The Death of Deng: Long journey of the patriarch
1904: Born Deng Xixian in Sichuan province.
1920: Left China for France on a work-
study programme.
1924: Joined Chinese Communist Party.
1927: Returned to China from Moscow;
changed name to Deng Xiaoping;
appointed chief secretary to party
Central Committee.
1933: Disciplined for disagreeing with
the party line and briefly imprisoned.
1937: Political commissar, 129th division, 8th Route Army.
1945: Political commissar, Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Command.
1950: Political commissar, South-west
Military Command.
1952-1966: Vice-prime minister.
1953-1954: Also minister of finance.
1955: Joined party politburo.
1956: Appointed party general secretary.
1963-64: Acting prime minister.
1966: Removed from party leadership
and government positions.
1969: Sent to do manual labour in
Jiangxi province.
1973: Rehabilitated and appointed
vice- prime minister.
1974: Elected to the politburo.
1975: Joined politburo standing committee; vice-chairman of party central committee; first vice-prime minister; chief of staff of
People's Liberation Army.
1976: Removed from leadership.
1977: Reinstated to all posts held at the
end of 1975.
1978: December. Emerged as paramount
leader when third plenum of the 11th
party central committee backed his
policies of reform and modernisation.
1978-83: Chairman of Chinese People's
Political Consultative Conference.
1980 Resigned as army chief of staff.
1982: Joined standing committee of
the politburo.
1983-1990: Chairman of Central
Military Commission.
1989: Ordered Tiananmen crackdown; announced retirement from public offices
1994: Last public sighting in February.
Died 19 February 1997.
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