Cai Xiao (; October 1919 – 11 January 1990) was a Taiwan-born Chinese military officer and politician. Born in

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

when Taiwan was under Japanese rule, Cai moved to China and joined the

New Fourth Army The New Fourth Army (N4A) () was a military unit nominally under the banner of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China, established in 1937 as part of the Second United Front against Japan. However, in practice, the New ...

in 1937. Two years later, he became a formal member of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

. In May 1946, the CCP established the Taiwan Provincial Work Committee. Cai Xiao worked under the commission's secretary-general , training others in political warfare. In November 1949, Cai established the Taiwan Cadre Training Regiment under the 9th Corps of the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

's (PLA)

Third Field Army The Third Field Army was one of the five main forces of the Chinese Communist Party's People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War. It was established in early 1949. Initially known as the East China Field Army, it was formed by the New ...

. Later, he was assigned to train members of the

PLA Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...

. Cai was jailed for nine years in the midst of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

. Upon his political rehabilitation, Cai worked for the

PLA General Political Department The General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army (GPD; ) was the former chief political organ under the Central Military Commission (China), Central Military Commission of Chinese Communist Party. It led all political activities i ...

and

General Logistics Department General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army (GLD; ) was a former chief organ under China's Central Military Commission. Before 2016, it organized and led the logistics construction and oversees housing, supplies, hospitals, and ba ...

, becoming the GPD's deputy director in 1975. From 1973 to 1982, he served on the

Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is the Central committee, highest organ when the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, national congress is not ...

. After retiring from the military, Cai succeeded Xie Xuehong as chairman of the

Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League The Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League (TDSL), also known by its Chinese abbreviation Taimeng ( zh , s = 台盟 , t = 臺盟 ), is one of the eight minor so-called " democratic parties" in the People's Republic of China under the direc ...

(Taimeng), serving from 1979 to 1983. In December 2017, Cai Xiao's daughter Su Hui was elected chair of Taimeng.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cai, Xiao 1919 births 1990 deaths Chinese Communist Party politicians Politicians from Tainan Taiwanese emigrants to China People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department Deputy chiefs of the People's Liberation Army General Political Department New Fourth Army personnel Members of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League Leaders of political parties in China Victims of the Cultural Revolution Members of the Standing Committee of the 5th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Standing Committee of the 6th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party