The Guangzhou Military Region was from 1955 to 2016 one of the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

PLA Military Region In the People's Republic of China, theater commands () are joint commands responsible for developing strategy, plans, tactics, and policy specific to their assigned area of responsibility. Currently, the PRC subdivides the nation into five th ...

s, located in the south of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. In May 1949, the Central China (Hua Zhong) Military Region (MR) was formed. In March 1955, it was divided into two, the Guangzhou MR and the

Wuhan Military Region Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city and ...

. When the Wuhan MR was disbanded in August 1985, its troops stationed around the Hubei province were assigned to the Guangzhou MR. The region was disestablished in 2016 and reorganised as the

Southern Theater Command The Southern Theater Command () is one of the Theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessor was the Guangzhou Military Region. Its jurisdicti ...

. Just before being disbanded, the Guangzhou MR controlled the

Guangdong Province Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

Autonomous Region,

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

Province,

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

Province, and the

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

Province Military Districts. The

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

garrisons were within the Guangzhou MR area but reported directly to the Central Military Commission. There were two Group Armies within the Region, the 41st Group Army and 42nd Group Army, and in 2006 the International Institute for Strategic Studies said the region had some 180,000 personnel, one mechanised division, three motorised infantry divisions, one artillery division, two armoured brigades, one artillery brigade, and two anti-aircraft brigades. The 123rd (Amphibious) Infantry Division (53023) at

Guigang Guigang (; Zhuang: ''Gveigangj'') is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangxi in the People's Republic of China. Prior to 1988, it was known as Gui County or Guixian (). Geography and climate Guigang is located in eastern Guangxi. It is locate ...

and 124th Infantry Divisions at Boluo,

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

had been identified as Rapid Reaction Units. The Hong Kong garrison includes a brigade with a helicopter unit. The PLA's

15th Airborne Corps The People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps () is an airborne corps under direct command of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). It was reorganized and renamed from the 15th Airborne Corps in May 2017 and now comprises six ...

was also located in this MR though not under its command.

List of commanders

Huang Yongsheng Huang Yongsheng (; 1910–1983) was a general of the China's People's Liberation Army. In 1955 Huang was awarded the position of ''Shang Jiang'' (colonel-general), and Huang continued to rise throughout the 1950s and 1960s, eventually becoming L ...

, 1955−68 *

Li Tianyou Li Tianyou (; 1914–1970) was a general ('' shangjiang'') of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Biography Born to a poor peasant family in Lingui, Guangxi, Li joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1929, at the age of 15, and in November o ...

* Ding Sheng *

Xu Shiyou Xu Shiyou (; 1906–1985) was a general in the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Early career Born in Xinxian, Henan Province (it belonged to Hubei previously), Xu grew up studying martial arts at the Shaolin Temple for eight years and he later ...

, 1973−80 * Wu Kehua, 1980−82 *

You Taizhong You Taizhong (; 1918–1998) was a general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Biography He was born in Guangshan County, Henan in December 1918. He joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in January 1931, the Communist Youth L ...

, 1982−87 *

Zhang Wannian Zhang Wannian (; 1 August 1928 – 14 January 2015) was a general of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the People's Republic of China. Biography Zhang Wannian was born in Huang County (now Longkou), Shandong Province of China on 1 August ...

* Liu Cunzhi *

Zhu Dunfa Zhu Dunfa (; 28 December 1927 – 21 July 2021) was a general ('' shangjiang'') of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He was a delegate to the 6th and 7th National People's Congress, and a member of the 14th Central Committee of the Chinese Co ...

* Li Xilin * Tao Bojun * Liu Zhenwu * Zhang Qinsheng, 2007−09 *

Xu Fenlin Xu Fenlin (; born July 1953) is a retired general ('' shangjiang'') of the Chinese People's Liberation Army who served as Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff from 2016 to 2017. Prior to that, he was the final Commander of the Guangzhou Military Region ...

, 2009−present

Ground Forces

Wuhan - Wuluo St - Guangzhou Military District Wuhan Main Hospital - P1040827

* 41st Group Army (Command Center:

Liuzhou Liuzhou (; , IPA Pronunciation:) is a prefecture-level city in north-central Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. The prefecture's population was 3,758,700 in 2010, including 1,436,599 in the built-up area made of 4 urban ...

) consists of 2 divisions and 3 brigades **121st Mechanized Infantry Division(

) **123rd Mechanized Infantry Division(

) **Armored Brigade(

Guilin Guilin ( Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''; alternatively romanized as Kweilin) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the west bank of the Li River and borders Hunan to the nort ...

) **Anti-Aircraft Brigade (

Hengyang Hengyang (; ) is the second largest city of Hunan Province, China. It straddles the Xiang River about south of the provincial capital of Changsha. As of the 2020 Chinese census, Its total population was 6,645,243 inhabitants, whom 1,290,715 ...

) **Artillery Brigade(

) * 42nd Group Army (Command Center:

Huizhou Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Heyua ...

) consists of 2 divisions and 4 brigades ** 124th Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division (

Boluo Boluo County () is a county of east-central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Huizhou, and in 2009, had a population of 813,700 residing in an area of . It borders Yuanc ...

) **163rd Mechanized Infantry Division(

Chaozhou Chaozhou (), alternatively Chiuchow, Chaochow or Teochew, is a city in the eastern Guangdong province of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the Sou ...

) **Anti-Aircraft Brigade (Jieyang) **Special Operation Battalion(

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

) **Electronic Warfare Regiment( Huadu) **6th Regiment of the Army Aviation(

Sanshui Sanshui District, formerly romanized as Samshui, is an urban district of the prefecture-level city of Foshan in Guangdong province, China. It had a population of 622,645 as of the 2010 census. It is known for the " Samsui women", emigrants who la ...

) **Engineering Regiment(

) **Anti-Chemical Warfare Regiment(

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

) **Driver and Medic Training Battalion(

Dongguan Dongguan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. An important industrial city in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the s ...

) **Training Regiment(

)

Air Force

Commander:Lt. Gen. Han Ruijie Political Officer: Lt. Gen. Wang Jilian Deputy Commander:Maj. Gen. Zhang Shutian In June 1962, the second Shantou Command Post became the 7th Air Corps. After a move to Xingning in

, it moved to

Nanning Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of ...

Guangxi Autonomous Region Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ( ...

, in August 1964.Appendix G, "Origins of PLAAF MRAFs, Air Corps, Command Posts, Bases, Air Divisions, and Independent Regiments," Ken Allen, Chapter 9, "PLA Air Force Organization", The PLA as Organization, ed. James C. Mulvenon and Andrew N.D. Yang (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2002), 445. The 48th Aviation Division was active, initially under the 12th Air Corps, from 1971 to 1992. * 7th Air Corps ** 2nd Fighter Division: Suixi,

Su-27 The Sukhoi Su-27 (russian: Сухой Су-27; NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fourth-generation jet ...

, J-7 **9th (Fighter) Division :

Foshan Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...

Shaoguan Shaoguan (; Hakka: Seukoan) is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong Province (Yuebei), South China, bordering Hunan to the northwest and Jiangxi to the northeast. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch H ...

, Xingning J-8D, J-7B, J-10 **42nd (Fighter) Division :

Ningming Ningming County (, za, Ningzmingz Yen) is a county in southwestern Guangxi, China. It is famous for being home to the Hua mountain rock paintings World Heritage Site. A diverse range of languages and dialects are spoken alongside Mandarin Chines ...

J-10 *Air Force in Wuhan Base **13th (Transport) Division : Wangjiadun Airport

Hankou Hankou, alternately romanized as Hankow (), was one of the three towns (the other two were Wuchang and Hanyang) merged to become modern-day Wuhan city, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers wher ...

Dangyang Dangyang () is a city in western Hubei province, People's Republic of China, lying east of the Gezhouba Dam on the Yangtze River. During the Western Han Dynasty (206-24 BC). Emperor Jing of Han established an administration in Dangyang on an ar ...

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

Y-7, Y-8,

IL-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commer ...

**18 (Fighter) Division :

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...

J-8D, J-7,

Su-30 The Sukhoi Su-30 (russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter ...

** 8th (Bomber) Division :

Leiyang Leiyang () is a county-level city and the third most populous county-level division in Hunan Province, China. Leiyang is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Hengyang. Located on the south of the province, the city is bordered ...

, Qidong H-6, H-6U *

**43rd Airborne Division:

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

**44th Airborne Division Guangshui,

**45th Airborne Division

Huangpi Huangpi District () is one of 13 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China, situated on the northern (left) bank of the Yangtze River. The Sheshui enters the Yangtze at Huangpi. The district is ...

Nickname

Organizations affiliated with the Guangzhou Military Region often use the nickname "warrior" (), including the Warrior Performance Troupe () and the Warrior Newspaper ().

References

Citations

Sources

* Chapter 8, PLA Ground Forces, by Dennis J Blasko, in The People's Liberation Army as Organisation, RAND, CF182 {{coord missing, China Military regions of the People's Liberation Army Military units and formations established in 1955 Military units and formations disestablished in 2016 1955 establishments in China