:''This is a Chinese and Korean name; the family name is Zhao (Cho).'' Zhao Nanqi (; 20 April 1927 – 17 June 2018), or Cho Nam-gi in Korean, was a three star General of the People's Republic of China and Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 1998 to 2003, and Vice-chairman of the 5th National People's Congress. Born in Japanese-ruled Korea, he moved to

Jilin Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...

, China as a child. He distinguished himself as a logistics officer of the

People's Volunteer Army The People's Volunteer Army (PVA) was the armed expeditionary forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the PVA were actually transferred from the People's Liberation Army under the order ...

during 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 ...

. After the war, he served 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, ...

(PLA) Jilin Military District and as Vice Governor of Jilin province. He later served in top leadership positions in the PLA as Director of the

General Logistics Department People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department (GLD; ) is a former chief organ under China's Central Military Commission. It organizes and leads the logistics construction and oversees housing, supplies, hospitals, and barracks of the Peopl ...

(1987–1992), member of the Central Military Commission, and President of the

PLA Academy of Military Science The Academy of Military Sciences () is the highest-level research institute of the People's Liberation Army of China. It is headquartered in Beijing. Its president is General Yang Xuejun (since June 2017) and Lt. General Fang Xiang is the politi ...

(1992–1995). He attained the top military rank of three star General in 1988. From 1998 to 2003 he served as a

Vice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) () is a political office in the People's Republic of China. The official responsibility of the vice chairpersons is to assist the ...

Early life

Cho Nam-gi (Zhao Nanqi in Mandarin Chinese) was born on 20 April 1927 in

Cheongwon County Cheongwon County (''Cheongwon-gun'') was a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It was dissolved on July 1, 2014 and consolidated to Cheongju. Cheongwon was Twin towns and sister cities, twi ...

Korea under Japanese rule Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offic ...

(in present-day

Cheongju Cheongju () is the capital and largest List of cities in South Korea, city of North Chungcheong Province in South Korea. History Cheongju has been an important provincial town since ancient times. In the Cheongju Mountains, specifically in the ...

North Chungcheong Province North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the s ...

, South Korea). Because of Japanese colonial policies that required Koreans to use Japanese-style names, he also used the Japanese surname Toyoda (豊田). In 1939, Zhao's family moved to

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China, Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 afte ...

, the Japanese-controlled puppet state in

Northeast China Northeast China or Northeastern China () is a geographical region of China, which is often referred to as "Manchuria" or "Inner Manchuria" by surrounding countries and the West. It usually corresponds specifically to the three provinces east of t ...

, and settled in

Yongji County, Jilin Yongji () is a county of central Jilin province, China, located just outside of Jilin City Jilin City (), alternately romanized as Kirin, is the second-largest city and former capital of Jilin province in northeast China. As of the 2020 ...

Province. When Japan surrendered in 1945 at the end of World War II, Chinese rule was restored in Northeast China and Korea regained its independence. Many Koreans in China returned to Korea, but Zhao's family stayed and was recognized as

Chaoxianzu Koreans in China (), Korean Chinese (), Joseonjok, Chosŏnjok (), or Chaoxianzu (), are Chinese by nationality and are Koreans by ethnicity (with either full or partial Korean ancestry). A majority of the chaoxianzu are descendants of immigran ...

(Chinese of Korean ethnicity). Zhao met General

Zhou Baozhong Zhou Baozhong (; 1902–1964) was a commander of the 88th Separate Rifle Brigade and Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army resisting the pacification of Manchukuo by the Empire of Japan. After the Chinese Civil War he was made Vice Governor of ...

of the

Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army was the main anti-Japanese guerrilla army in Northeast China (Manchuria) after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Its predecessors were various anti-Japanese volunteer armies organized by locals ...

, who recruited him into the army and sent him to study at Northeast Military and Political University, where he learned to speak, read and write Chinese. He participated in the land reform movement in

and joined 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 February 1947.

Korean War

When China resolved to intervene in the

in October 1950, Zhao was deployed to Korea because of his proficiency in the Korean language. He served in the logistics department of the Chinese

(PVA) alongside

Mao Anying Mao Anying (; 24 October 1922 – 25 November 1950) was the eldest son of Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui. Educated in Moscow and a veteran of multiple wars, Mao was killed in action by an air strike during the Korean War. Early life Mao was ...

, the son of 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) ...

. Zhao evacuated the cave where the PVA headquarters were located just before American planes bombed it and killed Mao Anying in November 1950. Zhao distinguished himself during the celebrated

Battle of Triangle Hill The Battle of Triangle Hill, also known as Operation Showdown or the Shangganling Campaign (),Chinese sources often mistranslates Shangganling Campaign as the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. was a protracted military engagement during the Korean ...

in October 1952, when the unit under his command braved American aerial bombing and transported 30,000 grenades from

Andong Andong () is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city. Andong is a m ...

, China to the 15th Corps in the front line within 15 hours. He was also responsible for constructing the building in which the

Korean Armistice Agreement The Korean Armistice Agreement ( ko, 한국정전협정 / 조선정전협정; zh, t=韓國停戰協定 / 朝鮮停戰協定) is an armistice that brought about a complete cessation of hostilities of the Korean War. It was signed by United Sta ...

was signed in 1953. After the armistice, Zhao was sent to study at the PLA Logistics Academy. Because of his wartime experience, he was promoted to become a lecturer at the academy after only one year of study, and was asked to write a report of his experience and lessons learned during the war. In 1957, he was appointed the director of the PVA office overseeing the withdrawal of the Chinese forces from Korea. He left North Korea together with the last PVA troops in 1958. After returning to China, he was received by Mao Zedong and Marshal

Zhu De Zhu De (; ; also Chu Teh; 1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party. Born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan, he was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...

Later career

After the Korean War, Zhao served in the

Yanbian Yanbian (; Chosŏn'gŭl: , ''Yeonbyeon''), officially known as the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture in the east of Jilin Province, China. Yanbian is bordered to the north by Heilongjiang Province, on the west by ...

Military Subdistrict as a political officer and attained the rank of colonel in 1965. He was persecuted during the early

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, but was rehabilitated and appointed as Political Commissar of the

Tonghua Tonghua () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jilin province, People's Republic of China. It borders North Korea's Chagang Province to the south and southeast, Baishan to the east, Jilin City to the north, Liaoyuan to the northwest, an ...

Military Subdistrict in 1973. He was later promoted to Deputy Political Commissar and then Commissar of the Jilin Military District. In the 1980s, Zhao was the only Chinese military leader who concurrently served in important provincial civilian positions. He became Vice Governor of Jilin Province in April 1980 and was appointed

Deputy Party Committee Secretary In modern Chinese politics, a Deputy Party Committee Secretary (; also translated as Deputy Party Secretary, deputy party chief, vice party chief) serves as the lieutenant to the Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary, and thus the deputy ...

of Jilin in October 1981, serving until 1985. In March 1985, Zhao was promoted to Deputy Director of the People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department (GLD). He was promoted again to Director of the GLD in 1987 and was appointed a member of the Central Military Commission in April 1988. When the

restored military ranks (which had been abolished in 1965) in September 1988, Zhao was among the 17 PLA officers to attain the rank of full general (''

shang jiang (; ja, 将, Shō; ) is the rank held by general officers in some East Asian militaries. The ranks are used in both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan. The People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police use ...

''), and the only one from an ethnic minority. From 1992 to 1995, he served as President of the

. From 1998 to 2003, Zhao served as vice-chairman of the 9th

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 ...

(CPPCC) National Committee. He paid an official visit to North Korea in June 1998 and paid his respects to the grave of Mao Anying. In April 2000, he paid an official visit to South Korea; it was the first time he returned to his place of birth since he left at the age of 12. Zhao was a member of the

12th 12 (twelve) is the natural number following 11 and preceding 13. Twelve is a superior highly composite number, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6. It is the number of years required for an orbital period of Jupiter. It is central to many systems ...

, 13th and 14th Central Committees of the Communist Party of China. He also served as vice-chairman of the Nationalities Committee of the 5th National People's Congress.

Personal life

Zhao was married to Lin Chunshu (林春淑), a fellow Korean War veteran.

Death

Zhao Nanqi died in Beijing on 17 June 2018, at the age of 91.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao, Nanqi 1927 births 2018 deaths Chinese politicians of Korean descent Chinese Communist Party politicians from Jilin People's Liberation Army generals from Jilin Korean emigrants to China People from Cheongju Chinese military personnel of the Korean War Political office-holders in Jilin People's Republic of China politicians from Jilin Members of the 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the 13th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the 14th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Vice Chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Pungyang Jo clan