Nie Li (born September 1930) is a

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the first woman to hold the rank.

Early life

Nie was born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

in 1930, the daughter of

Nie Rongzhen Nie Rongzhen (; December 29, 1899 – May 14, 1992) was a prominent Chinese Communist military leader, and one of ten Marshals in the People's Liberation Army of China. He was the last surviving PLA officer with the rank of Marshal. Biograph ...

, who would become a Marshal of the PLA, and his wife Zhang Ruihua. As her father was from

Jiangjin Jiangjin District (), one of the District (China), districts in the southwest of Chongqing, China, lies along the upper reaches of Yangtze River, and has a history extending back more than 1500 years. The district covers 3200 square kilometres an ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, she is considered a Jiangjin native by Chinese convention. When she was four years old, Nie was imprisoned along with her mother by the

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 ...

. They were released two years later and Zhang Ruihua sent her daughter to be raised with a family in the

countryside In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

. At age 14, Nie was sent to work in a cotton mill.

Education

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Ma ...

dispatched people to take Nie to a Communist-controlled area in

Beijing } 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 ...

in 1945. On arrival, 15-year old Nie entered the first year of elementary school. In 1955, Nie went to

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

to study at the Leningrad Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics. She graduated and returned to China in 1960.

Career

On her return, Nie was assigned as a

technician A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skill and technique, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Specialisation The term technician covers many different speciali ...

to a lab in the

Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China The Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China (), or the "National Defense Ministry" () for short, is the second-ranked cabinet level executive department under the State Council. It is headed by the Minister of Nation ...

, researching

missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocke ...

technology. Over the years, Nie held various roles in the Ministry's Fifth Institute (), as well as the

Ministry of Aerospace Industry The Ministry of Aerospace Industry of the People's Republic of China () was a government ministry responsible for its national space program. This ministry was split into the China National Space Administration and China Aerospace Science and Tech ...

and

Ministry of Science and Technology A Science Ministry or Department of Science is a ministry or other government agency charged with science. The ministry is often headed by a Minister for Science. List of Ministries of Science Many countries have a Ministry of Science or Ministry ...

. She worked on projects including the earliest Yuan Wang-class tracking ship, launched in 1977, as well as the first Chinese supercomputers, Yinhe models I and II, throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1988, Nie was presented with the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

. Nie and another four women promoted at this time were the first female generals since Li Zhen's commission in 1955. Nie was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 24 July 1993. She has served twice as deputy chairperson on the

All-China Women's Federation The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF; ) is a women's rights people's organization established in China on 24 March 1949. It was originally called the All-China Democratic Women's Foundation, and was renamed the All-China Women's Federation in ...

. Nie was a representative at the

7th National People's Congress The 7th National People's Congress () was in session from 1988 to 1993. It held five sessions in this period. Election results Elected state leaders In the 1st Session in 1988, the Congress elected the state leaders: *President of the People's ...

, as well as the

8th National People's Congress The 8th National People's Congress () was in session from 1993 to 1998. It succeeded the 7th National People's Congress. It held five sessions in this period. Election results Elected state leaders In the 1st Session in 1993, the Congress elected ...

Personal life

Nie met Ding Henggao whilst studying in

. The two married in 1962 in

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 ...

and the ceremony was described by Tao Siliang (陶斯亮),

Tao Zhu Tao Zhu (; 16 January 1908 – 30 November 1969) was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party . Biography Born in Qiyang, Hunan, Tao Zhu was Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and Commander of the ...

's daughter, as, "solemn and also so simple." At the time, people were surprised that the daughter of a marshal had not married someone of equal or higher status. Ding was later awarded the rank of full general. Nie and Ding have a daughter named Nie Fei.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nie, Li 1930 births Living people Chinese people of World War II People's Liberation Army generals from Shanghai Chinese Communist Party politicians from Shanghai People's Republic of China politicians from Shanghai Chinese communists Chinese mechanical engineers Chinese women engineers Chinese women in politics Delegates to the 7th National People's Congress Delegates to the 8th National People's Congress ITMO University alumni Engineers from Shanghai 20th-century Chinese engineers 20th-century women engineers All-China Women's Federation people