Zhou Guotai (; born 30 August 1949) is a former

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 ...

of the Chinese

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 former director of Research and Development Center for Security and Protection of

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...

. Zhou is also a fellow of the

Chinese Academy of Engineering The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences ...

. He has been hailed as "father of China's

bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. T ...

". In October 2015, he was placed under investigation by the military's anti-corruption agency for "serious violations of discipline". He previously served as deputy head of Oil Supplies Division of

PLA 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 People ...

. He is so far the first academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering sacked for graft since the beginning of Communist Party general secretary

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...

's ongoing anti-corruption battle after he took power in the

18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party The 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party was held November 8-15, 2012 at the Great Hall of the People. It was preceded by the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. Due to term and age limits restrictions, seven o ...

Biography

Zhou was born in Zhenlai County,

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, on August 30, 1949, with his

ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...

Wendeng Wendeng () is a district of Weihai, Shandong province, China. Wendeng is primarily an industrial based area, with a large minority of citizens working as farmers. Wendeng was , then converted to an urban district in March 2014. Administrative di ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

. Zhou enlisted in the

in October 1968, 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 ...

in April 1971. In 1976 he graduated from

Sun Yat-sen University Sun Yat-sen University (, abbreviated SYSU and colloquially known in Chinese as Zhongda), also known as Zhongshan University, is a national key public research university located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It was founded in 1924 by and nam ...

with a degree in chemistry. In 1999 he was elected as a member of the

. A year later, he was promoted to the rank of

(shao jiang). In January 2001 he became the deputy head of Oil Supplies Division of

. On October 21, 2015, he came under investigation for alleged "serious violations of discipline" and his case was transferred to the military procuratorate.

Awards

* Outstanding Contribution Award of Young Experts (1999) * Nie Rongzhen Invention Award (2002) * Science and Technology Award of the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation (2002) * First-class National Scientific and Technological Progress Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhou, Guotai 1949 births People from Baicheng Living people Sun Yat-sen University alumni People's Liberation Army generals from Jilin Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering