Xu Shiyou ( zh, s=许世友, p=Xǔ Shìyǒu, w=Hsü Shih-yu; 1906 – 22 October 1985) was a general in the Chinese

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 ...

Early career

Born in Xinxian, Henan Province (it belonged to Hubei previously), Xu grew up studying

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

at the

Shaolin Temple Shaolin Monastery ( zh, labels=no, c=少林寺, p=shàolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin kung fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak o ...

for eight years, but left after hearing that his family had troubles and in memory of his learning took the name Shiyou ( zh, s=释友, p=Shìyǒu "friend of Buddhism"), which he later changed to the homophonous Shiyou ( zh, s=世友, p=Shìyǒu "friend of the world"). He later became a soldier in

Wu Peifu Wu Peifu (also spelled Wu P'ei-fu) (; April 22, 1874 – December 4, 1939) was a Chinese warlord and major figure in the Warlord Era in China from 1916 to 1927. Early career Born in Shandong Province in eastern China, Wu initially rece ...

's warlord army. After having served as a lieutenant in the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

army, he joined 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 1927. Xu first emerged in the annals of Chinese military history in Hubei in 1927, as part of a nascent military unit that included future generals Qin Jiwei and Chen Zaidao. In 1932, he commanded the 34th Regiment, 12th Division of the Fourth Front Army led by future Marshall

Xu Xiangqian Xu or XU may refer to: Surnames * Xu (surname 徐) ( ''Xú'') * Xu (surname 許) (/ ''Xǔ'') * Xu (surname 胥) ( ''Xū'') The Tone (linguistics), tones of these surnames are different in Mandarin, but if the tone diacritics are omitted then eac ...

. His deputy in the 25th Division, 9th Corps (which Xu later led) in 1933–36, Chen Xilian, later rose to serve on the

Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), officially the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) an ...

during 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 ...

. By the age of 29, Xu Shiyou commanded the Red 9th Corps of the Fourth Front Army. Eight months after the First Front Army abandoned the

Jiangxi Soviet The Jiangxi Soviet, sometimes referred to as the Jiangxi-Fujian Soviet, was a soviet area that existed between 1931 and 1934, governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It was the largest component of the Chinese Soviet Republic and hom ...

and embarked on the

Long March The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...

, it met up with

Zhang Guotao Zhang Guotao (November 26, 1897 – December 3, 1979) was a Chinese revolutionary who was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and rival to Mao Zedong. During the 1920s he studied in the Soviet Union and became a key contact ...

’s Fourth Front Army, in June 1935 at Maogong, Sichuan. Zhang favored consolidating power in Sichuan whereas

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

wanted to continue on to Gansu and Ningxia, to receive aid from the Soviet Union. The compromise decision was to convene a conference, in July at Mao’ergai. Despite support from

Liu Bocheng Liu Mingzhao (; 4 December 1892 – 7 October 1986), more commonly known as Liu Bocheng (), was a Chinese military officer and Marshal of the People's Republic of China. Known as the 'half' of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in mode ...

Zhu De Zhu De; (1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Zhu was born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan. He was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...

and other commanders, Mao would not be convinced. As a result, the Fourth Front Army was divided into a Left Column under Liu, Zhu and Zhang; and a Right Column under Xu Xiangqian. Xu Shiyou at the time commanded a cavalry regiment. The Second Front Army, under

He Long He Long (; March 22, 1896 – June 9, 1969) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and a Marshal of the People's Republic of China. He was from a poor rural family in Hunan, and his family was not able to provide him with any formal education. H ...

and

Ren Bishi Ren Bishi (; 30 April 1904 – 27 October 1950) was a military and political leader in the early Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In the early 1930s, Ren commanded the Fifth Red Army and was a central figure in the Hunan-Jiangxi Soviet, but he ...

, and

Xiao Ke Xiao Ke (; July 14, 1907 – October 24, 2008) was a general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, former vice chairman of the CPPCC, as well as principal of the University of Military and Politics. Biography Early life Xiao was born in ...

's Sixth Front Army linked up with the Fourth Front Army in June 1936. Again dividing their forces, He Long took the Second on a northward line toward Gansu while Zhang led his forces somewhat west of that line. The result was that Zhang's Fourth Front Army was battered by Nationalist and warlord troops, and arrived in Yenan in poor shape in October 1936. Zhang was forced to submit to Mao's leadership. In the first half of 1937, just prior to the formal beginning of the Sino-Japanese War, the purge of

and his closest officers sparked turmoil within the party. Cadets of the Fourth Front Army studying at the Counter-Japanese Military and Political University (Kang Da), including Xu, confronted the party leadership over accusations that Zhang was disloyal. In 1939,

led elements of the 129th Division – including Xu Shiyou and Han Xianchu – into western Shandong to recruit new soldiers. Xu Shiyou went on to serve as deputy commander of the 385th Brigade, 129th Division in eastern Shandong and expanded his forces into the 11th Army of Marshall Chen Yi’s Third Field Army. One of his key deputies during the war was Nie Fengzhi, who would later command the Chinese People's Volunteers Air Force during the Korean War. Xu remained in Shandong until 1954. In the fall of 1947, Xu commanded the East Front Army Corps of Chen Yi's East China Field Army (later the 3rd Field Army); his political commissar, Tan Zhenlin, was one of the most powerful figures in East China. They took Jinan in September 1948.

Regional power

At the end of the war, Xu's forces found themselves in Shanghai, and he became a member of the East China Military and Administrative Committee under Chen Yi and

Su Yu Su Yu (; August 10, 1907 – February 5, 1984), Courtesy name Yu (裕) was a Chinese general in the People's Liberation Army. He was considered by Mao Zedong to be among the best commanders of the PLA, only next to Peng Dehuai, Lin Biao and ...

. As the Korean War unfolded, he moved into Shandong (assuming a seat on the local governing committee and the post of Military District Commander), to confront what was thought to be the risk of an American landing on Chinese soil. In Shandong, he worked closely with

Gu Mu Gu Mu (; September 1914 – November 6, 2009) was a Chinese revolutionary figure and politician, who served as the Vice Premier of China between 1975 and 1982. As one of Deng Xiaoping's main aides in charge of economic management, he played a ma ...

and

Kang Sheng Kang Sheng (; 4 November 1898 – 16 December 1975), born Zhang Zongke (), was a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official, politician and calligrapher best known for having overseen the work of the CCP's internal security and intelligence appara ...

. In 1959, his 12th and 60th Corps returned from Korea to the Nanjing Military Region where they provided the power base he would enjoy well into the 1970s. Xu served as Commander of the Nanjing Military Region (1954–74), first under East China Military and Administrative Committee chairman Rao Shushi, and then for ten years with

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

member

Zhang Chunqiao Zhang Chunqiao (; 1 February 1917 – 21 April 2005) was a Chinese political theorist, writer, and politician. He came to the national spotlight during the late stages of the Cultural Revolution, and was a member of the ultra-Maoist group dub ...

as his political commissar (1967–76). This assignment was the single longest tenure of any Military Region commander on record. Among his deputies during the 1960s were future regional leaders Sung Shilun, Wang Bicheng and Tan Qilong, As the armed forces were called in to restore administrative control, he became Chairman of the Jiangsu Province Revolutionary Committee (1968–74) and First Secretary of Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (1970–74). In the long-delayed military region reshuffle initiated under

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...

, Xu was rotated to command the Guangzhou MR (1974–80). Xu and political commissar Wei Guoqing provided protection for

in 1976, when the future paramount leader was purged by the Gang of Four following the death of

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...

. Xu was also commander in chief for the Chinese forces in the

Sino-Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a brief conflict that occurred in early 1979 between China and Vietnam. China launched an offensive ostensibly in response to Vietnam's invasion and occupation of Cambodia in 1978, whi ...

in 1979.

Central power

After being elected an Alternate Member of the 8th Central Committee in 1956, Xu Shiyou served in the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the 9th, 10th and 11th CCP Central Committees (1969–82). He was a Vice Minister of National Defense (1959–70) and a member of the National Defense Council (1965–75). From 1980, he was also a member of the Military Affairs Commission. In September 1982, Xu became the only military officer named a founding Vice Chairmen of the Central Advisory Commission.

Personal life and important events

Xu Shiyou married three times. His first wife was a traditional rural woman. The second wife, Li Mingzhen, was married to him in the E-Yu-Wan border region. His third and the last wife, Tian Pu, was married to him in Shandong during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

(1937–1945). Both Li Mingzhen and Tian Pu are members of the People's Liberation Army. Tian died on June 30, 2017. *In September 1926, Xu joined the Chinese Communist Youth League and go to Wuhan to participate in the National Revolutionary Army. Division 1 Group. *In August 1927, he joined the Red Army, served for Red Mountain Area 31 Division 2 team squad. *In November 1927, he was the platoon leader of Red Army 31 Division 4 Team 5 platoon. *In 1929, he was appointed a battalion regiment commander of 31 Division 1. *In April 1930, he served for Red Army regiment 12, division 34. *In July 1933, he was appointed Deputy Army and Chairman of Red 9 Jun 25 Division. Red Army commander, he Participated in the Long March. *In November 1936, he studied in Red Army college when they reached northern Shaanxi. *In 1938, he was Deputy Minister of Administrative Affairs. Anti-Japanese Military and Political University *In June 1939, he was the Deputy Brigade Commander of 129 Brigade Division 386 of The Eighth Route Army *In October 1939, he was in the Northern Bureau of the CCP Central Committee. *In September 1940, column of the Eighth Route Army 3rd Brigade of Shandong. *In February 1942, he was the Chief of Staff of Shandong column. *In 1942, he was appointed member of Shandong, Shandong Military Region Commander of the Regional party committee. *During the Liberation War, he served as regional party committee members Shandong, Shandong Military Region Commander. *In 1947, he was the Commander of the 9th column, East Field Army Corps, Shandong Corps Commander and was on Party Committee. *In March 1949, he was a member of Shandong Military Region Deputy Commander. *After the founding of the PRC, he was the Military Region Deputy Commander of Shandong branch of the CCP Central Committee. *From December 1949 to 1953, he was on the Huadong Military Committee. *From January 1950 to 1951, he was on CCP Central Committee, Shandong Branch Commission for Discipline Inspection. *From April 1950 to 1953, he was Shandong Military Region Commander. *From December 1952 to 1954, he was the deputy secretary of Shandong branch, CCP Central Committee. *From April 1953 to 1954, he served as commander of No. 3 in the Chinese People's Volunteers Corps. *From July 1953 to 1954, he was on the East CCP Central Committee Board. *From February 1954 to 1955, he was deputy commander of Military Region 2, No. 3 Military Party Committee secretary, Huadong region. *From October 1954 to 1959, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the PLA. *From March 1955 to 1973, he was appointed commander of Military Region 3 party secretary, party secretary of Nanjing Military Region. *From October 1958 to 1960, he was on Shanghai Bureau of the CCP Central Committee . *From September 1959 to 1978, he was appointed deputy defense minister. *From February 1961 to 1966, he was secretary of the CCP Central Committee East China Bureau. *From March 1968 to 1973, he was appointed director of Jiangsu Provincial Revolutionary Committee. *From March 1970, he was appointed Provincial Revolutionary Committee of the party's core team leader. *From December 1970 to 1973 he was on CCP Jiangsu Provincial Committee. *From April 1969 to 1982, he was the member of the CCP Central Military Commission the CCP Central Committee Political Bureau. *From January 1980 to 1982 He served as a member of the Standing Committee of CCP Central Military Commission. *From December 1973 to 1980, he was Guangzhou Military Region Commander, Military District No. 1 party secretary (April 1974 onwards). *From September 1982 to 1985 CCP Central Committee, he was the deputy director of Advisory Committee Standing Committee. Session 1-3 Defense Committee. No. 1,4,5 th National People's Congress. The 8th CCP Central Committee alternate members, (12) members, 9-11th Central Committee Political Bureau, member of the Central Advisory Board of 12 Elected member of the Standing Committee and deputy director. *In September 1955, he was awarded the rank of general, an honor Medal, an Order of Independence and Freedom Medal, a Liberation Medal. *On October 22, 1985, he died in Nanjing.

References