The term "First Lady" refers to the legal spouse of the paramount leader or the state representative of China, but this is an unofficial title. Because China's highest leader and head of state are not necessarily the same person, the official definition of "first spouse" has long been absent.
History During Liu Shaoqi 's tenure as President of China, he and his wife Wang Guangmei made several overseas visits. Foreign media often referred to Wang Guangmei as "First Lady," which displeased Mao Zedong's wife, Jiang Qing. Jiang Qing believed that as the wife of the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, she was the rightful First Lady. This laid the groundwork for the later criticism and struggle against Liu Shaoqi and his wife during the Cultural Revolution.
Until 2013, when Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, visited Russia, Tanzania and South Africa with his wife Peng Liyuan, the official Chinese media Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily and Global Times referred to Peng Liyuan as "China’s First Lady", which sparked a "First Lady fever" in China. After that, official reports mostly referred to Peng Liyuan as "Xi Jinping’s wife", and when she visited foreign countries, she was referred to as "Professor Peng Liyuan".
List of spouses of the paramount leaders All six leaders have had a spouse during their terms in office. The current First Lady is Peng Liyuan, wife of General Secretary Xi Jinping.
Picture Name Leader Tenure Jiang Qing(1914–1991) Mao Zedong 1 October 1949 – 9 September 1976 Han Zhijun(1930- ) Hua Guofeng 9 September 1976 – 22 December 1978 Zhuo Lin(1916–2009) Deng Xiaoping 22 December 1978 – 9 November 1989 Wang Yeping(1928- ) Jiang Zemin 9 November 1989 – 15 November 2002 Liu Yongqing(1940- ) Hu Jintao 15 November 2002 – 15 November 2012 Peng Liyuan(born 1962) Xi Jinping 15 November 2012 – Incumbent
List of spouses of presidents Since the first president, six presidents have had a spouse during their terms in office. The current spouse is Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping. No.ImageSpousePresidentTenure1Jiang QingMao Zedong27 September 1954 – 27 April 19592Wang GuangmeiLiu Shaoqi27 April 1959 – 31 October 19683Lin JiameiLi Xiannian18 June 1983 – 8 April 1988VacantYang Shangkun8 April 1988 – 27 March 19934Wang YepingJiang Zemin27 March 1993 – 15 March 20035Liu YongqingHu Jintao15 March 2003 – 14 March 20136Peng LiyuanXi Jinping14 March 2013 – Incumbent
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