Zhang Meiyuan (; born November 1937) is a

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 ...

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 commander of the

38th Group Army The 82nd Group Army (), formerly the 38th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 82nd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces ...

from 1989 to 1994 and commander of the from 1993 to 1996. He was a member of the

14th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The 14th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was in session from 1992 to 1997. It held seven plenary sessions. It was preceded by the 13th Central Committee. It was elected by the 14th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party ...

Biography

Zhang was born in Bazhong County (now Bazhong),

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 ...

, in November 1937. He enlisted in the

(PLA) in January 1955, 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 August 1958. He graduated from the PLA Jinzhou Infantry School and the PLA Military Academy. Zhang was promoted to deputy commander of the

in 1987. In June 1989, he was promoted again to become commander, succeeding

Xu Qinxian Xu Qinxian (; August 1935 – 8 January 2021) was a Chinese major general of the People's Liberation Army. As commander of the 38th Group Army, he refused the order to use force against demonstrators in Beijing during the 1989 Tiananmen Square p ...

, who was court-martialed, jailed for five years and expelled from the CCP due to refuse the order to use force against demonstrators 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 ...

during the

1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

.John Garnaut
"How top generals refused to march on Tiananmen Square"
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' . 4 June 2010. He led his men to suppress the students in Beijing, which played an important role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. For his gallant service at the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, he was admitted to member of the

in October 1992. He also served as commander of the from 1993 to 1996. In May 1996, he was appointed deputy chief of staff of the

Lanzhou Military Region The Lanzhou Military Region was one of seven military regions in the People's Republic of China. It directed all People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police forces in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Ngari Prefecture in n ...

, in addition to serving as deputy secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission. He attained the rank of

('' shaojiang'') in September 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Meiyuan 1937 births Living people People from Bazhong People's Liberation Army generals from Sichuan People's Republic of China politicians from Sichuan Chinese Communist Party politicians from Sichuan Members of the 14th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party