Xu Jianguo (; September 1903 – 4 October 1977) was a Chinese

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

politician, intelligence and security officer,

public prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

and diplomat. He notably served as director of the

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

public security bureau A Public Security Bureau (PSB) () of a city or county, or Public Security Department (PSD) () of a province or autonomous region, in the People's Republic of China refers to a government office essentially acting as a police station or a local ...

(1949–1952), Chief Prosecutor of the

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 flow ...

People's Prosecuracy and head of political and legal affairs at the

East China East China () is a geographical and a loosely defined cultural region that covers the eastern coastal area of China. A concept abolished in 1978, for economical purposes the region was defined from 1949 to 1961 by the Chinese Central Governme ...

Bureau of the CCP (1952–1959) and as China's ambassador to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

(1959–1964) and

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

(1964–1967).

Life

Xu Jianguo was born in Dujiazui,

Huangpi District 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 p ...

Hubei Province 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 ...

. His family was poor, so he left home when he was young. At the age of 13, he went to work as an apprentice in the repair workshop of the Anyuan Coal Mine in

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

, and while there he attended lectures at the staff night school hosted by

Liu Shaoqi Liu Shaoqi ( ; 24 November 189812 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary, politician, and theorist. He was Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee from 1954 to 1959, First Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1956 to 1966 and C ...

. In the spring of 1922, he joined the Chinese Socialist Youth League and became a member of the

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

in the same year. From 1922 to 1923, Xu Jianguo participated in three consecutive Anyuan coal strikes led by the Communist Party of China. In 1925, Xu Jianguo was sent to

Xiangtan Xiangtan () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Hunan province, south-central China. The hometowns of several founding leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, including Chairman Mao Zedong, President Liu Shaoqi, and Marshal Peng Dehuai, ...

by the

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 ...

Special Commission of the Communist Party of China to form an industrial trade union. He served as the chairman of the southern joint trade union of Xiangtan County, a member of the county trade union and the head of the picket department. In July 1929, he was arrested by the detective team of the Qingxiang Command of Hunan Province after being betrayed by a traitor and sentenced to 7 years in prison. In late July 1930, the Third Red Army conquered

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 ...

. Xu Jianguo was rescued from the Changsha Army Prison and joined the

Chinese Red Army The Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army or Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, commonly known as the Chinese Red Army or simply the Red Army, are the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party. It was formed when Communist ...

. He studied at the Red Army School and the

Central Party School The Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party (), commonly known as the Central Party School (), located in Beijing, is the higher education institution which trains Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadres. As of 2012, it has around 1,60 ...

and took part in the

Long March The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Chinese Red Army, Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Revolut ...

. After arriving in

Yan'an Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...

, he also studied at the

Counter-Japanese Military and Political University Counter-Japanese Military and Political University (), also commonly known as Kàngdà () and Kangri Junzheng University (), was a comprehensive public university located in Yan'an, Shaanxi, the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party during t ...

. In early 1938, he served as a member of the

CPC Central Committee The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, officially the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is a political body that comprises the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is currently composed of 205 fu ...

's Security Committee and head of the Security Department. On February 18, 1939, the

Central Social Affairs Department The Central Social Affairs Department (SAD) () was the intelligence & counter-intelligence organ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership prior to established in 1936 and is considered the predecessor of the contemporary Chinese Ministry ...

(

SAD Sadness is an emotional pain associated with, or characterized by, feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, grief, helplessness, disappointment and sorrow. An individual experiencing sadness may become quiet or lethargic, and withdraw them ...

) was established and Xu served as deputy director. In 1942, the Jinchaji Border District Government established the Public Security Management Office, with Xu serving as the director. In August 1945, the

Eighth Route Army The Eighth Route Army (), officially known as the 18th Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, was a group army under the command of the Chinese Communist Party, nominally within the structure of the Chinese ...

occupied

Zhangjiakou Zhangjiakou (; ; ) also known as Kalgan and by several other names, is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hebei province in Northern China, bordering Beijing to the southeast, Inner Mongolia to the north and west, and Shanxi to the southw ...

and Xu served as the director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. 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 served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Jinchaji Central Bureau of the Communist Party of China and the

North China North China, or Huabei () is a List of regions of China, geographical region of China, consisting of the provinces of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. Part of the larger region of Northern China (''Beifang''), it lies north ...

Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and head of the Public Security Department of the North China People's Government.

was occupied by 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, ...

on January 15, 1949, and Xu Jianguo served as a member of the Political and Legal Committee of the CPC Central Committee, a member of the Standing Committee of the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the CPC, and the Deputy Mayor of Tianjin and Director of the Public Security Bureau. Beginning in January 1952, he served in the

Military and Political Committee as Chief Prosecutor of the

People's Prosecuracy and head of political and legal affairs at the

Bureau of the CCP. In 1956, he also became secretary of the Secretariat of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, in charge of political and legal affairs, party and masses, and international affairs. The Minister of Foreign Affairs

Chen Yi Chen Yi may refer to: * Xuanzang (602–664), born as Chen Yi, Chinese Buddhist monk in Tang Dynasty * Chen Yi (Kuomintang) Chen Yi (; courtesy names Gongxia (公俠) and later Gongqia (公洽), sobriquet Tuisu (退素); May 3, 1883 – June ...

recommended to the Central Committee to transfer Xu to diplomatic work, and in 1959 Xu Jianguo succeeded Ke Bainian as the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to

. In 1964 he served as the ambassador of the People's Republic of China to

. In May 1966, Xu Jianguo accompanied the Chairman of the Albanian Council of Ministers

Mehmet Shehu Mehmet Ismail Shehu (January 10, 1913 – December 18, 1981) was an Albanian communist politician who served as the 23rd Prime Minister of Albania from 1954 to 1981. As an acknowledged military tactician, without whose leadership the communist p ...

in his visit to China. Defined as a traitor during the Cultural Revolution , he was imprisoned in Beijing

Qincheng Prison The Ministry of Public Security Qincheng Prison () is a maximum-security prison located in Qincheng Village, Xingshou, Changping District, Beijing in the People's Republic of China. The prison was built in 1958 with aid from the Soviet Union ...

. In May 1975, he was released and sent to

Anhui Province Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

to be hospitalized in Lu'an District Hospital. In early 1977, he suffered from lung cancer. He died of illness on October 4, 1977 in Hefei, Anhui. His memory was completely rehabilitated in March 1980. {{s-end 1903 births 1977 deaths Ambassadors of China to Romania Ambassadors of China to Albania Prisoners and detainees of China Chinese prisoners and detainees Deaths from cancer in the People's Republic of China Deaths from lung cancer Politicians from Wuhan Chinese Communist Party politicians from Hubei People's Republic of China politicians from Hubei Chinese police officers Victims of the Cultural Revolution