Lü Zhengcao
Encyclopedia
Lü Zhengcao (4 January 1904 – 13 October 2009) was a Chinese
military officer. He was one of the original Shang Jiang
of the People's Liberation Army
.
Lü was born in Haicheng, in the province of Liaoning
. He joined the Communist Party of China
in 1937. He fought in China's war against Japan from 1937 to 1945 as well as the civil war against the Kuomintang
from 1945 until 1949.
Before he joined the Communists, Lü worked as an assistant to the Kuomintang general, Zhang Xueliang
. It was in this role that he was a witness to the Xi'an Incident
, whereby Zhang and his fellow general, Yang Hucheng
, forced the then-Chinese leader, Chiang Kai-shek
to suspend the civil war with the Communists in 1936 in order and join forces against the Japanese.
Lü resigned from the Kuomintang in 1937 and joined the Communist Party. He then commanded a military force that fought the Japanese army in northern China.
Following the Communist victory of 1949, Lü served as a senior military leader of the PRC. He was appointed as a Shang Jiang (general) in 1955 following the re-establishment of rank.
On 13 October 2009, Lü died in Beijing
at the age of 105 by Western age reckoning, or at the age of 106 by the traditional age system
. At the time of his death, he was the last survivor of the original generals of the People's Liberation Army.
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...
military officer. He was one of the original Shang Jiang
Jiang (rank)
Jiang is the rank held by general officers in the military of both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China. The People's Liberation Army uses three grades at present while the Republic of China uses four, with the rank equivalent to the fourth being treated as a field officer...
of the 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...
.
Lü was born in Haicheng, in the province of Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
. 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...
in 1937. He fought in China's war against Japan from 1937 to 1945 as well as the civil war against 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...
from 1945 until 1949.
Before he joined the Communists, Lü worked as an assistant to the Kuomintang general, Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang
Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang , occasionally called Peter Hsueh Liang Chang in English, nicknamed the Young Marshal , was the effective ruler of Manchuria and much of North China after the assassination of his father, Zhang Zuolin, by the Japanese on 4 June 1928...
. It was in this role that he was a witness to the Xi'an Incident
Xi'an Incident
The Xi'an Incident of December 1936 is an important episode of Chinese modern history, taking place in the city of Xi'an during the Chinese Civil War between the ruling Kuomintang and the rebel Chinese Communist Party and just before the Second Sino-Japanese War...
, whereby Zhang and his fellow general, Yang Hucheng
Yang Hucheng
Yang Hucheng was a Chinese warlord during the Warlord Era of Republican China and Kuomintang general during the Chinese Civil War....
, forced the then-Chinese leader, 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....
to suspend the civil war with the Communists in 1936 in order and join forces against the Japanese.
Lü resigned from the Kuomintang in 1937 and joined the Communist Party. He then commanded a military force that fought the Japanese army in northern China.
Following the Communist victory of 1949, Lü served as a senior military leader of the PRC. He was appointed as a Shang Jiang (general) in 1955 following the re-establishment of rank.
On 13 October 2009, Lü died in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
at the age of 105 by Western age reckoning, or at the age of 106 by the traditional age system
East Asian age reckoning
East Asian age reckoning is a concept and practice that originated in China and is widely used by other cultures in East Asia, which share this traditional way of counting a person's age. Newborns start at one year old, and each passing of a Lunar New Year, rather than the birthday, adds one year...
. At the time of his death, he was the last survivor of the original generals of the People's Liberation Army.
External links
- Last of New China's first generals passes away - Obituary from Xinhua
- Lu Zhengcao - Daily Telegraph obituary