He Long
Encyclopedia
He Long was a Chinese
military leader. He rose to the rank of Marshal
and Vice Premier
after the founding of the People's Republic of China
.
province, he was the son of a minor military officer who was a member of the Gelaohui
(Elder Brother Society), a secret society dating back to the early Qing dynasty. A cowherd during his youth, he received no formal education. He killed a local government tax assessor who had murdered his uncle, and afterwards became an outlaw (giving rise to the legend that he began his revolutionary career with just two kitchen knives ).
By the mid-1920s, he had emerged as an important local military figure, rising to command the Nationalist Twentieth Army in 1923. During the 1926 Northern Expedition, He commanded the 1st Division, 9th Corps of the National Revolutionary Army. In 1927 He joined the Communist Party of China
(CPC), serving as commander of the 20th Corps, 1st Column and leading the main force of the Nanchang Uprising
. Chiang Kai-Shek
continuously tried to make him rejoin the Kuomintang
(Nationalist Party), but failed to succeed.
After the failure of the Nanchang Uprising, He turned down an offer by the CCP Central Committee to study in Russia and returned to Hunan where he raised a new force.
In 1930 he led the Second Army in attacking Wuhan, then retreated to Western Hunan. During the Long March
, he emerged as a supporter of Mao Zedong
's peasant-oriented approach. The Second Army of the Chinese Red Army under He Long's command was the only communist force that instead of having its number reduced, its number actually increased slightly during the Long March
.
in 1955, and was also made Vice Premier
. During the Cultural Revolution
he was branded an anti-Party element and purged in 1966. He died in custody from diabetes, beatings and starvation. A stadium
in Changsha was named after him in 1987.
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
military leader. He rose to the rank of Marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
and Vice Premier
Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China is a high-ranking executive assistant to the Premier. There is a First-ranking Vice Premier , sometimes called Executive Vice Premier wrongly by the non-official media. It is an informal title and takes over duties of the...
after the founding of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Early life
He Long was a member of the Tujia ethnic group http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/travel/15wuling.html?em&ex=1184558400&en=a1499eb81b9cfa10&ei=5087%0A. Born in Sangzhi, HunanHunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
province, he was the son of a minor military officer who was a member of the Gelaohui
Gelaohui
The Gelaohui , also called Futaubang, or Hatchet Gang , as every member allegedly carried a small hatchet inside the sleeve, was a secret society and underground resistance movement associated with the revolutionary Tongmenghui led by Sun Yat-sen and Song Jiaoren.Originating in western china,...
(Elder Brother Society), a secret society dating back to the early Qing dynasty. A cowherd during his youth, he received no formal education. He killed a local government tax assessor who had murdered his uncle, and afterwards became an outlaw (giving rise to the legend that he began his revolutionary career with just two kitchen knives ).
By the mid-1920s, he had emerged as an important local military figure, rising to command the Nationalist Twentieth Army in 1923. During the 1926 Northern Expedition, He commanded the 1st Division, 9th Corps of the National Revolutionary Army. In 1927 He joined the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
(CPC), serving as commander of the 20th Corps, 1st Column and leading the main force of the Nanchang Uprising
Nanchang Uprising
The Nanchang Uprising was the first major Kuomintang-Communist engagement of the Chinese Civil War, in order to counter the anti-communist purges by the Nationalist Party of China....
. Chiang Kai-Shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
continuously tried to make him rejoin the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
(Nationalist Party), but failed to succeed.
After the failure of the Nanchang Uprising, He turned down an offer by the CCP Central Committee to study in Russia and returned to Hunan where he raised a new force.
In 1930 he led the Second Army in attacking Wuhan, then retreated to Western Hunan. During the Long March
Long March
The Long March was a massive military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. There was not one Long March, but a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south...
, he emerged as a supporter of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's peasant-oriented approach. The Second Army of the Chinese Red Army under He Long's command was the only communist force that instead of having its number reduced, its number actually increased slightly during the Long March
Long March
The Long March was a massive military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. There was not one Long March, but a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south...
.
After the Chinese Civil War
After the communist victory and the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, He headed the National Sports Commission. He was made a marshalMarshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
in 1955, and was also made Vice Premier
Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China is a high-ranking executive assistant to the Premier. There is a First-ranking Vice Premier , sometimes called Executive Vice Premier wrongly by the non-official media. It is an informal title and takes over duties of the...
. During the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
he was branded an anti-Party element and purged in 1966. He died in custody from diabetes, beatings and starvation. A stadium
Helong Stadium
Helong Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Changsha, Hunan province, China. It is named after the Communist military leader He Long, who was born in the same province....
in Changsha was named after him in 1987.