Hu Qiaomu

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Hu Qiaomu (June 4, 1912 – September 28, 1992) was a Chinese sociologist, Marxist philosopher and politician. He is well known for being Mao Zedong’s private secretary for many years and for his influential work as a party theorist.

Early life and education
He was born in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. Hu studied literature at National Chekiang University and history at Tsinghua University. He joined the Communist Youth League in 1930 and the Communist Party in 1932.

Political and scholarly career
In the 1930s he led anti-Japanese student and worker movements in Beiping (Beijing). From 1941 to 1969, he served as Mao Zedong’s secretary, initially focusing on culture and later on politics. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he held several top roles, including president of Xinhua News Agency (1949) and vice president of the Party’s Propaganda Department. He was elected to the CCP’s Eighth Politburo in 1956.

In 1977, Hu became the first president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CAS) and later served as an adviser and honorary president. He wrote Thirty Years of the Chinese Communist Party (1951), a book that praised Mao and orthodox Marxism and highlighted the party’s leadership in China. He also played a major role in shaping CCP historiography and cultural debates.

Cultural Revolution and rehabilitation
Hu was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution but was rehabilitated in the 1970s. After his rehabilitation, he helped develop a new approach to history and to the role of science in China’s development. He remained a leading conservative theoretician alongside Deng Liqun.

Later years and legacy
Hu advocated for party leadership in journalism, arguing that the party’s views should guide media work. He participated in the 1983 Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign and influenced discussions on historical memory, including the portrayal of China’s wartime history and the War of Resistance Museum. He died in 1992 at the age of 80.