China: Liu Shaoqi with his wife Wang Guangmei, c. 1949

Liu Shaoqi (Liu Shao-ch'i, 24 November 1898 – 12 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary, statesman, and theorist. He was Chairman of the People's Republic of China, China's head of state, from 27 April 1959 to 31 October 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China. He fell out of favour in the later 1960s during the Cultural Revolution because of his perceived 'right-wing' viewpoints and, it is theorised, because Mao viewed Liu as a threat to his power. He disappeared from public life in 1968 and was labelled China's premier 'Capitalist-roader' and a traitor. He died under harsh treatment in late 1969, but he was posthumously rehabilitated by Deng Xiaoping's government in 1980 and given a state funeral. Wang Guangmei (26 September 1921 - 13 October 2006) was a respected Chinese politician, philanthropist, and First Lady, the wife of Liu Shaoqi, who served as the President of the People's Republic from 1959-1968.