Ye Jianying
Encyclopedia
Ye Jianying was a Chinese
communist
general and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
from 1978 to 1983.
merchant family in Mei County, Guangdong, his courtesy name was Cāngbái . After graduation from the Yunnan Military Academy in 1919, he joined Sun Yat-sen
and the Kuomintang
(KMT). He taught at the Whampoa Military Academy
and joined the communist party in 1927.
In 1927, he participated in the failed Nanchang Uprising
and was forced to flee to Hong Kong
with another two communist leaders of the uprising, Zhou Enlai
and Ye Ting
(not related to Ye Jianying), with two handguns among them. Although strongly opposed to the Guangzhou Uprising
with other military commanders such as Ye Ting in the same year, they nonetheless faithfully carried out their assigned duties in the uprising, which of course ended in disaster again, and once again, Ye was forced to flee to Hong Kong, like other communist leaders such as Ye Ting and Nie Rongzhen
. However, Ye was far more fortunate than Ye Ting who was made a scapegoat of the failure of the Comintern
policy and forced into exile, Ye was not blamed and subsequently studied military science in Moscow
.
After returning to China in 1932 he joined the Jiangxi Soviet
. He served as Chief of Staff of Zhang Guotao
's Fourth Front Army. However, after the Zhang's force met with Mao Zedong
's force during the Long March
, Comintern's plan of letting him help Zhang Guotao was dashed when Mao Zedong and Zhang Guotao disagreed on the next move of the Chinese Red Army. Zhang insisted on turning southward to establish a new base in the regions inhabited by Tibetan
and Qiang minorities, which later proved to be a disaster, causing Zhang to lose over 75% of his force and eventually forced him to return to the communist base in Shaanxi
, as Mao correctly pointed out the way it should. As chief of staff of Zhang Guotao, Ye realized Mao was right but could not convince Zhang to go with Mao's plan, and instead of supporting Zhang unconditionally like he did during the Guangzhou Uprising
, Ye sided with Mao Zedong by escaping to Mao's headquarter from Zhang's headquarter, taking all the codes books and maps with him. As a result, Zhang's communication with Comintern was cut while Mao established the radio link with the Comintern, which was forced to accept Mao's leadership in the Communist Party of China
. Mao would never forget the contribution of Ye and in his own words, "Ye Jianying saved the (Chinese Communist) Party, the (Chinese) red army, and the (Chinese) revolution".
During the Long March
, Ye assisted Liu Bocheng
in directing the crossing of the Yangtze River at Anshunchang and Luding Bridge
, and became director of the offices that liaised with the KMT after 1936, first in Xi'an
, then in Nanjing
and finally in Chongqing
. He worked together with Zhou Enlai in this capacity.
After the establishment of the People's Republic of China
, Ye was put in charge of Guangdong
(Canton, China
), which cost him his political career under Mao's reign. Ye understood that the economic condition in Canton was very different from the rest of China in that most Cantonese landlord
s were peasants themselves who participated in production and were not exploiting other tenant peasants, so they were not struggled, and their properties including business and land were protected. However, Ye's practice contradicted the general policy of the communist land reform in China, which emphasized on class struggle
, and Ye's policy was deemed too soft. As a result, Ye and his local cadres were soon replaced by Lin Biao
's, and a much harsher policy like in the rest of China was implemented, and Ye's political career under Mao was effectively over.
However, Mao did not forget what Ye had done for him during the Long March
and thus only removed him from political posts while at the same time preserving his military post. As a result, until 1968, Ye would be active in various military functions, having been made a marshal in 1955. Ye was clever in using his military influence and power to provide some limited support and protection for some of the reformers such as Zhao Ziyang
, and he was responsible for spoiling assassination attempts on Deng Xiaoping
's life during the Cultural Revolution
.
After Lin Biao was overthrown in 1971, Ye's influence grew until his appointment as Defence Minister in 1975, taking Lin Biao's post. He was also a Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
since 1973.
He led the conspiracy of generals and Party elders that overthrew Jiang Qing
and the Gang of Four, and during the initial discussion of the planning at his residence with Li Xiannian
, both communicated by writing even though they sat right next to each other because the possible threat of bugging.
Ye supported Hua Guofeng
, so he was confirmed as vice-chairman at the Eleventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China
in 1977 as well as appointed Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 1978, i.e. head of State
, filling a post left unoccupied for two years since Zhu De
's death. As the position of defense minister was too demanding for the octogenarian Ye to handle, he resigned from it in 1980 and retained only the mostly ceremonial job of vice-chairman. Ye retired completely from the Politburo in 1985 and died a little over a year later at the age of 88.
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
communist
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...
general and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is a committee of about 150 members of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China , which is convened between plenary sessions of the NPC. It has the constitutional authority to modify legislation within limits set by...
from 1978 to 1983.
Biography
Born Ye Yiwei into a wealthy HakkaHakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
merchant family in Mei County, Guangdong, his courtesy name was Cāngbái . After graduation from the Yunnan Military Academy in 1919, he joined Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
and 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...
(KMT). He taught at the Whampoa Military Academy
Whampoa Military Academy
The Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy , commonly known as the Whampoa Military Academy , was a military academy in the Republic of China that produced many prestigious commanders who fought in many of China's conflicts in the 20th century, notably the Northern Expedition, the Second...
and joined the communist party in 1927.
In 1927, he participated in the failed 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....
and was forced to flee to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
with another two communist leaders of the uprising, 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...
and Ye Ting
Ye Ting
Ye Ting , born in Huiyang, Guangdong, was a Chinese military leader. He started out nationalist and went to the communists....
(not related to Ye Jianying), with two handguns among them. Although strongly opposed to the Guangzhou Uprising
Guangzhou Uprising
The Guangzhou Uprising of 1927 was a failed communist uprising in the city of Guangzhou in southern China.On December 11 1927, red guard citizens, directed by communist political leaders, took over Guangzhou . The uprising occurred despite the strong objections of communist military commanders...
with other military commanders such as Ye Ting in the same year, they nonetheless faithfully carried out their assigned duties in the uprising, which of course ended in disaster again, and once again, Ye was forced to flee to Hong Kong, like other communist leaders such as Ye Ting and Nie Rongzhen
Nie Rongzhen
Nie Rongzhen was a prominent Chinese Communist military leader, and one of ten Marshals in the People's Liberation Army of China. He was the last surviving PLA officer with the rank of Marshal.-Biography:...
. However, Ye was far more fortunate than Ye Ting who was made a scapegoat of the failure of the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
policy and forced into exile, Ye was not blamed and subsequently studied military science in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
After returning to China in 1932 he joined the Jiangxi Soviet
Jiangxi Soviet
The Chinese Soviet Republic , also translated as the Soviet Republic of China or the China Soviet Republic, and often referred to in historical literature as the Jiangxi Soviet , was a state established in November 1931 by the future Communist Party of China leader Mao...
. He served as Chief of Staff of Zhang Guotao
Zhang Guotao
Zhang Guotao was a founding member and important leader of the Chinese Communist Party and bitter rival to Mao Zedong. During the 1920s he studied in the Soviet Union and became a key contact with the Comintern and organized the CCP labor movement in the United Front with the Guomindang...
's Fourth Front Army. However, after the Zhang's force met with 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 force 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...
, Comintern's plan of letting him help Zhang Guotao was dashed when Mao Zedong and Zhang Guotao disagreed on the next move of the Chinese Red Army. Zhang insisted on turning southward to establish a new base in the regions inhabited by Tibetan
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
and Qiang minorities, which later proved to be a disaster, causing Zhang to lose over 75% of his force and eventually forced him to return to the communist base in Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, as Mao correctly pointed out the way it should. As chief of staff of Zhang Guotao, Ye realized Mao was right but could not convince Zhang to go with Mao's plan, and instead of supporting Zhang unconditionally like he did during the Guangzhou Uprising
Guangzhou Uprising
The Guangzhou Uprising of 1927 was a failed communist uprising in the city of Guangzhou in southern China.On December 11 1927, red guard citizens, directed by communist political leaders, took over Guangzhou . The uprising occurred despite the strong objections of communist military commanders...
, Ye sided with Mao Zedong by escaping to Mao's headquarter from Zhang's headquarter, taking all the codes books and maps with him. As a result, Zhang's communication with Comintern was cut while Mao established the radio link with the Comintern, which was forced to accept Mao's leadership in 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...
. Mao would never forget the contribution of Ye and in his own words, "Ye Jianying saved the (Chinese Communist) Party, the (Chinese) red army, and the (Chinese) revolution".
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...
, Ye assisted Liu Bocheng
Liu Bocheng
Liu Bocheng was a Chinese Communist military commander and Marshal of the People's Liberation Army.Liu is known as one of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in modern history...
in directing the crossing of the Yangtze River at Anshunchang and Luding Bridge
Luding Bridge
Luding Bridge is a bridge over the Dadu River in Luding County, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China, located about 80 kilometers west of the city of Ya'an. The bridge dates from the Qing Dynasty and is considered a historical landmark...
, and became director of the offices that liaised with the KMT after 1936, first in Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
, then in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
and finally in Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
. He worked together with Zhou Enlai in this capacity.
After the establishment 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...
, Ye was put in charge of Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
(Canton, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
), which cost him his political career under Mao's reign. Ye understood that the economic condition in Canton was very different from the rest of China in that most Cantonese landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
s were peasants themselves who participated in production and were not exploiting other tenant peasants, so they were not struggled, and their properties including business and land were protected. However, Ye's practice contradicted the general policy of the communist land reform in China, which emphasized on class struggle
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
, and Ye's policy was deemed too soft. As a result, Ye and his local cadres were soon replaced by 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...
's, and a much harsher policy like in the rest of China was implemented, and Ye's political career under Mao was effectively over.
However, Mao did not forget what Ye had done for him 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...
and thus only removed him from political posts while at the same time preserving his military post. As a result, until 1968, Ye would be active in various military functions, having been made a marshal in 1955. Ye was clever in using his military influence and power to provide some limited support and protection for some of the reformers such as Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang was a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China . He was the third Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1987 to 1989....
, and he was responsible for spoiling assassination attempts on Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
's life 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...
.
After Lin Biao was overthrown in 1971, Ye's influence grew until his appointment as Defence Minister in 1975, taking Lin Biao's post. He was also a Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
since 1973.
He led the conspiracy of generals and Party elders that overthrew Jiang Qing
Jiang Qing
Jiang Qing was the pseudonym that was used by Chinese leader Mao Zedong's last wife and major Communist Party of China power figure. She went by the stage name Lan Ping during her acting career, and was known by various other names during her life...
and the Gang of Four, and during the initial discussion of the planning at his residence with Li Xiannian
Li Xianniàn
Li Xiannian was President of the People's Republic of China between 1983 and 1988 and then chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference until his death. He was an influential political figure throughout the PRC, having been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of...
, both communicated by writing even though they sat right next to each other because the possible threat of bugging.
Ye supported Hua Guofeng
Hua Guofeng
Su Zhu, better known by the nom de guerre Hua Guofeng , was Mao Zedong's designated successor as the Paramount Leader of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China. Upon Zhou Enlai's death in 1976, he succeeded Zhou as the second Premier of the People's Republic of China...
, so he was confirmed as vice-chairman at the Eleventh National Congress of the Communist Party of China
National Congress of the Communist Party of China
The National Congress of the Communist Party of China is a party congress that is held about once every five years. The National Congress is theoretically the highest body within the Communist Party of China, but in practice important decisions are made before the meeting. Since 1987 the National...
in 1977 as well as appointed Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 1978, i.e. head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
, filling a post left unoccupied for two years since Zhu De
Zhu De
Zhu De was a Chinese militarist, politician, revolutionary, and one of the pioneers of the Chinese Communist Party. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1955 Zhu became one of the Ten Marshals of the People's Liberation Army, of which he is regarded as the founder.-Early...
's death. As the position of defense minister was too demanding for the octogenarian Ye to handle, he resigned from it in 1980 and retained only the mostly ceremonial job of vice-chairman. Ye retired completely from the Politburo in 1985 and died a little over a year later at the age of 88.