During the Yan'an period he served as deputy director of China Women's College and later, since 1939, as deputy director of the Central Committee's United front Department.
He was purged during the Rectification Campaign in 1943, allegedly due to his antagonism with Liu Shaoqi, who at that time was second in command of the Party.
Following the end of the Rectification Campaign he started rising within the Party and became closer to Mao Zedong.
[1]: 549–552 After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Ke served as the secretary of CCP Nanjing municipal committee, the mayor of Nanjing, a member of East China Military and Political Commission, Party chief of CCP Jiangsu Provincial Committee,[2] first secretary of CCP Shanghai municipal committee,[3] mayor of Shanghai, the first political commissioner of Nanjing Military Region, first secretary of CCP East China Bureau, and vice premier of the State Council.
When the Cultural Revolution ended he was criticized because he was one of the few people that knew Mao's plan of purging Liu Shaoqi.