Xu Xiangqian (1901-1990)

Great proletarian revolutionary and military leader; Marshal of the People's Republic of China, one of the founders of the People's Liberation Army; one of the outstanding leaders of the Party and the State. His original name was Xiang Qian, and his courtesy name was Zijing and he was born in Wutai County, Shanxi Province. He was from a poor family, thus unable to go to school in 1917, consequently in this year he started to work as an apprentice in a grocery shop. In spring of 1919, he was admitted to the accelerated classes of the Shanxi National Normal School(Teachers' College).

After graduation in 1921, he served as a primary school teacher in Yangqu County and Hebian Village under the Wutai County; he was dismissed from his job for propagating patriotic and anti-feudal ideas to his students. In September, he was incorporated into the Sun Yat-sen Guards to go to Shaoguan to participate in the Northern Expedition. He was admitted to Huangpu Military Academy in April 1924 and remained in this school as platoon leader after graduation. In the spring of 1925, he participated in the first expedition of the warlord Chen Yuming. Later, he went to the Sixth Brigade of the Second Army of the National Army to serve as an instructor, staff officer, and deputy. In the winter of 1926, after arriving in Wuhan he served as political instructor of Nanhu Military Academy; in March 1927, he joined the Communist Party of China. In April, he served as the captain of the Wuhan Central Military Political School. After 1927, he served as the captain of the Sixth Wing of the Workers Red Guard. In December 1927, he took part in the Guangzhou Uprising. After the failure of the Guangzhou Uprising, he moved to Hailufeng District, where he was successively served as the Party Commissar of the 10th regiment of the fourth Division of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army, and the Chief of Staff and the Chief Commander of the fourth Division. In 1929, he successively served as the deputy division commander of the 31st Division of the Red Army, as a member of the Special Committee of the CPC in the Hubei-Henan Border Region and chairman of the Military Commission of the Revolutionary Committee of the Hubei-Henan Border Region. In the the spring of 1930, he served as the deputy commander of the First Army and the Chief-commander the First Division of the Red Army and later he served as the Chief of Staff of the Fourth Red Army and the Chief-commander of the Fourth Red Army. He served as the member of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission of the Chinese Soviet Republic between November 1931 and January 1934.

In February 1934, he was elected as a member of the Second Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Soviet Republic. He participated the Long March in October 1934. In June 1935, after the Fourth Front and First Front Armies were integrated and joined forces, he was appointed as the Commander-in-chief of the Frontline Headquarter of the Red Army. In August 1935, after the Maoergai Military Conference, he became Commander-in-Chief of the Right Route (from Maoergai to Songpan) Army. In July 1936, he was elected as a member of the Northwest Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In November, he was appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the Military and Political Commission of the Western Route Army (who fight on the West bank of the river) and Commander-in-Chief of this army. Since August 1937, he served as the deputy Commander of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army. In June 1939, he was elected as a member of Shandong Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Commander of the First Corps of the Eighth Route Army.

In 1942, he was elected as a member of the Northwest Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the deputy commander of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia-Shanxi-Suiyuan Joint Defense Army (formerly the Chief of Staff of the Joint Defense Army), and as the acting president of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University. During the War of Liberation, he successively served as deputy commander of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia-Shanxi-Suiyuan Joint Defense Army, the first deputy commander of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region, as the member of the North China Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the deputy commander of the North China Military Region and as the commander and Political Commissar of the First Infantry Corps (soon renamed as the 18th Infantry Corps) of the North China Military Region. From March to May 1948, he directed the Battle of Linyi and, with most of the newly formed troops, conquered the Linyi City. From June to July, he commanded the Jinzhong campaign, against the 100, 000 troops of the KMT army and liberated 60 counties.

Between October 1948 and April 1949, he served as the Chief commander and Political Commissar of the Frontline Command of Taiyuan and Secretary of the Taiyuan Front Committee of the Communist Party of China. Since October 1949 to June 1954, he served as a member of the People's Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People's Government from October 1949 to June 1954. He was concurrently the first deputy commander of the North China Military Region till February 1954. Between June to September 1954, he was the Vice-Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People's Government, and Vice-Chairmen of the National Defense Commission of the People's Republic. In September 1955, he was awarded the rank of Marshal of the People's Republic of China, the First-Class Medal of August 1, the First-Class Medal of Independence and Freedom, and the First-Class Medal of Liberation. Since September 1954, he was elected as a member of the Standing Committees of the First and Second National People's Congresses and as the Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committees of the Third and Fourth National People's Congresses. Between September 1959 and April 1988, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China. He was elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee from August 1977 to September 1985. Between March 1978 and September 1980, he served as the Vice Premier of the State Council, and between September 1980 to March 1981, he served as the Minister of National Defense. Between September 1982 and November 1987, he served as the Vice-Chairman of the Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Between June 1983 and April 1988, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China. Between June 1984 and February 1988, he was elected as the President of the Alumni Association of Huangpu (Whampoa) Military Academy (as the Honorary President after February 1988). In September 1985, he resigned when he was a member of the Central Committee of the CPC and a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In July 1988, he was awarded with the First-Class Red Star Medal of Merit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He died in Beijing on September 21, 1990 at the age of 89. His main works are collected as Selected Military Works of Xu Xiangqian, and the book A Review of the History written by him.