Xiang Shouzhi

Chinese general and revolutionist

In this Chinese name, the family name is  Xiang.

Xiang Shouzhi

向守志

Xiang Shouzhi in 1955

Member of the 2nd Central Advisory Commission
In office
1987–1992
Director| Chen Yun
Commander of the PLA Nanjing Military Region
In office
1982–1990
Preceded by| Nie Fengzhi
Succeeded by| Gu Hui
Commander of the PLA Second Artillery Force
In office
1975–1977
Preceded by| Zhang Yixiang (张翼翔)
Succeeded by| Li Shuiqing (李水清)
President of PLA Rocket Force University of Engineering
In office
1960–1965
Personal details
Born|

Xiang Shouzhi (向守芝)

(1917-11-28)November 28, 1917
Xuanhan County, Sichuan, China
Died| September 2, 2017(2017-09-02) (aged 99)
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Political party| Chinese Communist Party
Spouse|

Zhang Ling

(m. 1945)​

Children| 4
Alma mater| Red Army Infantry School
PLA National Defence University
Military service
Allegiance|  People's Republic of China
Branch/service|  People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Years of service| 1934–1990
Rank|  General
Battles/wars| Second Sino-Japanese War
Chinese Civil War
Korean War
Awards| Order of Bayi (Third Class; 1955)
Order of Liberation (Second Class Medal; 1955)
Order of Independence and Freedom (Second Class Medal; 1963)
Order of the Red Star (First Class Medal; 1988)

Xiang Shouzhi (Chinese: 向守志; pinyin: Xiàng Shǒuzhì; November 28, 1917 – September 2, 2017) was a Chinese general and revolutionist.[1][2] He was promoted to the rank of major general (shao jiang) in 1955 and general (Shang jiang) in 1988. He was a member of the 11th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and the 12th CCP Central Committee.[3]

Xiang began to take part in the revolution at the age of 15, and successively participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War and Korean War. He was eventually purged during the Cultural Revolution but later reinstated. He is hailed as founding father of the Chinese ballistic missile forces. Later in his life, he served as commander of the Nanjing Military Region until his retirement in 1990.[4]

## Biography

[edit]

Xiang was born Xiang Shouzhi (向守芝) in Xuanhan County, Sichuan,[5] with his ancestral home in Macheng, Hubei.

In 1933 he joined the Young Pioneers in the Shuanghechang area and served as its captain. In 1934 he enlisted in the Red Army and successively served as soldier, squad leader, and platoon sergeant. In 1935 he took part in the Communist Youth League. He participated in the counter-campaign against "encirclement and suppression" of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area; after the war, the Red Army were defeated and he participated in the Long March, a forced expedition over 12,500 km (7,800 mi) in the 1930s. In 1936 he attended the Red Army Infantry School and that same year became a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he assumed various posts in the 129th Infantry Division, including company commander, battalion commander, and regimental commander. He was present at the Battle of Linnan in 1943 and the Battle of Taihang Mountains.

During the Chinese Civil War, he was deputy division leader of the First Squad of the Taihang Military Region. He took part in the Battle of Handan. Then he participated in many campaigns, such as the Battle of North Henan, Battle of East Henan, Battle of Zhengzhou, Crossing River Campaigns, and Southwest Campaign.

In the winter of 1951, he was chief of staff of the Fifteenth Army and participated in the fifth campaign of the Korean War to counter the fall of tactical combat; he suffered head injuries. After the war in 1955 he was awarded the military rank of major general (shao jiang) by Mao Zedong.

In 1958 he was accepted to the PLA National Defence University, where he graduated in 1960. After graduation in June, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai appointed him as president of Xi'an Artillery School (now PLA Rocket Force University of Engineering). During his term in office, the DF-1 missile was launched successfully.[6] In August 1965 the Chinese government commissioned him as deputy commander of the Second Artillery Force. In 1966, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution. He was promoted to commander on July 4, 1967, but having held the position for only 43 days, he was discharged by Lin Biao because "he's out of Lin's faction".[6] He was sent to prisons and suffered political persecution over the next six years.

He returned to work in 1972 and then was appointed commander and CCP first secretary of the Second Artillery Force. He served as deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region in September 1977, and five years later promoted to the Commander position, serving in the post until his retirement in 1990. In 1987 he was elected as a member of the 2nd Central Advisory Commission. He was promoted to the rank of general (shang jiang) in 1988. Xiang died on September 2, 2017, in Nanjing, at age 99.

## Work

[edit]

* Xiang Shouzhi (2006-05-01). 向守志回忆录 [Memoirs of Xiang Shouzhi] (in Chinese). Beijing: Chinese People's Liberation Army Publishing House. ISBN 9787506551328.

## Personal life

[edit]

Xiang married Zhang Ling (张玲, born in 1919 in Kaifeng, Henan) in Pingdong County of Shandong Province on May 25, 1945. They had four children.[6]

## Military awards

[edit]

* Order of Bayi (Third Class; 1955)
* Order of Liberation (Second Class Medal; 1955)
* Order of Independence and Freedom (Second Class Medal; 1963)
* Order of the Red Star (First Class Medal; 1988)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Annual Meeting of the Seminar of China's history on world war two held in Shangyu". Shaoxing China. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
2. ^ "Chinese find different ways to celebrate 60th National Day". sina. 2009-09-28.
3. ^ Zhang De; Chen Songhe (2007). 共和国老将军的情怀——访南京军区原司令员向守志上将. people.com.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
4. ^ 开国将军向守志迎百岁华诞 张阳上将发贺电. Sohu (in Chinese). 2016-11-29.
5. ^ 痛批徐才厚的百岁上将有多硬气？曾遭林彪撤职. Sohu (in Chinese). 2016-11-30.
6. ^ a b c 向守志：中國戰略導彈部隊第一任司令員. Xinhua News (in Chinese).

Military offices

Preceded by

Zhang Yixiang (张翼翔)

|  Commander of the PLA Second Artillery Force
1975-1977  | Succeeded by

Li Shuiqing (李水清)

Preceded by

Nie Fengzhi

|  Commander of the PLA Nanjing Military Region
1982-1990  | Succeeded by

Gu Hui

* v
* t
* e

Officers of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (formerly Second Artillery Corps)

Commanders|

* Xiang Shouzhi
* Yang Junsheng
* Zhang Yixiang
* Xiang Shouzhi
* Li Shuiqing
* He Jinheng
* Li Xuge
* Yang Guoliang
* Jing Zhiyuan
* Wei Fenghe
* Zhou Yaning
* Li Yuchao
* Wang Houbin

Political Commissars|

* Li Tianhuan
* Chen Heqiao
* Liu Lifeng
* Liu Anyuan
* Sui Yongju
* Sui Mingtai
* Peng Xiaofeng
* Zhang Haiyang
* Wang Jiasheng
* Xu Zhongbo
* Xu Xisheng

Chiefs of Staff|

* Yan Jia'an
* Mu Lishan
* He Jinheng
* Yang Wenting
* Qian Gui
* Pan Riyuan
* Zhao Xijun
* Ge Dongsheng
* Jing Zhiyuan
* Zhao Shuyue
* Yu Jixun
* Wang Jiurong
* Wei Fenghe
* Lu Fu'en
* Gao Jin
* Lu Fu'en
* Zhang Junxiang
* Li Chuanguang
* Li Jun

* v
* t
* e

Officers of the Nanjing Military Region

Commanders|

* Xu Shiyou
* Ding Sheng
* Nie Fengzhi
* Xiang Shouzhi
* Gu Hui
* Chen Bingde
* Liang Guanglie
* Zhu Wenquan
* Zhao Keshi
* Cai Yingting

Political Commissar|

* Tang Liang
* Du Ping
* Liao Hansheng
* Guo Linxiang
* Fu Kuiqing
* Shi Yuxiao
* Liu Anyuan
* Fang Zuqi
* Lei Mingqiu
* Chen Guoling
* Zheng Weiping

Chief of Staff|

* Zhang Caiqian
* Zhang Zuliang
* Lin Weixian
* Wang Yunrui
* Xiao Yongyin
* Deng Jiatai
* Zhang Xiqin
* Zhou Deli
* Liu Lunxian
* Zhang Zongde
* Chen Bingde
* Chen Xitao
* Huang Xinsheng
* Zhu Wenquan
* Xu Chengyun
* Zhao Keshi
* Cai Yingting
* Yang Hui

*[m.]: married
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