Xu Xiangqian | |
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徐向前 | |
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission | |
In office 8 January 1966 – 1 November 1987 | |
Chairman | Mao Zedong Hua Guofeng Deng Xiaoping |
4th Minister of National Defense | |
In office 26 February 1978 – 6 March 1981 | |
Premier | Hua Guofeng Zhao Ziyang |
Preceded by | Ye Jianying |
Succeeded by | Geng Biao |
Vice Premier of China | |
In office March 1978 – September 1980 | |
Premier | Hua Guofeng |
Personal details | |
Born | Wutai County, Shanxi, Qing China | November 8, 1901
Died | September 21, 1990 Beijing, China | (aged 88)
Occupation |
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Nickname(s) | "The cotton-clad marshal" (bù yī yuán shuài, 布衣元帅) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | People's Republic of China |
Branch/service | People's Liberation Army Ground Force |
Years of service | 1924–1987 |
Rank | Marshal of the People's Republic of China |
Commands |
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Battles/wars | |
Awards |
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Xu Xiangqian (November 8, 1901 – September 21, 1990) was a Marshal of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He was the son of a wealthy landowner, but joined the Kuomintang's (KMT) National Revolutionary Army (NRA), against his parents' wishes, in 1924. When the Chinese Civil War started in 1927, Xu joined the Eyuwan Soviet led by Zhang Guotao; Xu became commander of the Eyuwan-based Fourth Red Army. Zhang and Xu retreated to northern Sichuan after being defeated by a KMT encirclement campaign. Xu politically survived Zhang's defection to the KMT in the late-1930s; he rejoined the Red Army in a less senior position under the leadership of Mao Zedong.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) Xu served in several military units in Communist-controlled areas across North China, and directed the construction of several bases areas. When the Chinese Civil War resumed, in 1947, Xu was active in North China. Forces under his command were responsible for the capture of the heavily fortified city of Taiyuan in the later stages of the war, in 1949.
Xu was promoted to marshal after the founding of the PRC in 1949. He held numerous political and military positions, and survived the Cultural Revolution despite attempting to moderate some of its more destructive effects. He was an important supporter of Deng Xiaoping and his return to political power in 1976. He continued to serve in a number of political and military positions until he was forced to retire in 1985.