Inner Mongolia’s old order makes way as outsider replaces member of local political dynasty as chairwoman

Bu Xiaolin, whose family has dominated the post, will be replaced by Wang Lixia, an ethnic Mongolian from Liaoning province

The shake-up comes amid a major anti-corruption drive in the region and follows last year’s protests over Mandarin language education

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Bu Xiaolin was the fifth member of her family to hold the post of chairman or woman in Inner Mongolia. Photo: Weibo

Published: 10:00pm, 5 Aug 2021Updated: 1:24am, 6 Aug 2021

Inner Mongolia will see a changing of the political guard after Bu Xiaolin, a member of one of the region’s leading political families, said she would step down as chairwoman of the Chinese region.

Bu is the granddaughter of Ulanhu, an influential Communist general whose family remains a powerful political force in the region, providing five chairmen and women and occupying important commercial and cultural roles.

Wang Lixia, 55, an ethnic Mongolian from the neighbouring Liaoning province, has become acting chairwoman, according to the official Inner Mongolia Daily newspaper.

Wang, who spent most of her career in Shaanxi province before transferring to Inner Mongolia in 2016, is expected to be formally elected to the role at the regional people’s congress meeting next year, becoming the first outsider to take the post in almost 30 years.

Bu’s resignation came seven months after she fainted while delivering a work report at the annual meeting of the regional legislature, raising questions about her health.

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