Xia Mo, Xia Jianguo, Tian Zhiyuan and Tian Yuan. They are all virtual characters. They represented a group of progressive people with advanced thoughts in China at that time. Therefore, the audience in TV series don't know Tian Zhiyuan's position, only know what special leader he is, because TV series that reflect history and politics like this have certain authenticity, and virtual characters can't have real positions!
There are also Liu Xiyao and Fang Yi, all of whom are real. Their positions as Minister of Education and Dean of Academy of Sciences are not easy to change!