{{Short description|Chinese politician (1916–2006)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{family name hatnote|[[Liang (surname)|Liang]]|lang=Chinese}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Liang Lingguang | image = File:Liang Lingguang.jpg | native_name = {{nobold|梁灵光}} | native_name_lang = zh-Hans | birth_date = November 1916 | birth_place = [[Yongchun County]], [[Fujian]], China | death_date = {{death date and age|2006|2|25|1916|11|df=y}} | death_place = [[Guangzhou]], [[Guangdong]], China | office1 = [[Governor of Guangdong]] | term_start1 = April 1983 | term_end1 = August 1985 | predecessor1 = [[Liu Tianfu]] | successor1 = [[Ye Xuanping]] | office2 = [[Mayor of Guangzhou]] | term_start2 = September 1980 | term_end2 = July 1983 | predecessor2 = [[Yang Shangkun]] | successor2 = [[Ye Xuanping]] | module = {{Infobox Chinese |child=yes |t=梁靈光 |s=梁灵光 |p=Liáng Língguāng |w=Liang Ling-kuang }} | party = [[Chinese Communist Party]] }} '''Liang Lingguang''' ({{zh|s=梁灵光|w=Liang Ling-kuang}}; November 1916 – 25 February 2006) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and politician. An anti-Japanese activist in the 1930s, he led a guerrilla force under the [[New Fourth Army]] during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], and rose to Chief of Staff of the 29th Corps of the [[People's Liberation Army]] during the [[Chinese Civil War]].
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Liang served as the first Mayor of [[Xiamen]], Vice Governor of [[Fujian]], and later Minister of Light Industry (1977–1980). During the [[reform and opening]] era, he was transferred to [[Guangdong]] province, where he served as Mayor of [[Guangzhou]] (1980–1983), Governor of Guangdong (1983–1985), and President of [[Jinan University]] (1983–1985). He was one of the pioneering reformist leaders who propelled Guangdong's economic rise in the 1980s.
== Early life == Liang was born in November 1916 in Wufeng Town ({{lang|zh|吾峰镇}}), [[Yongchun County]], [[Fujian]], Republic of China.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://qz.fjsen.com/2015-07/27/content_16406485_all.htm|title=梁灵光：投笔从戎成儒将 智勇双全屡建功|last=Wang Lihong 王丽虹|date=27 July 2015|website=Quanzhou Evening News|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=24 September 2019}}</ref> His father, a merchant, died when he was young. His older brother Liang Piyun ({{lang|zh|梁披云}}), who had studied in Japan, brought him to [[Shanghai]] to study at Lida School ({{lang|zh|立达学园}}).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://news.sohu.com/20060226/n242021722.shtml|title=深切怀念梁灵光|last=|first=|date=26 February 2006|website=Guangzhou Daily|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=24 September 2019}}</ref>
== Anti-Japanese activism == When the [[Empire of Japan]] occupied [[Northeast China]] in 1931 following the [[Mukden Incident]], Liang participated in anti-Japanese activities organized by the underground [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP), and was expelled by his high school. He moved to [[Xiamen]], Fujian, where he worked as an editor at the magazine ''Pinghua'' ({{lang|zh|平话}}) and published articles condemning Japanese aggression.<ref name=":1" />
After ''Pinghua'' was shut down by the [[Kuomintang]] government, Liang returned to Shanghai to continue his education,<ref name=":1" /> and lived at the off-campus dorm of [[Jinan University]], then located in [[Zhenru]] in the outskirts of Shanghai. In 1935, when the [[December 9th Movement]] broke out in Beijing against [[North China Buffer State Strategy|Japanese encroachment in North China]], Liang joined Jinan students to petition the Kuomintang government in [[Nanjing]] to actively resist Japanese aggression. On the train to Nanjing, he met fellow petitioner Zhu Hanzhang ({{lang|zh|朱含章}}), a Jinan University student who later became his wife.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.jnu.edu.cn/sdjn/rw/2018/10/17/10560543155.html|title=梁灵光：省长兼校长 心系华教 复兴暨大|last=Zhong Yuanze 钟元泽|date=17 October 2018|website=Jinan University|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=24 September 2019}}</ref>
In the summer of 1936, Liang moved to [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[British Malaya]]. There he taught at Zunkong Middle School ({{lang|zh|尊孔中学}}) founded by his brother Piyun,<ref name=":0" /> and organized anti-Japanese groups such as the [[Selangor]] Anti-Imperialism Union under the guidance of the [[Malayan Communist Party]].<ref name=":1" />
== Wartime career == When Japan launched its full-scale [[Second Sino-Japanese War|invasion of China]] in July 1937, Liang returned to China to join the resistance. He enlisted in the [[New Fourth Army]] and fought in the guerrilla war in northern [[Jiangsu]] province. In 1940, he was appointed the [[county magistrate]] of [[Rugao]] and joined the CCP.<ref name=":1" /> He was later appointed county magistrate of [[Nantong]] and fought many battles against the forces of Japan and the puppet [[Wang Jingwei regime]], even temporarily taking over the Japanese-occupied county seat of [[Haimen]].<ref name=":0" />
During the [[Chinese Civil War]] which broke out after the [[surrender of Japan]], Liang served as Commander of the 33rd Brigade of the {{ill|East China Field Army|zh|华东野战军}} and Chief of Staff of the 29th Corps of the [[People's Liberation Army]]. He fought in major battles including the [[Battle of Huangqiao]], the [[Huaihai campaign]], the [[Yangtze River Crossing Campaign]], the [[Shanghai Campaign]], and the Battle of Fuzhou.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://gd.news.sina.com.cn/local/2006-03-03/2256531.html|title=广东原省长梁灵光同志遗体广州火化|last=|first=|date=3 March 2006|website=Sina|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=24 September 2019}}</ref>
== People's Republic of China == After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Liang was appointed the first Mayor of [[Xiamen]], Fujian, and worked to restore industrial production after the end of the civil war. In March 1956, he became Vice Governor of Fujian and a member of its [[provincial party standing committee]].<ref name=":2" /> He was dismissed during the [[Cultural Revolution]], but was restored to the party standing committee in early 1975, and appointed deputy director of the Provincial [[Revolutionary committee (China)|Revolutionary Committee]]. In November 1977, Liang was transferred to the national government to serve as Minister of Light Industry.<ref name=":2" />
=== Guangdong Province === In November 1980, at the beginning of the [[reform and opening]] era, Liang was transferred to [[Guangdong]] together with [[Ren Zhongyi]], to replace [[Xi Zhongxun]] and [[Yang Shangkun]], who had been transferred to Beijing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.southcn.com/gdnews/gdtodayimportant/200312181120.htm|title=见证大时代 老书记梁灵光谈20年前不平凡岁月|last=|first=|date=18 December 2003|website=Nanfang Media|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref> Liang served as First Party Secretary and Mayor of [[Guangzhou]], the provincial capital, while Ren was appointed the provincial Party Chief.<ref name="CheungChung2016">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ww6mDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT141|title=Provincial Strategies of Economic Reform in Post-Mao China: Leadership, Politics, and Implementation: Leadership, Politics, and Implementation|last1=Cheung|first1=Peter T.Y.|last2=Chung|first2=Jae Ho|last3=Lin|first3=Zhimin|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2016|isbn=978-1-315-29315-8|page=141}}</ref> In March 1983, Liang was promoted to Governor of Guangdong, succeeding [[Liu Tianfu]]. He concurrently served as President of [[Jinan University]], which had been reestablished in Guangzhou.<ref name=":2" /> He stepped down as governor in July 1985 and was succeeded by [[Ye Xuanping]].<ref name="Crane2019">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ws6gDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT128|title=The Political Economy of China's Economic Zones|last=Crane|first=George T.|date=4 July 2019|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-315-49243-8|page=128}}</ref> Ren, Liu, Liang, and Ye were all considered reform pioneers who propelled the economic development of Guangdong in the 1980s.<ref name="CheungChung2016" />
From 1985 to 1988, Liang served as Director of the Guangdong Provincial Advisory Commission, and concurrently as the first chairman of China Travel Service Group Corporation (CTS) of Hong Kong. In May 1988, he was elected a member of the Standing Committee of the [[7th National People's Congress]] and served as Vice Director of the [[National People's Congress Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee|Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee]] of the NPC.<ref name=":2" />
Liang was a member of the [[12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]], and a member of the [[2nd National People's Congress|2nd]], [[5th National People's Congress|5th]], [[6th National People's Congress|6th]], and [[7th National People's Congress|7th]] [[National People's Congress]]es.<ref name=":2" />
Liang died on 25 February 2006 in Guangzhou, aged 89.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2006-02-26/09128304328s.shtml|title=原轻工业部部长广东省原省长梁灵光逝世|date=26 February 2006|website=Sina|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Guangdong leaders}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liang, Lingguang}} [[Category:1916 births]] [[Category:2006 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century mayors of places in China]] [[Category:Governors of Guangdong]] [[Category:Mayors of Guangzhou]] [[Category:Politicians from Quanzhou]] [[Category:Chinese expatriates in Malaysia]] [[Category:Members of the 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]] [[Category:Academic staff of Jinan University]] [[Category:New Fourth Army personnel]] [[Category:Delegates to the 2nd National People's Congress]] [[Category:Delegates to the 5th National People's Congress]] [[Category:Delegates to the 6th National People's Congress]] [[Category:Members of the Standing Committee of the 7th National People's Congress]] [[Category:Mayors of Xiamen]] [[Category:Politicians from Xiamen]] [[Category:Chinese military personnel of World War II]] [[Category:Presidents of Jinan University]] [[Category:Chinese Communist Party politicians from Fujian]] [[Category:Party secretaries of Xiamen]] [[Category:Party secretaries of Guangzhou]]