Hu Heping

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Hu Heping

|native_name = {{lang|zh-cn|{{nobold|胡和平}}}}

|other names =

|image = Hu Heping (cropped).jpg

|width =

|caption = Hu in 2023

| office = Executive Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party

| term_start = March 2023

| term_end =

| 1blankname = Head

| 1namedata = Li Shulei

| predecessor = Li Shulei

| successor =

|office1 = Minister of Culture and Tourism

|term_start1 = 11 August 2020

|term_end1 = 29 December 2023

|premier1 = Li Keqiang
Li Qiang

|predecessor1 = Luo Shugang

|successor1 = Sun Yeli

|office2 = Party Secretary of Shaanxi

|term_start2 = 29 October 2017

|term_end2 = 31 July 2020

|predecessor2 = Lou Qinjian

|successor2 = Liu Guozhong

|deputy2 = Liu Guozhong (Governor)

|office3 = Governor of Shaanxi

|term_start3 = 1 April 2016

|term_end3 =4 January 2018

|predecessor3 = Lou Qinjian

|successor3 = Liu Guozhong

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1962|10|24}}

|birth_place = Urad Houqi, Inner Mongolia, China

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Chinese Communist Party

|spouse =

|children =

|alma_mater = Tsinghua University

}}

Hu Heping ({{zh|c=胡和平|p=Hú Hépíng}}; born 24 October 1962) is a Chinese politician and the current executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Previously, he served as the governor and party secretary of Shaanxi province, party secretary of Tsinghua University and Minister of Culture and Tourism.

Early life

Hu was born in Urad Houqi, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia in 1962 with ancestral roots in Linyi, Shandong province. He graduated with a hydraulic engineering degree from Tsinghua University. He joined the Communist Party while studying at Tsinghua, in June 1982. In 1990, he received a master's of engineering degree. He also worked as an instructor and teaching assistant while becoming involved with the grassroots party organization at the university. In 1992, he entered University of Tokyo to study engineering, by 1995 he had earned his doctorate and then joined the Japanese architecture firm INA.

Career

Hu returned to China in December 1996 and became vice dean of the Department of Hydraulic Engineering at Tsinghua University and the head of the Institute of Water Resources. In 2000, he began overseeing party personnel and human resources at Tsinghua. In 2006, he became executive deputy secretary and vice president of Tsinghua. In December 2008, he was elevated to party chief, the highest position at the university (equivalent in rank to a vice minister of state).

In December 2013, Hu replaced Cai Qi as Organization Department chief of the Zhejiang provincial party committee, making his first foray into regional politics; Hu also earned a Shengwei Changwei seat.{{cite news|title=胡和平接替蔡奇任浙江省委组织部长|url=http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/11-20/5526473.shtml|access-date=2015-04-08|newspaper=Chinanews|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415020131/http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/11-20/5526473.shtml|archive-date=2015-04-15}} In April 2015 he was made deputy party chief of Shaanxi.{{cite news|title=胡和平任陕西省委副书记曾任清华大学党委书记|url=http://news.163.com/15/0408/16/AMMOFR330001124J.html|access-date=2015-04-08|newspaper=Netease|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411041357/http://news.163.com/15/0408/16/AMMOFR330001124J.html|archive-date=2015-04-11}} On 1 April 2016, Hu was promoted to Acting Governor of Shaanxi, succeeding Lou Qinjian. At the time of his appointment as governor, he had just over two years of experience in regional politics. He was confirmed as Governor on 27 April.{{cite news|title=胡和平任陕西省代省长娄勤俭辞去省长职务|url=http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2016-04-01/doc-ifxqxcnp8406565.shtml|work=Sina|date=April 1, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404113956/http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2016-04-01/doc-ifxqxcnp8406565.shtml|archive-date=April 4, 2016}} Analysts suggested the Hu's promotion took the "fast lane."{{cite news|title=3月人事综述：着眼换届省级党委常委密集调整|url=http://china.caixin.com/2016-04-01/100927465.html|work=Caixin|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403025951/http://china.caixin.com/2016-04-01/100927465.html|archive-date=2016-04-03}} On 29 October 2017, he was elevated to Communist Party Chief of Shaanxi, again succeeding Lou.{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-10/29/c_1121872310.htm |title=上海等3省市党委主要负责同志职务调整 |language=zh |publisher=Xinhua |access-date=2017-10-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029174543/http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-10/29/c_1121872310.htm |archive-date=2017-10-29 }} In July 2020, he was appointed party secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.{{cite news |title=胡和平任文化和旅游部党组书记 |url=http://renshi.people.com.cn/n1/2020/0731/c139617-31806128.html |access-date=1 August 2020 |agency=人民网 |date=31 July 2020}} In March 2023, he became the executive deputy head of the CCP Publicity Department.

Hu is currently a full member of the 20th CCP Central Committee. Previously, he was an alternate of the 18th Central Committee and a full member of the 19th Central Committee.{{cite news |url=http://news.163.com/15/0408/16/AMMOFR330001124J.html |language=zh |title=胡和平任陕西省委副书记曾任清华大学党委书记 |work=Netease |date=2015-04-08 |access-date=2015-04-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411041357/http://news.163.com/15/0408/16/AMMOFR330001124J.html |archive-date=2015-04-11 }}