Lu Fangliang
Lù Fāngliáng | |
|---|---|
| 陆方良 | |
.jpg) Official Portrait of Lu Fangliang | |
| First Lady of Shangea | |
| In office 7th September 1959 – =31st March 1970 | |
| President | Li Zhaozheng |
| Preceded by | Liu Ran |
| Succeeded by | Cai Qichun |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 14, 1922 Kuoqing, Luoyuan Province, Shangea |
| Died | May 24, 2008 (aged 86) Baiqiao, Huayuan Prefecture, Shangea |
| Nationality | Xiaodongese |
| Political party | File:孝共和黨.png Xiaodong Regeneration Society |
| Spouse | Li Zhaozheng |
| Relations | Lu Keqian (father) Tao Guangmei (mother) |
| Children | Lu Yanling |
Lu Fangliang (Shangean: 陆方良; Lù Fāngliáng) was a Shangean politician who served as the First Lady of Shangea from 1959 to 1970 under her husband Li Zhaozheng. She was the daughter of Lu Keqian and alongside her brother Lu Zhaohui served as the head of the Lu dynasty, a political family in Shangea that during her husbands rule reached the height of its power. Despite never holding a formal position in Shangean politics Lu was a powerful figure who in the 1960s was considered one of the most influential people in Shangea.
Born in 1917 and educated at Rongzhuo University (one of the first women to hold the distinction), Lu was first involved in politics as part of her fathers inner circle following the Corrective Revolution, being one of his unofficial advisers. In 1950 she married then-Minister of Industry and Public Enterprises Li Zhaozheng and started to build a political career of her own. When Li became State Chairman in 1959 Lu became his chief confidantes and officially represented Shangea abroad. She became known for her disdain of the Chanwan minority whom she frequently referred to as rats and launched an active campaign of ethnic cleansing against them. In domestic policy she supported increasing education for women and children.
Lu had very poor relations with the military-industrial complex in Shangea and was seen by much of the population as arrogant and excessively wealthy. As the economy worsened the kleptocratic nature of the Li government was frequently criticised. In 1970 a coup occurred which saw the ruling family exiled to Verlois in Gaullica. Lu would live there until 1984 when the family returned to Shangea including Lu's daughter, Lu Yanling. Lu would in the 1990s become a public figure critical of the conduct of the Chanwan War but would remain on the political margins. She died of breast cancer in 2008. After her death, a series of financial scandals broke regarding Lu in relation to "black gold", with its estimated 5,200 million ($49.35 million) believed to have been embezzled over Lu's career. Lu's daughter Lu Yanling remains active in Shangean politics being married to current Shangean leader Yuan Xiannian.