By the late 1980s, all Elders, including Deng himself, were united in opposition to further political reforms, while holding different views on economic and foreign affairs.
According to reformist General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, of all the Elders, Li Xiannian was the most prominent, most active and most successful in opposing and blocking changes and reforms in both political and economic issues.
With Deng Xiaoping as the main holder of power, the eight elders are accepted to include:[6][additional citation(s) needed] Descendants of the eight Elders who have benefited significantly from nepotism and cronyism constitute a group now known as "the Princelings" or the "Crown Prince Party".
Its members, rising through party ranks, can easily overrule any opposition in their jurisdictions, even if they are assigned to a local administrative position.
[5] Bloomberg has reported on the extensive wealth accumulated by these descendants via their roles in various public and private companies.