Ji Hongchang (; 1895–1934), born Ji Hengli, was a Chinese general and patriot. Hongchang was born in

Fugou Fugou County () is a county of east-central Henan province, China. It is under the administration of Zhoukou city. Administrative divisions As 2012, this county is divided to 9 towns and 6 townships. ;Towns ;Townships Climate See also * S ...

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 ...

province. He started his military career in 1913 under General

Feng Yuxiang Feng Yuxiang (; ; 6 November 1882 – 1 September 1948), courtesy name Huanzhang (焕章), was a warlord and a leader of the Republic of China from Chaohu, Anhui. He served as Vice Premier of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1930. He was ...

. He was the commander of the 22nd Army when he was appointed as

Ningxia Ningxia (,; , ; alternately romanized as Ninghsia), officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), is an autonomous region in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in ...

chairman. Refusing to attack the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

led by the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

while the whole country was threatened by Japan, he was sacked by

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

and ordered to "observe and study" abroad. He returned to China in 1932. In May 1933, he helped to organize the

Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army The Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army (察哈尔民众抗日同盟军) consisted mostly of former Northwestern Army units under Feng Yuxiang, troops from Fang Zhenwu's Resisting Japan and Saving China Army, remnants of the provincial forces from ...

together with Feng Yuxiang and

Fang Zhenwu Fang Zhenwu (; 1885 – December 1941), or Fang Cheng-wu, was a general of the Republic of China and anti-Japanese leader. He ran afoul of the Kuomintang leadership and was assassinated in 1941. Biography Early life Fang was born in 1885 in Shou ...

and directed it along the front line against the Japanese invaders. The army recovered the Japanese-controlled Duolun (now in Inner Mongolia) and built nationwide confidence to fight against the Japanese. In October, the People's Army was extinguished, by Chiang Kai-shek who mobilized sixteen divisions against them. Ji Hongchang fought on for a while before seeking asylum in Tianjin foreign concessions in January 1934. Chiang's policy to "extinguish the outlaws (the Communists) before fighting against invaders" disappointed him. As a result, he joined the Communist Party in March 1934. On April 24, Ji established the "Great Anti-Fascism Alliance of Chinese People" in Tianjin, with Feng Yuxiang, and Fang Zhenwu.

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

agents injured Ji Hongchang in an assassination attempt on Nov 9th, and colluded with French police in extraditing Ji Hongchang for execution in

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

on Nov 24th. Before his death, Ji reportedly asked his executioner for a chair, citing that he was a patriot fighting Japanese invaders and therefore should neither be kneeling nor falling when he dies, as well as demanding to be shot from the front, as he wanted to "see how the enemy's bullet kills me".

Film

A Chinese film based on his life, 吉鸿昌 (''Ji Hongchang''), was released in China in 1979. It was a box office blockbuster, selling tickets in China.

Reference

External links

Rulers: Ji Hongchang
biography with photo

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ji, Hongchang 1895 births 1934 deaths National Revolutionary Army generals from Henan Politicians from Zhoukou People of the Northern Expedition People of the Central Plains War Chinese police officers People executed by the Republic of China by firearm Executed Republic of China people Executed Chinese people Chinese Communist Party politicians from Henan Republic of China politicians from Henan 20th-century executions by China Executed people from Henan