Zhao Lichun

Zhao Lichun (simplified Chinese: 赵立春) was an unseen villain of of the 2017 Chinese TV drama series, In the Name of People, acting as the man behind every illegal affairs happening in Handong Province. Before his downfall, he was the Secretary of Handong Provincial Committee of the CPC, and was later promoted to a deputy country level official until he was arrested alongside his corrupt son.

Overview
Zhao Lichun did not make an appearance in the story, and he was first mentioned by Chen Yanshi as "the start of corruption in Handong." However, he was the one who was truly resposible for every bad event of the series.

Once sided with the anti-corruption forces but later corrupted as well, Zhao Lichun was the father of Zhao Ruilong and two daughters. Being an official who had a even higher rank than Sha Ruijin, the current Secretary of Handong Provincial Committee of the CPC, Zhao Lichun used his great power to madly gain illegal financial prosperity for himself and his son. He became somewhat like an reactionist who disobeyed the will of people and turned his back on them.

Eventually, after the death of Qi Tongwei and the arrest and imprisonment of every other villains in Handong Province, it was later mentioned that Zhao Lichun, the source of all evil in Handong, met his downfall and was arrested for his crime as well, ending the corruption he caused.

Trivia

 * Despite not making an appearance, Zhao Lichun is the true Greater Scope Villain behind the entire series since he was the father and predecessor of Zhao Ruilong, the main and final villain of the series.
 * Zhao Lichun is the only official in the series that was a deputy country level official before his downfall, being the most powerful villain in the entire series.
 * Zhao Lichun was loosely inspired by Su Rong, a former senior regional official and politician in China. He began his career in his native Jilin, and successively served as Communist Party Secretary of Qinghai, Gansu, and Jiangxi provinces. In March 2013, he became one of the vice-chairmen of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). In June 2014, he was probed by the Communist Party's anti-graft watchdog for "disciplinary violations", which typically indicate corruption. He is one of the highest-ranking officials to come under investigation for graft since Xi Jinping became General Secretary of the Communist Party in 2012.