Wang Chenghan (; December 1917 – 20 November 2009) was a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

in 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, ...

of China who served as political commissar of the

PLA Academy of Military Sciences The Academy of Military Sciences () is the highest-level research institute of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). It is headquartered in Beijing. The academy was founded in March 1958 and as of 2002, its staff included approximately 500 resea ...

from 1985 to 1990. He was a delegate to the 5th National People's Congress. He was a member of the 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and a member of the 13th

Central Advisory Commission The Central Advisory Commission () (CAC) was a body of the Chinese Communist Party that existed during the era of the paramount leadership of Deng Xiaoping. The body was supposed to provide "political assistance and consultation" to the Party' ...

of the Chinese Communist Party.

Biography

Wang was born in

Hong'an County Hong'an County (), formerly named Huang'an County (; Hwangan), located to the north of Wuhan, is a county in Huanggang, Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Hong'an is known as the "County of Generals" in that more than 200 (or 79 with the ...

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 ...

, in December 1917. He enlisted in 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 ...

in December 1930, and joined the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

(CCP) in 1933. At the age of 17, he served as a company commander of the 25th Red Army. Together with

Xu Haidong Xu Haidong (June 17, 1900 – March 25, 1970) was a senior general in the People's Liberation Army of China. Xu was notable for leading his men from the front lines during the Chinese Civil War and Second Sino-Japanese War. His exploits earn ...

and

Cheng Zihua Cheng Zihua (; June 20, 1905 – March 30, 1991) was a People's Republic of China politician.Cheng Zihua

, he broke through the tight encirclement and entered northern

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

. At the age of 19, he was promoted to head of the 262nd Regiment of the 30th Red Army. During the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

, he served in the . During the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

, he participated in a series of battles, such as the Campaign of the North China Plain Pocket,

Menglianggu campaign The Menglianggu campaign () was fought between the nationalists and the communists during the Chinese Civil War in the post-World War II era and resulted in communist victory. The campaign was later used by the communists as a specific battle ...

Linfen Campaign Linfen Campaign (临汾战役) was a series of battles fought between the communists and the nationalists during the Chinese Civil War to control the city of Linfen, and resulted in the communist victory. Prelude After the Yuncheng Campaign (� ...

, , Taiyuan campaign, Xi'an campaign, Xianyang campaign, and South China campaign. After establishment of the Communist State, in 1951, he took part in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

led by

Peng Dehuai Peng Dehuai (; October 24, 1898November 29, 1974) was a prominent Chinese Communist military leader, who served as China's Defense Minister from 1954 to 1959. Peng was born into a poor peasant family, and received several years of primary edu ...

. In 1955 he was awarded the military 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 a ...

('' shaojiang'') by Chairman

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

. In 1957, he became first deputy commander and chief of staff of the 60th Army, rising to commander in 1960. He was deputy commander of the

Tibet Military District The Tibet Military District is a military district of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force. It was first established in 1952, possibly from elements previously part of the 18th Corps. In December 1968 it became part of the Chengdu Military ...

in 1964, and held that office until December 1968. He served as deputy commander of the

Chengdu Military Region The Chengdu Military Region was one of seven military districts and is located in the southwest of the People's Republic of China, covering Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and the Xizang/Tibet Autonomous Region. It includes some of the area ...

in March 1969, and thirteen years later promoted to the commander position. In December 1982 he was admitted to member of the Standing Committee of the CCP Sichuan Provincial Committee, the province's top authority. In November 1985, he was appointed political commissar of the

, serving in the post until his retirement in April 1990. He was promoted to the rank of

('' shangjiang'') in 1988. On 20 November 2009, he died of an illness 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 ...

, at the age of 92.

Autobiography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Chenghan 1917 births 2009 deaths People from Hong'an County Counter-Japanese Military and Political University alumni People's Liberation Army generals from Hubei People's Republic of China politicians from Hubei Chinese Communist Party politicians from Hubei Delegates to the 5th National People's Congress Members of the 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Commanders of the Chengdu Military Region