Sheng Guangzu (Chinese: 盛光祖; pinyin: Shèng Guāngzǔ; born 5 April 1949) was the last Chinese Minister of Railways, before the position was abolished in March 2013, and the first Genenal Manager of China Railway Corporation. He was formerly the head of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China. He initially held several lower positions in the Ministry of Railways, and moved up the ranks starting in 2000.[1] Sheng was also a member of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

Sheng Guangzu
盛光祖
Genenal Manager of China Railway Corporation
In office
14 March 2013 – 9 October 2016
Succeeded byLu Dongfu
Minister of Railways of the People's Republic of China
In office
25 February 2011 – 14 March 2013
PremierWen Jiabao
Preceded byLiu Zhijun
Succeeded bypost abolished
Personal details
Born (1949-04-05) 5 April 1949 (age 75)
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party (expelled)
Alma materTongji University

Early life and education edit

Born in April 1949 in Nanjing, Jiangsu, he is a member of China's majority Han ethnic group and holds a bachelor's degree.[1]

Career edit

While deputy governor of the Ministry of China Railway Communication, he supported the creation of China Netcom to compete with China Telecom.[2] He became a board member of China Netcom and the Ministry of Railways was given a quarter interest in the company.[2]

Sheng replaced his predecessor Liu Zhijun who was dismissed for corruption.[3][4] During his tenure, the Wenzhou train collision occurred on July 23, 2011, killing 40, and injuring 192 (12 severely).[5]

Sheng retired in October 2016. He was replaced by Lu Dongfu, as the first director of the National Railways Administration (NRA).[6] In November 2016, he was appointed as Vice-Chairperson of the National People's Congress Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.[7]

Downfall edit

On 25 March 2022, he was placed under investigation for "serious violations of discipline and laws" by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the party's internal disciplinary body, and the National Supervisory Commission, the highest anti-corruption agency of China.[8] On September 19, he was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.[9] He was arrested by the Supreme People's Procuratorate on October 8.[10]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Leadership Resume". General Administration of Customs. 2008-04-01. Archived from the original on 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  2. ^ a b Sheff, David. "Betting on Bandwidth". WIRED. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  3. ^ Wong, Edward (12 February 2011). "China's Railway Minister Loses Post in Corruption Inquiry". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  4. ^ Sui-Lee Wee; Huang Yan; Miral Fahmy (25 February 2011). "China railways minister dismissed -Xinhua". The Los Angeles Times. Reuters. Retrieved 26 February 2011.[dead link]
  5. ^ "忆"七二三"动车事故:当时高铁中国梦达顶峰" (in Chinese). NetEase. 2013-07-24. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
  6. ^ 163.com (2016-09-10). "陆东福任中铁总总经理 盛光祖退休". money.163.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "盛光祖任全国人大财经委副主任委员". Xinhua. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  8. ^ "Former general manager of China's state railway operator cooperates with probe". xinhuanet.com. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Former head of China's state railway operator expelled from CPC". Chinadaily.com. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  10. ^ Cheng Qin (程琴) (8 October 2022). 最高人民检察院依法对盛光祖决定逮捕. sina (in Chinese). Retrieved 9 October 2022.
Government offices
Preceded by Minister of the General Administration of Customs
2008–2011
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Railways
February 2011 – March 2013
Ministry abolished
Business positions
New title Genenal Manager of China Railway Corporation
March 2013 – October 2016
Succeeded by