As communist cadres go, Wang Lequan and his successor Zhang Chunxian represent two extremes.
Wang, 65, earned the nickname 'the emperor of Xinjiang ' for his iron-fisted rule over the restive region, and for his fiery rhetoric.
After deadly riots in the region's capital, Urumqi, in July, in which most of those killed were Han Chinese, he appeared on television calling the riot 'a massive conspiracy' to sabotage ethnic unity and called on citizens to 'point the spear towards hostile forces at home and abroad'.
Zhang, on the other hand, is famous for his populist style and his media savvy. When he was transport minister, he would patiently answer questions from reporters who buttonholed him at the National People's Congress. In 2006, he made a tearful appearance on television during a visit to the parents of a university student who died trying to save people from drowning.
Wang cut his teeth as a rural cadre and climbed up the political ladder in his native Shandong province, where he was appointed vice-governor in 1989. In 1991 he was made deputy head of the Xinjiang government and in 1995 was promoted to party secretary.
Wang's tenure in the province was unusually long. Since the 1990s, very few party secretaries in other provinces have served longer than two terms, or 10 years. The central government has shuffled leading cadres between provinces to avoid corruption and nepotism.
Tibet, another border region deemed crucial for ethnic stability, is on its fourth party secretary since 1992. Zhang Qingli, a close ally of President Hu Jintao , was appointed in 2006. Wang's obsession with stability earned him another nickname - 'the secretary of stability'. Political observers believe he remained in office so long because Beijing was reluctant to make changes lest it cause instability in the border region, which is perceived as China's frontline against Uygur separatism and terrorism.