In recent times, there have been frequent personnel changes at Chinese universities, with the student of Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Huning, Lin Shangli, being removed from the position of president of Renmin University of China. Lin Shangli previously served as the Secretary-General of the Central Policy Research Office before being transferred three years ago.
According to a report from Xinhua News Agency on December 3, the State Council of the Communist Party of China appointed Zhang Li as Assistant Minister of Commerce; appointed Ma Huaid as the president of Renmin University of China (deputy minister level); and appointed Hu Wenping as the president of Xiamen University (deputy minister level). They also removed Dong Xin from the position of Deputy Director of the State Administration of Radio and Television; removed Lin Shangli from the position of president of Renmin University of China; and removed Zhang Zongyi from the position of president of Xiamen University.
Lin Shangli, a member of the Fudan Gang led by current Standing Committee member Wang Huning, has drawn attention due to these changes.
Public records show that Lin Shangli was born in November 1963 in Minhou, Fujian Province. He previously served as Vice President and Professor at Fudan University, as well as Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the Central Policy Research Office of the Communist Party of China. In August 2022, he was reassigned as president of Renmin University of China until the recent removal from this position.
Lin Shangli was a student and colleague of Wang Huning during their time at Fudan University. While Wang Huning was in charge of the Central Policy Research Office, Lin Shangli was appointed as the Secretary-General of the office in 2017 and later served as Deputy Director and Secretary-General in November 2020. The timing of Lin Shangli’s departure from the office coincided with the aftermath of the Beidaihe Conference of the Communist Party of China, during which it was expected that Cai Qi would succeed Wang Huning.
There have been rumors in Beijing political circles that Cai Qi, as a protege of Xi Jinping, looked down on Wang Huning, nicknamed “the three surnamed house slave,” and did not appreciate Wang Huning’s secretive nature. Cai Qi may also not have been fond of the group of intellectuals who were originally under Wang Huning. Consequently, after the internal decision for Cai Qi to succeed Wang Huning was made, there were already rumors of personnel changes at the Central Policy Research Office, leading to Lin Shangli’s removal.
In addition to the changes of presidents at Renmin University of China and Xiamen University, on December 3, Xiao Jianzhuang was appointed as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and president of Guangxi University, overseeing the overall administration of the university. Xiao Jianzhuang previously served as a member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Guangxi University. Han Linhai, the former president of Guangxi University, stepped down from his position in May 2025.
Furthermore, Wang Lizhong has been appointed as the Executive Vice President of Zhejiang University, and Xia Qunke has been appointed as Vice President of Zhejiang University, while Wu Jian and Huang Xianhai have been removed from the positions of Vice Presidents of Zhejiang University.