The Death of Deng: Long journey of the patriarch

1904: Born Deng Xixian in Sichuan province.

1920: Left China for France on a work-

study programme.

1924: Joined Chinese Communist Party.

1927: Returned to China from Moscow;

changed name to Deng Xiaoping;

appointed chief secretary to party

Central Committee.

1933: Disciplined for disagreeing with

the party line and briefly imprisoned.

1937: Political commissar, 129th division, 8th Route Army.

1945: Political commissar, Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Command.

1950: Political commissar, South-west

Military Command.

1952-1966: Vice-prime minister.

1953-1954: Also minister of finance.

1955: Joined party politburo.

1956: Appointed party general secretary.

1963-64: Acting prime minister.

1966: Removed from party leadership

and government positions.

1969: Sent to do manual labour in

Jiangxi province.

1973: Rehabilitated and appointed

vice- prime minister.

1974: Elected to the politburo.

1975: Joined politburo standing committee; vice-chairman of party central committee; first vice-prime minister; chief of staff of

People's Liberation Army.

1976: Removed from leadership.

1977: Reinstated to all posts held at the

end of 1975.

1978: December. Emerged as paramount

leader when third plenum of the 11th

party central committee backed his

policies of reform and modernisation.

1978-83: Chairman of Chinese People's

Political Consultative Conference.

1980 Resigned as army chief of staff.

1982: Joined standing committee of

the politburo.

1983-1990: Chairman of Central

Military Commission.

1989: Ordered Tiananmen crackdown; announced retirement from public offices

1994: Last public sighting in February.

Died 19 February 1997.