Zhang Wannian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zhang Wannian
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张万年
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| Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission | |||||||||
| In office Party Commission: 28 September 1995 – 15 November 2002 State Commission: December 1995 – 5 March 2003 |
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| Chairman | Jiang Zemin | ||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||
| Born | 1 August 1928 Longkou, Shandong, China |
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| Died | 14 January 2015 (aged 86) Beijing, China |
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| Spouse | Zhong Peizhao | ||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||
| Allegiance |  People's Republic of China |
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| Branch/service |  People's Liberation Army Ground Force |
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| Years of service | 1944–2003 | ||||||||
| Rank |  General |
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| Battles/wars | Sino-Vietnamese border war Chinese Civil War Korean War |
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| Awards |  Order of Liberation (3rd Class; 1955) |
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| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 張萬年 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 张万年 | ||||||||
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Zhang Wannian (Chinese: 张万年) was a very important military leader in China. He was a general in the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The PLA is the main army of the People's Republic of China. He was born on August 1, 1928, and passed away on January 14, 2015.
Contents
A Life in the Military
Zhang Wannian was born in a place called Huang County in Shandong Province, China. This was on August 1, 1928.
Joining the Army and Party
When he was 16, in August 1944, he joined the Eighth Route Army. This was a large army in China at the time. A year later, in August 1945, he joined the Communist Party of China (CPC). This is the main political party that leads China.
Moving Up in the Military
Zhang Wannian spent many years studying and working in the army. From 1958 to 1961, he studied at the Nanjing Military Academy. This is a special school for army leaders.
He held many different positions as he moved up. He was a regiment head, which is a leader of a large group of soldiers. He also worked in the headquarters of the Guangzhou Military Region. This is a major military area in China.
From 1968 to 1978, he was the head of the 127th division. A division is a very large group of soldiers. He also studied at the PLA Military Academy again from 1978 to 1979.
Leading in Battles
General Zhang Wannian led his division during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese border war. This was a conflict between China and Vietnam. He also took part in the Chinese Civil War and the Korean War earlier in his career.
Important Leadership Roles
In 1992, Zhang Wannian became a member of the CPC's Central Military Commission (CMC). This is a very powerful group that controls China's military. He also became the director of the General Staff Department of the PLA. This means he was in charge of planning and operations for the entire army.
In September 1995, he became a Vice-Chairman of the CMC. This was a very high position. He worked alongside other important leaders like Chi Haotian. In 1997, he was also chosen to be part of the Politburo. This is a small group of the most powerful leaders in the Communist Party.
He was the only senior military leader at the ceremony when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997. This showed how important he was in the military.
Awards and Retirement
Zhang Wannian received several awards for his service. He was given the Third-Class Liberation Medal. He also received military medals from the President of Pakistan when he visited there in 1993.
He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1988. Then, in 1993, he became a full general. This is the highest rank in the army. He retired from the military in 2003 after a long and successful career.
He was married to Zhong Peizhao (Chinese: 钟佩昭).
