On November 1st, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a symposium to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ye Xuanping, with Wang Huning, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, in attendance. At the meeting, CPPCC Vice Chairman Shi Taifeng emphasized Ye’s staunch support for Xi Jinping’s leadership after retirement. In recent years, conflicts between Xi Jinping and the descendants of senior CCP officials have persisted. Analysts believe that due to economic difficulties, Xi has faced internal questioning within the party, leading to efforts to appease the Ye family and possibly recruit some red aristocratic families to divide them.
Ye Xuanping, the eldest son of Marshal Ye Jianying, was born on December 20, 1924, and served as Governor of Guangdong Province and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC. Ye Xuanping passed away in September 2019 at the age of 94, and his descendants have since largely withdrawn from politics.
Footage from the CCP’s central television showed over ten descendants of Ye Xuanping taking a group photo with Wang Huning, including his two sons, Ye Xinfu and Ye Xinlong, as well as his grandsons Ye Ding and Ye Zhonghao. Ye Zhonghao, born in 1983, previously served as the director of the Yunfu High-tech Zone Management Committee in Guangdong and has been the Deputy General Manager of Guangdong Hengjian Investment Company since 2020.
CCP Politburo member and CPPCC Vice Chairman Shi Taifeng mentioned during the symposium that Ye Xuanping, after retiring, firmly supported Xi Jinping’s leadership, citing Ye’s statement that “if it is against what the central government stipulates, I will definitely not do it.”
Commentator Li Linyi told the Epoch Times that Shi Taifeng’s remarks clearly reflect Xi’s concerns about the descendants of senior CCP officials deviating from his leadership. Xi has recently taken action against non-compliant red aristocratic families and marginalized others. However, due to economic challenges, Xi is reportedly constrained by elder CCP members. Therefore, efforts to appease the Ye family on the occasion of Ye Xuanping’s 100th anniversary seem more like a strategy to divide and win over certain red descendants.
According to CCP tradition, commemorations for deceased former high-ranking officials are held every 50 years with articles and every 100 years with symposiums, while smaller commemorative events are organized in their birthplaces.
In recent years, significant changes have occurred among the red aristocratic families within the CCP.
In the Ye Jianying family, both Ye Xuanping and Ye Xuanning have passed away, with Ye Jianying’s great-grandson Ye Zhonghao transitioning from provincial government roles in Guangdong to state-owned enterprises for reasons unknown.
Deng Xiaoping’s eldest son, Deng Pufang, stepped down from his position as Honorary Chairman of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation last September. Deng’s grandson, Deng Zhuodi, briefly served as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee in Pingguo County, Guangxi in 2016, but disappeared from public view after being removed from office.
Wu Xiaohui, the husband of Deng Xiaoping’s granddaughter and founder of Anbang Group, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for fundraising fraud in May 2018. Chen Yilu, the son of Marshal Chen Yi, passed away in Hainan due to a massive heart attack on February 28, 2018, after being implicated in the Wu Xiaohui case.
Deng Xiaoping’s son-in-law, Liu Yuan, was expelled from the military by Xi Jinping in 2017. Mao Zedong’s grandson, Mao Xinyu, and Li Peng’s daughter, Li Xiaolin, gradually faded from the public eye in 2018, no longer attracting attention during the annual NPC and CPPCC sessions.
Li Peng’s son, Li Xiaopeng, recently stepped down as Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Transport and was appointed Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the CPPCC, signaling a full retreat to the sidelines.
Former Head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Wang Qishan, is the father-in-law of veteran CCP leader Yao Yilin. While Wang Qishan played a significant role in assisting Xi in his anti-corruption campaign during his first term, he held only a ceremonial position as Vice President during Xi’s second term, with his former subordinates continually being removed from their positions.
Retired General Liu Yazhou, a red aristocrat and son-in-law of the former CCP Chairman Li Xiannian, was reportedly arrested in December 2021 for opposing Xi and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment at the beginning of this year.
Furthermore, red aristocrat Ren Zhiqiang criticized the authorities’ epidemic prevention policies in an article in 2020, calling Xi Jinping a “clown who insists on being an emperor even when stripped of his clothes,” and was sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of corruption.
Former Minister of National Defense of the CCP, Li Shangfu, another red aristocrat, was removed from office in August last year and had his party and military memberships revoked, as well as his rank as a General in June this year.
Currently, there are few red aristocrats remaining in the top ranks of the CCP, with only a handful including the 74-year-old Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Yuxia, Commander of the People’s Armed Police Force, Wang Chunning, Deputy Director of the United Front Work Department of the Party Central Committee and Director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Pan Yue, and Deputy Executive Director of the State Security Commission, Liu Haixing. Reports suggest that the once considered close relationship between Zhang Yuxia and Xi Jinping has recently changed.