Profile: Zhang Gaoli: From "poor boy" to political figure (3)

（Xinhua） 08:37, December 26, 2012

File photo taken on July 3, 2007 shows Zhang Gaoli presides over the first meeting of the leading group of Tianjin's Speeding-up Binhai New Area Development and Opening-up to discuss the development of Binhai New Area in north China's Tianjin Municipality. (Xinhua/Song Ziming)

After his graduation in 1970, four years into the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Zhang worked at the Maoming Oil Company in Guangdong. He spent more than a year working as a crane operator and loader, backpacking cement almost every day.

He later became an office clerk, deputy secretary of the oil company's committee of the Communist Youth League of China, and deputy secretary of the Party committee of the company's refinery.
In 1984, he made his way to general manager of the company and concurrently served as deputy secretary of the CPC Maoming city committee.

An economist by training, Zhang began to lead the Guangdong provincial economic commission in 1985, and three years later became vice governor of Guangdong.