ABSTRACT
Zhao Ziyang advanced to the summit of the political system through the one formal channel most likely to get him there—the Party. Moreover, Zhao was brought into the Party through another formal channel, the Communist Youth League (CYL). The CYL is not the only source of recruitment into the Party, but it is the most common and important one. By having worked in the provinces Zhao not only learned local realities first-hand and built up administrative expertise, but he also gained seniority. In China seniority is rewarded. So-called “helicopter promotions” inevitably fall. Moreover, by working in the provinces, Zhao was able to cultivate a regional base of power. After the revolution Zhao continued to serve under key leaders in the Central-South Bureau and, of course, Tao Zhu, in the Guangdong Chinese Communist Party apparatus. Zhao’s ties to Tao Zhu represent two types of patron-client networks in the Chinese system.
