Nie Li facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lieutenant General Nie Li
聂力
Personal details
Born	September 1930 (age 94) Shanghai, Republic of China
Spouse	Ding Henggao (丁衡高)
Children	Nie Fei (聶菲)
Parents	Nie Rongzhen Zhang Ruihua (张瑞华)
Military service
Allegiance	China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Rank	Lt General

Nie Li was born in September 1930. She is a retired Lieutenant General from China's People's Liberation Army. She made history as the first woman to ever reach this high military rank.

Nie Li's Early Life and Challenges

Nie Li was born in Shanghai in 1930. Her father was Nie Rongzhen, a very important military leader known as a Marshal of the PLA. Her mother was Zhang Ruihua. Because her father was from Jiangjin, Sichuan, Nie Li is considered a native of that area in China.

When Nie Li was just four years old, she and her mother were put in prison by the Kuomintang, a political party at the time. They were held for two years. After their release, her mother sent Nie Li to live with a family in the countryside to keep her safe. By the time she was 14, Nie Li started working in a cotton factory.

Nie Li's Journey in Education

In 1945, when Nie Li was 15, Zhou Enlai, a key leader, arranged for her to go to a Communist-controlled area in Beijing. There, she finally began her formal schooling, starting in the first year of elementary school.

Later, in 1955, Nie Li traveled to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in Russia. She studied at the Leningrad Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics. She worked hard and graduated, returning to China in 1960.

A Pioneer in Science and Military

When Nie Li came back to China, she was given an important job. She became a technician in a lab at the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China. Her work involved researching missile technology, which was very advanced for its time.

Over the years, Nie Li took on many different roles. She worked in the Ministry's Fifth Institute (Chinese: 五院; pinyin: wǔyuàn), and also for the Ministry of Aerospace Industry and the Ministry of Science and Technology. She helped with exciting projects, like the first Chinese tracking ship, the Yuan Wang-class tracking ship, which was launched in 1977. She also contributed to the development of China's first supercomputers, the Yinhe models I and II, during the 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1988, Nie Li achieved a major milestone. She was promoted to the rank of major general. She was one of five women who became generals at that time. Before them, the last female general was Li Zhen in 1955. Nie Li was promoted again to lieutenant general on July 24, 1993. This made her the first woman in China to hold this very high military rank.

She also served twice as a deputy chairperson for the All-China Women's Federation. This organization works to protect the rights and interests of women in China. Nie Li was also a representative at the 7th National People's Congress and the 8th National People's Congress, which are important meetings where national decisions are made.

Nie Li's Personal Life

Nie Li met her husband, Ding Henggao, while they were both studying in Leningrad. They got married in 1962 in Guangzhou. Their wedding was described as simple but meaningful. At the time, some people were surprised that the daughter of a famous Marshal married someone who wasn't as high-ranking. However, Ding Henggao later became a full general himself. Nie Li and Ding Henggao have one daughter.