Jiang Zemin, born on 17 August 1926, is a native of Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.

He participated in the students' movement led by underground CPC organizations from 1943 and joined the CPC in April 1946. He graduated from the Electrical Machinery Department of Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1947.

After the liberation of Shanghai, he served successively as deputy engineer, chief of the works section and concurrently head of the power workshop, Party branch secretary and first deputy director of Shanghai Yimin No. 1 Foodstuff Factory, first deputy director of Shanghai Soap Factory, chief of the electrical machinery section of Shanghai No. 2 Design Division of the First Ministry of Machine-Building Industry. He worked as a trainee at the Stalin Automobile Works in Moscow in 1955.

After returning to China in 1956, he worked as deputy chief of the dynamic mechanics division, deputy chief engineer for dynamic mechanics of the First Automobile Plant in Changchun and director of the power factory in the plant.

After 1962, he served successively as deputy director of the Shanghai Electrical Equipment Research Institute under the First Ministry of Machine-Building Industry, director and acting Party committee secretary of the Wuhan Heat-Power Machinery Institute under the Ministry, deputy director-general and director-general of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the First Ministry of Machine-Building Industry.

After 1980, he served as vice-chairman and concurrently secretary-general of the State Administration Commission on Import and Export Affairs and the State Administration Commission on Foreign Investment and a member of the Leading Party Members' Groups of the two commissions.

After 1982, he served as first vice-minister and deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the Ministry of Electronics Industry and minister and secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the Ministry.

After 1985, he served as mayor of Shanghai and deputy secretary and secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee. He was elected member of the CPC Central Committee at the Twelfth CPC National Congress in September 1982.

In November 1987, he was elected member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee at the First Plenary Session of the Thirteenth CPC Central Committee. In June 1989, he was elected member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee at the Fourth Plenary Session of the Thirteenth CPC Central Committee.

In November 1989, he was elected chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Thirteenth CPC Central Committee.

In March 1990, he was elected chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China at the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress. In October 1992, he was elected member of the Political Bureau, its Standing Committee and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission at the First Plenary Session of the Fourteenth CPC Central Committee.

In March 1993, he was elected president of the People's Republic of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China at the First Session of the Eighth National People's Congress.

In September 1997, he was elected member of the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission at the First Plenary Session of the Fifteenth CPC Central Committee. In March 1998, he was re-elected president of the People's Republic of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China at the First Session of the Ninth National People's Congress.

In November 2002, he was re-elected chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission at the First Plenary Session of the Sixteenth CPC Central Committee.

On March 15, 2003, he was reelected chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People?s Republic of China.

On Sept. 19, 2004, he retired from Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC).