Provincial Leadership

Historically, China’s provincial leaders have been known as 封疆大吏 (fengjiang dali), or “senior officials entrusted with governing a territory.” Provincial governance is often seen as a key test of an official’s abilities. Because each province operates with considerable autonomy, provincial governance experience is generally regarded as a prerequisite for promotion into the top tier of Chinese leadership. The last three General Secretaries of the Chinese Communist Party, and five of the seven current members of the Politburo Standing Committee, have all governed a provincial-level region earlier in their careers.

Our database covers the members of the Party Standing Committees of China’s 31 provincial-level administrative regions. It is updated monthly, and the career records of leading cadres are revised on a rolling basis. The career records of leading cadres are captured to preserve publicly available data, as well as recognize patterns of potential factionalism in the appointment of provincial cadres.