Zhou Guotai (; born 30 August 1949) is a former major general of 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 ...

, and former director of Research and Development Center for Security and Protection of

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...

. Zhou is also a fellow of the

Chinese Academy of Engineering The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences a ...

. He has been hailed as "father of China's

bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or bullet-resistant vest, is a type of body armor designed to absorb impact and prevent the penetration of firearm projectiles and explosion fragments to the torso. The vest can be either soft ...

". In October 2015, he was placed under investigation by the military's anti-corruption agency for "serious violations of discipline". He previously served as deputy head of Oil Supplies Division of

PLA 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 bar ...

. He is so far the first academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering sacked for graft since the beginning of Communist Party general secretary

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

's ongoing anti-corruption battle after he took power in the

18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party The 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held November 8–14, 2012 at the Great Hall of the People. Due to term limits and age restrictions, seven of the nine members of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) retir ...

Biography

Zhou was born in

Zhenlai County Zhenlai County () is a county in northwestern Jilin province, China, occupying the northernmost part of the province and bordering Heilongjiang to the east and Inner Mongolia to the west. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city ...

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

, China, on August 30, 1949, with his

ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...

in Wendeng,

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

. Zhou enlisted in the

in October 1968, and 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 April 1971. In 1976 he graduated from

Sun Yat-sen University Sun Yat-sen University (; SYSU) is a public university in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry of Education, SASTIND, and Guangdong Provincial Government. The university is p ...

with a degree in chemistry. In 1999 he was elected as a member of the

. A year later, he was promoted to the rank of major general (shao jiang). In January 2001 he became the deputy head of Oil Supplies Division of

. On October 21, 2015, he came under investigation for alleged "serious violations of discipline" and his case was transferred to the military procuratorate.

Awards

* Outstanding Contribution Award of Young Experts (1999) * Nie Rongzhen Invention Award (2002) * Science and Technology Award of the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation (2002) * First-class National Scientific and Technological Progress Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhou, Guotai 1949 births People from Baicheng Living people Sun Yat-sen University alumni People's Liberation Army generals from Jilin Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Purged Chinese military officers