4th PLE	PROVIS	5th PLE	OCT. 1936	OCT. 1937	7th PB	Birth	PM	Death	Birthplace	Ref.
Bo Gu	博古	New	Not	Not	Not	Member	Member	Not	Not	Not	1907	1925	1946	Jiangsu
Cai Hesen	蔡和森	Old	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	1895	1921	1931	Shanghai
Chen Changhao	陈昌浩	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Member	Not	Not	Not	1906	1927	1967	Hubei
Chen Yu	陈郁	New	Not	Not	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	1901	1925	1974	Shenzhen
Chen Yun	陈云	New	Not	Not	Not	Member	Member	Not	Member	Elected	1905	1925	1995	Shanghai
Deng Fa	邓发	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Alternate	Alternate	Member	Not	1906	1928	1946	Guangdong
Gu Zuolin	顾作霖	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Member	Not	Not	Not	1908	1925	1934	Jiangsu
Guan Xiangying	关向应	New	Alternate	Member	Member	Not	Member	Not	Not	Not	1902	1924	1946	Liaoning
Kai Feng	凯丰	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Alternate	Alternate	Member	Not	1906	1930	1955	Jiangxi
Kang Sheng	康生	New	Not	Not	Not	Member	Member	Not	Member	Elected	1898	1925	1975	Shandong
Li Lisan	李立三	Alternate	Member	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	1899	1921	1967	Hunan
Li Zhusheng	李竹声	New	Not	Not	Not	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	1903	1925	1973	Anhui
Lin Yuying	林育英	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Member	Not	Not	Not	1897	1922	1942	Hubei
Liu Shaoqi	刘少奇	New	Not	Not	Alternate	Not	Alternate	Member	Member	Elected	1898	1921	1969	Henan
Lu Futan	卢福坦	New	Alternate	Alternate	Member	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	1890	1926	1969	Shandong
Mao Zedong	毛泽东	Alternate	Not	Alternate	Alternate	Not	Member	Member	Member	Elected	1893	1921	1976	Hunan
Peng Dehuai	彭德怀	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Member	Not	Member	Elected	1898	1928	1974	Hunan
Qu Qiubai	瞿秋白	Old	Member	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	1899	1921	1935	Fujian
Ren Bishi	任弼时	New	Not	Not	Member	Not	Member	Member	Member	Elected	1904	1922	1950	Hunan
Su Zhaozheng	苏兆征	Old	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	1885	1925	1929	Guangdong
Wang Jiaxiang	王稼祥	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Alternate	Not	Member	Not	1906	1928	1974	Anhui
Wang Ming	王明	New	Not	Not	Member	Not	Member	Not	Member	Not	1904	1925	1974	Anhui
Wang Yuncheng	王云程	New	Not	Not	Not	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	1905	1925	1969	Hubei
Xiang Ying	项英	New	Member	Member	Member	Not	Member	Member	Member	Not	1895	1922	1941	Anhui
Xiang Zhongfa	向忠发	Old	Member	Member	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	1879	1921	1931	Shanghai
Xu Xigen	徐锡根	New	Alternate	Alternate	Member	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not	1903	?	?	Jiangsu
Zhang Guotao	张国焘	Alternate	Member	Member	Not	Not	Member	Member	Member	Not	1897	1921	1979	Sichuan
Zhang Wentian	张闻天	New	Not	Not	Not	Member	Member	Member	Member	Elected	1900	1925	1976	Shanghai
Zhou Chunquan	周纯全	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Member	Not	Not	Not	1905	1926	1985	Hubei
Zhou Enlai	周恩来	Old	Member	Member	Member	Not	Member	Member	Member	Elected	1898	1921	1976	Jiangsu
Zhu De	朱德	New	Not	Not	Not	Not	Member	Member	Member	Elected	1886	1925	1976	Sichuan

Alternates

Alternates of the Political Bureau of the 6th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

Officeholder		5th PB	1st PLE	3rd PLE	4th PLE	5th PLE	Birth	PM	Death	Birthplace	Ref.
Deng Fa	邓发	New	Not	Not	Not	Alternate	1906	1928	1946	Guangdong
Gu Shunzhang	顾顺章	Member	Not	Alternate	Alternate	Not	1903	1925	1934	Jiangsu
Guan Xiangying	关向应	New	Alternate	Member	Member	Not	1902	1924	1946	Liaoning
Kai Feng	凯丰	New	Not	Not	Not	Alternate	1906	1930	1955	Jiangxi
Li Lisan	李立三	Alternate	Alternate	Member	Not	Not	1899	1921	1967	Hunan
Li Weihan	李维汉	Member	Not	Not	Alternate	Not	1896	1921	1984	Hunan
Liu Shaoqi	刘少奇	New	Not	Not	Alternate	Alternate	1898	1921	1969	Henan
Lu Futan	卢福坦	New	Alternate	Alternate	Member	Member	1890	1926	1969	Shandong
Luo Dengxian	罗登贤	Member	Alternate	Not	Not	Not	1905	1925	1933	Guangdong
Mao Zedong	毛泽东	Alternate	Not	Not	Alternate	Alternate	1893	1921	1976	Hunan
Peng Pai	杨殷	Member	Alternate	Not	Not	Not	1896	1921	1929	Guangdong
Wang Jiaxiang	王稼祥	New	Not	Not	Not	Alternate	1906	1928	1974	Anhui
Wang Kequan	王克全	New	Not	Not	Alternate	Not	1906	1924	1939	Anhui
Wen Yucheng	温裕成	New	Not	Alternate	Alternate	Not	?	?	1933	Jiangsu
Xu Xigen	徐锡根	New	Alternate	Alternate	Member	Not	1903	?	?	Jiangsu
Yang Yin	杨殷	New	Alternate	Not	Not	Not	1892	1922	1929	Guangdong

Explanatory notes

1. Executed by Kuomintang state authorities on 4 August 1931.
2. By-elected as a member of the Politburo in August 1934 in between the convocation of the 5th plenary session and the Politburo reorganisation in October 1936.
3. Died of natural causes on 28 May 1934.
4. By-elected as a member of the Politburo in November 1928 in between the convocations of the first and third plenums.
5. By-elected as a member of the Politburo in January 1936 in between the convocation of the 5th plenary session and the Politburo reorganisation in October 1936.
6. Defected to the Kuomintang in January 1933.
7. By-elected as a member of the Politburo by a decision of the Zunyi Conference on 15–17 January 1935 in between the convocation of the 5th plenary session and the Politburo reorganisation in October 1936.
8. By-elected as a member of the Politburo in January 1936 in between the convocation of the 5th plenary session and the Politburo reorganisation in August 1935.
9. Died of natural causes on 25 February 1929.
10. Defected to the Kuomintang in 1933.
11. Killed in action on 14 March 1941.
12. Executed by Kuomintang state authorities on 24 June 1931.
13. Defected to the Kuomintang on 18 April 1938.
14. By-elected as a member of the Politburo in January 1936 in between the convocation of the 5th plenary session and the Politburo reorganisation in August 1934.
15. Defected to the Kuomintang on 24 April 1931.
16. By-elected as a member of the Politburo in November 1928 in between the convocations of the first and third plenums.
17. Defected to the Kuomintang in January 1933.
18. By-elected as a member of the Politburo by a decision of the Zunyi Conference on 15–17 January 1935 in between the convocation of the 5th plenary session and the Politburo reorganisation in October 1936.
19. Executed by Kuomintang state authorities on 30 August 1929.
20. Expelled from the Party by a decision of the 6th Central Committee for engaging in factionalism.
21. Defected to the Kuomintang in 1933.
22. Executed by Kuomintang state authorities on 8 August 1929.

Bibliography

• Dillon, Michael (2020). Zhou Enlai: The Enigma Behind Chairman Mao. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-7845-3615-2.
• Hartman, Ray T. (2023). Self-Reflections of Fears and Dreams: Political Legitimacy and Strategic Thinking Among Chinese Communist Party Leaders, 1927-1953. Lexington Books. ISBN 9781666916850.