Ye Xuanning (; October 1938 – 10 July 2016) was a Chinese politician, general and businessman.

Early life and education

Ye was born in

British Hong Kong Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the Briti ...

in October 1938, the son of

Ye Jianying Ye Jianying (; 28 April 1897 – 22 October 1986) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary leader and politician, one of the founding Ten Marshals of the People's Republic of China. He was the top military leader in the 1976 coup that overthrew ...

, a Communist general,

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

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, ...

, and Zeng Xianzhi, a descendant of

Zeng Guoquan Zeng Guoquan (12 October 1824 – 13 November 1890), courtesy name Yuanfu, art name Shuchun, was a Chinese official and military leader of the late Qing dynasty. He was the ninth brother of Zeng Guofan, a prominent statesman and general, and a d ...

and a Standing Committee member of the 4th and 5th

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

. Ye Xuanning was raised in his maternal grandmother's home, in Heye Town of

Shuangfeng County Shuangfeng County () is a county in Hunan Province, China, it is under the administration of Loudi prefecture-level City. Located on the east central part of the province, it is adjacent to the southeast of the city proper of Loudi. The county ...

, in

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. In 1950, he relocated to

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 ...

, living with his father. He attended

The High School Affiliated To Beijing Normal University The High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University (, BJSDFZ) is a high school affiliated with Beijing Normal University located in Xicheng District, Beijing. Founded in 1901 as China's first public high school, it is ranked among the most ...

and Beijing 101 High School. In 1958, he entered Harbin Institute of Military Engineering (now

Harbin Engineering University Harbin Engineering University (HEU; ) was founded in 1953 in Harbin, China. It offers more than 150-degree programs, 48 of which are conducted in English. Designated a Double First Class University and a former Project 211 university, HEU is ...

), where he studied alongside Zhang Yanzhong (; son of

Zhang Dingcheng Zhang Dingcheng (; December 1898 – December 16, 1981) was a politician of the People's Republic of China, Procurator–General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate from 1954 to 1975.

, Procurator-General of the

Supreme People's Procuratorate The Supreme People's Procuratorate () is the highest national agency responsible for legal prosecution and investigation in the People's Republic of China. Conceived initially in 1949 as the Supreme People's Prosecutor's Office, the agency was r ...

) and Wang Xing (; son of

Wang Ruofei Wang Ruofei (11 October 1896 – 8 April 1946) was a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party. He studied in France in the 1920s, where he joined the Communist Party, was trained in the Soviet Union, served five years in prison on his re ...

, Member of the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee), after which he transferred to Beijing Institute of Technology due to poor health.

Career

After graduating from

Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing Institute of Technology (abbreviated BIT; Simplified Chinese characters, Simplified Chinese: 北京理工大学; Traditional Chinese characters, Traditional Chinese: 北京理工大學; pinyin: Běijīng Lǐgōng Dàxué), is a National u ...

in 1960, he was assigned to a radio parts factory in

Zhuzhou Zhuzhou (, ), formerly Jianning (建宁), is a prefecture-level city of Hunan Province, China, straddling the Xiang River southeast of the provincial capital, Changsha, and bordering Jiangxi province to the east. It is part of the " Greater Chan ...

, then he was transferred to

Shangrao Shangrao () is a medium-sized prefecture-level city located in the northeast of Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. The city borders the province of Anhui to the north, the province of Zhejiang to the east, and the province of Fujian to t ...

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 ...

. In 1974, while operating a machine, his right arm was cut off. In 1978, Ye served as secretary of

Kang Shien Kang Shi'en (; 20 April 1915 – 21 April 1995) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary who participated in the December 9th Movement and a politician who served as China's Vice Premier and Minister of Petroleum. Perceived as a member of the " O ...

, director of the Economic Commission of the State Council. In 1980, Ye had made a crossover from politics to business. He became the president of Canglang Consulting Corporation. In 1984, he served as vice-president of the

China Association for International Friendly Contact The China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC) is a United Front organization subordinate to the Liaison Bureau of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. CAIFC was founded in 1984 and is active in ov ...

(CAIFC). That same year, he enlisted in the People's Liberation Army. He was promoted to 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 a ...

(shao jiang) in September 1988. In 1990, Ye was appointed head of the Liaison Department of the

PLA General Political Department The People's Liberation Army General Political Department (GPD; ) was the former chief political organ under the Central Military Commission of Chinese Communist Party. It led all political activities in the People's Liberation Army. Its forme ...

. In 1993, he became president of China Carrie Enterprises Limited. Ye retired from the army in 1997. He was a member of the 8th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a Standing Committee member of the 9th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Ye was also a

calligrapher Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

, famous for his cursive calligraphy. On July 10, 2016, Ye died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

at Zhongshan Hospital, 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 ...

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) ...

Princelings

Ye was the leader or godfather of the Princelings. He was low-profile but influential in political, military and business circles. Many people who ran into troubles looked for Ye, who was always able to resolve their problems.

Personal life

Ye married painter Qian Ningge (), daughter of Qian Yimin, a Communist revolutionist and politician. They had a son, Ye Hong (), and a daughter, Ye Jingzi (). His son-in-law is Wang Jingyang (), grandson of Wang Zhen, one of the Eight Elders of the Communist Party of China.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ye, Xuanning 1938 births 2016 deaths Hakka generals Beijing Institute of Technology alumni People's Republic of China politicians from Hong Kong Chinese Communist Party politicians People's Republic of China calligraphers Deaths from lung cancer People's Liberation Army generals Hong Kong people of Hakka descent People from Meixian District Deaths from cancer in the People's Republic of China