Li Zhi (official)

Li Zhi
栗智
Communist Party Secretary of Ürümqi
In office November 2006 – 6 September 2009
Preceded by	Yang Gang
Succeeded by	Zhu Hailun
Personal details
Born	November 1950 (age 66) Lixin County, Anhui, China
Nationality	Chinese
Political party	Communist Party of China (1971–2015, expelled)

Li Zhi (Chinese: 栗智; pinyin: Lì Zhì; born November 1950) is a former Chinese politician who spent his career in Xinjiang, most notable for his role as the Communist party chief of Ürümqi during the city's rioting in July 2009. He was originally from Lixin, Anhui. He was detained by the authorities for investigation in 2015 and then expelled from the Communist Party of China.

According to his official biography, Li joined the People's Liberation Army in 1969, joined the Communist Party of China in March 1971, and has a post-graduate degree. After retiring from military service, Li worked in Nilka County in Xinjiang as a labourer in the grains department. He then went on to serve in the Region's Light Manufacturing Bureau. He then served for about a decade in the hops industry. In 1993, he became the General Manager and Chairman of Xinjiang Hops Holdings Ltd.

His administrative career with the Communist Party began in 2000 as the deputy party chief of Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture. He then became the party chief of the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. He returned to Changji in January 2005 as the prefecture's party chief, and was elevated to the party chief of Ürümqi in November 2006, becoming first-in-charge of Xinjiang's capital. The party chief position in Ürümqi typically comes with an ex officio seat on the provincial Party Standing Committee.

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