Biography of Comrade Li Chongfu
Li Chongfu (September 22, 1943–), male, Han ethnicity, native of Ezhou, Hubei Province; Member of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He is a Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor. He previously served as the Director of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought at CASS, and as President (2004–2014) and Honorary President (2014–present) of the Chinese Society of Historical Materialism. He was a member of the "Marxism and Scientific Socialism" disciplinary review group for the National Social Science Fund of China and a primary member of the Central Task Force for the Study of Basic Perspectives in Classics [1] under the Marxist Theory Research and Construction Project (Ma-Gong-Cheng). Within this project, he served as Chief Expert for thematic research and as a member of the Scientific Socialism textbook compilation group. He is a designated expert receiving the Special Government Allowance from the State Council. He served as a member of the 10th and 11th National Committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and was one of the two lead speakers for the 13th group study session of the Political Bureau of the 16th CPC Central Committee [2].
Brief Experience: Graduated in 1969 from the Department of Philosophy at Renmin University of China with a bachelor’s degree. From July 1970 to January 1972, he was assigned to Unit 156 of the Wuhan Military Region for labor tempering [3]. From January 1972 to August 1978, he was reassigned to the Huangshi Municipal Bureau of Culture in Hubei Province, serving as a secretary in the General Office and a theory instructor for the Party office. In 1978, he was admitted to the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, graduating in 1981 with a Master of Philosophy. After graduation, he remained at the Academy to teach and was appointed as a lecturer the following year. From 1983 to 1988, he worked at the Party School of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, where he was promoted to Associate Researcher in 1985. From late 1988 to mid-1997, he worked at Tsinghua University; starting in 1990, he served as Deputy Head of the Department of Social Sciences and the Department of Philosophy and Sociology, concurrently serving as Director of the Philosophy Teaching and Research Section. He was promoted to Professor in 1993. In July 1997, he was transferred back to CASS, serving successively as Deputy Director, Party Committee Secretary, and Director of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought (1997.09–2005.12). He has also served as an adjunct professor at more than 10 universities, including the CASS Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Capital Normal University.
Primary Research Fields: He has long been committed to publicity, education, and research on Marxist philosophy (with an emphasis on epistemology and historical materialism), scientific socialism, and the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Main Works: His published books include: The Contest: Strategic Reflections on the Historical Destiny of Socialism (awarded Second Prize for CASS Research Output); On Socialism in the Primary Stage in China (two volumes); Mao Zedong and the Sinicization of Marxism; On Leninism; A Marxist Interpretation of Deng Xiaoping Theory (primary author); Research on the Basic Perspectives of Marxist Classics on Class and Class Struggle, Proletarian Revolution, and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat (writer); Marxist Philosophy and the Contemporary Era (co-author, awarded CASS Prize for Outstanding Book); Epistemology of Origin (co-author); An Introduction to the World of Thinking (co-author, awarded First Prize for Social Science Excellence in Beijing and First Prize for Social Science Monographs by the Ministry of Education); Basic Course in Marxist Philosophy (Editor-in-Chief and primary author); Wisdom of Modern Philosophical Thinking (Editor-in-Chief and primary author); Research on Mao Zedong's Theory of Life Values (Editor-in-Chief and primary author); Research on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (co-author, awarded the "Five-One Project" Prize [4] by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee); Contemporary Capitalism and World Socialism (two volumes, co-author, awarded Second Prize for CASS Research Output); The Zhejiang Experience and China's Development: Party Building Volume (co-Editor-in-Chief, awarded Grand Prize for CASS Research Output); and Research on Several Major Issues of Marxism (co-Editor-in-Chief, awarded Third Prize for CASS Research Output; recommended by the state and translated into English and Russian for republication). He has also served as chief editor for over 20 works, including Educational Reader on the Marxist Worldview, Outlook on Life, and Values and 150 Years of Marxism. His translated works include Reflection in the Abiotic World. He has published over 300 papers and theoretical articles, including "The Category of Reflection and the Essence of Information," "Pluralism and Liberalization" (awarded Second Prize for Social Science Excellence in Beijing), "'Three Represents'—The Common Ideological Foundation for the United Struggle of the Whole Party and People" (writer, awarded the "Five-One Project" Prize), and "On 'Bottom-line Thinking' in State Governance." 143 of these articles are collected in the three-volume Selected Works of Li Chongfu. His total personal writings amount to approximately 5 million characters. These works have had a positive influence within theoretical circles and society.
Throughout his long career in research and teaching of Marxism and philosophy, in addition to presiding over Marxist philosophy instruction for undergraduates and graduates for nearly 10 years and organizing academic research for nearly 15 years, he has supervised more than 30 master's students, doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scholars. He retired on July 1, 2019, at the age of 76.