Huang Yongsheng
Encyclopedia
Huang Yongsheng was a general of the China's
People's Liberation Army
.
Huang Yongsheng was born in Xianning
prefecture (now, prefecture-level city
) of Hubei
province.
Huang Yongsheng participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising
of 1927, and in December of the same year joined the Chinese Communist Party. In 1932, he was successively appointed the commander of the 31st Division of the 11th Red Army, and then of the 16th Division of the 22nd Red Army. With the beginning of the war against Japan
, he is appointed a regimental commander in the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army
.
In 1948, he is appointed the commander of the 6th Column of the Fourth Field Army. By the end of the year, the 6th Column becomes the 43rd Army, with Huang Yongsheng as its commander. In 1949, he was commanding the 14th and 13th Army Groups.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, he commanded the 13th Army Group, and later the 15th Army Group.
During the Korean War
, he commanded the 13th Army Group, and later the 15th Army Group.
During the Cultural Revolution
, Huang Yongsheng commanded the Guangzhou Military Region. It was reported much later that during the pro-communist riots
in Hong Kong in 1967, he suggested invading and occupying the British colony; his plan, however, was vetoed by Zhou Enlai
.
As a Chief of Staff of the PLA, in 1969, he was put in charge of building the tunnel system to house the PLA command headquarters in case of nuclear war, known as Underground Project 131
. The chosen site for the facility was in his home prefecture of Xianning
.
An ally of Lin Biao
, he lost his position after Lin Biao's fall. He was arrested on September 24, 1971 - two weeks after
Lin Biao's flight and death. After the arrest, even his family did not know what was happening to him, until he was put on trial in 1980 and given a prison sentence.
The general's grave is located on the Project 131 site, which is now a museum.
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...
People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
.
Huang Yongsheng was born in Xianning
Xianning
Xianning is a prefecture-level city in China's Hubei province. It is known as the "City of Osmanthus".-Geography and climate:Xianning is located in southeastern Hubei province, just south of Wuhan, between the southern bank of the Yangtze River in the north and the Mufu Mountains in the south. It...
prefecture (now, prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
) of Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
province.
Huang Yongsheng participated in the Autumn Harvest Uprising
Autumn Harvest Uprising
The Autumn Harvest Uprising was an insurrection that took place in Hunan province and Jiangxi province, China on September 7, 1927, led by Mao Zedong, who established a short-lived Hunan Soviet....
of 1927, and in December of the same year joined the Chinese Communist Party. In 1932, he was successively appointed the commander of the 31st Division of the 11th Red Army, and then of the 16th Division of the 22nd Red Army. With the beginning of the war against Japan
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, he is appointed a regimental commander in the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army
Eighth Route Army
The Eighth Route Army was the larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that formed a unit of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China which fought the Japanese from 1937 to 1945. In contrast to most of the National Revolutionary Army, it was controlled by the Communist...
.
In 1948, he is appointed the commander of the 6th Column of the Fourth Field Army. By the end of the year, the 6th Column becomes the 43rd Army, with Huang Yongsheng as its commander. In 1949, he was commanding the 14th and 13th Army Groups.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, he commanded the 13th Army Group, and later the 15th Army Group.
During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, he commanded the 13th Army Group, and later the 15th Army Group.
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...
, Huang Yongsheng commanded the Guangzhou Military Region. It was reported much later that during the pro-communist riots
Hong Kong 1967 riots
The Hong Kong 1967 riots began in May 1967. They were caused by pro-communist leftists in Hong Kong, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China , who turned a labour dispute into large scale demonstrations against British colonial rule. Demonstrators clashed violently...
in Hong Kong in 1967, he suggested invading and occupying the British colony; his plan, however, was vetoed by Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...
.
As a Chief of Staff of the PLA, in 1969, he was put in charge of building the tunnel system to house the PLA command headquarters in case of nuclear war, known as Underground Project 131
Underground Project 131
Underground Project 131 is a system of tunnels in China's Hubei province constructed in the late 1960s and the early 1970s to accommodate the Chinese military command headquarters in case of a nuclear war...
. The chosen site for the facility was in his home prefecture of Xianning
Xianning
Xianning is a prefecture-level city in China's Hubei province. It is known as the "City of Osmanthus".-Geography and climate:Xianning is located in southeastern Hubei province, just south of Wuhan, between the southern bank of the Yangtze River in the north and the Mufu Mountains in the south. It...
.
An ally of Lin Biao
Lin Biao
Lin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
, he lost his position after Lin Biao's fall. He was arrested on September 24, 1971 - two weeks after
Lin Biao's flight and death. After the arrest, even his family did not know what was happening to him, until he was put on trial in 1980 and given a prison sentence.