Zhang Dazhi (, April 14, 1911 – January 15, 1992) was a Chinese military officer and politician,

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

of the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...

. He served, most notably, as Commander 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 Prefectu ...

from 1955 to 1969, and Commander of the PLA

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

Forces from 1969 to 1977.Zhang Dazhi Biography
Jia County Official Website

Life

Zhang Dazhi was born in Jia County, Shaanxi. In the spring of 1927, he was admitted to the Shaanxi Provincial Fourth Teacher Training School. In March of the same year, he joined the Chinese Communist Youth League. In the spring of 1928, he graduated as a

schoolteacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and began teaching at primary schools, while in February 1929, he 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 Ci ...

. In February 1934, he joined the Chinese Red Army and assisted in the formation of guerrilla detachments in northern Shaanxi, beginning his military career.Zhang Dazhi Biography
Jia County Official Website He fought in both the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific T ...

and 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 main ...

, and by 1949 he had risen to become commander of the 4th Army of the First Field Army. He studied at the Counter-Japanese Military and Political University from 1936 to 1937 and, after the founding of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, at the

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

Advanced Military Academy from 1953 to 1954. In the early years of the People's Republic, Zhang served as Commander of the paramilitary Public Security Forces in

Northwest China Northwest China () is a statistical region of China which includes the autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Ningxia and the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai. It has an area of 3,107,900 km2. The region is characterized by a (semi-)arid con ...

. From 1955 to 1969 he commanded the

and from 1969 to 1977 he was Central Commander of the PLA

Forces. His loyalty to

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also Romanization of Chinese, 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 List of national founde ...

meant that he managed to avoid persecution during the

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 goa ...

.Zhang Dazhi Biography
Jia County Official Website Zhang also held important positions in the Communist Party and the political system of the People's Republic:
Jia County Official Website * member of the Standing Committee of the

4th National People's Congress The 4th National People's Congress () was in session from 1975 to 1978. It held only one session, in January 1975. There were 2864 deputies to this Congress. The Congress passed the 1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Elected st ...

* member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the 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 ...

* member of the 9th and 10th Central Committees of the Communist Party of China * member of the Central Advisory Commission He was awarded numerous military and Communist Party medals. Zhang Dazhi died on January 15, 1992.Zhang Dazhi Biography
Jia County Official Website

References

1911 births 1992 deaths Chinese Red Army generals Eighth Route Army generals Alternate members of the 8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the 9th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the 10th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the Standing Committee of the 4th National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 5th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Central Advisory Commission Commanders of the Lanzhou Military Region People from Jia County, Shaanxi People's Liberation Army generals from Shaanxi Chinese Communist Party politicians from Shaanxi People's Republic of China politicians from Shaanxi Politicians from Yulin, Shaanxi {{China-mil-bio-stub