Hua Guofeng (16 February 1921 - 20 August 2008), was a Chinese politician who served as Chairman of the CCP and Premier of the PRC. The designated successor of Mao Zedong, Hua held the top offices of the government, party, and the military after the deaths of Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai, but was gradually forced out of supreme power by a coalition of party leaders and subsequently retreated from the political limelight, though still remaining a member of the Central Committee until 2002.

Hua joined the CCP in 1940 and became Party secretary of Xiangtan prefecture where Mao's home village is located. He backed Mao during the Great Leap Forward, denying that a famine was taking place. In 1970 he became Party secretary of Hunan. In 1976 he succeeded Mao, who had appointed him as his successor with a note saying: 'With you in charge my heart is at ease'.

Hua was able to eliminate the Gang of Four by openly denouncing them as the cause for the excesses and problems that were the direct results of the Cultural Revolution. Instead of accusing the man who began the terror and problems for being wrong, although it is likely that Hua would not have done that anyways, Hua shifted the blame to the Gang of Four. They had shown open contempt for the people, making it clear that their interest was in themselves and power, not in leading the nation in a better direction. On October 6th, 1976, less than a month after the death of Mao, Hua had the former leader's wife, Jiang Qing, arrested. The other members were also rounded up and imprisoned alongside her, their power officially destroyed.

No longer under the influence of Mao and his supporters, the People's Republic of China began to follow a more progressive path. Hua would establish better relations with Western countries, although he did keep many of the controls in place to ensure that the government retained its influence over the population. Despite this, he still moved the nation's economy toward a more capitalistic model. The mix of a liberated economy and a controlling government is still in place today. However, he was gradually eclipsed by Deng Xiaoping and was ousted from the Politburo in 1982.