Zhang Zhen (general) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zhang Zhen
张震
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party
In office 18 October 1992 – 18 September 1997 Serving with Liu Huaqing, Chi Haotian and Zhang Wannian
Chairman	Jiang Zemin
Head of the PLA General Logistics Department
In office February 1978 – January 1980
Preceded by	Zhang Zongxun
Succeeded by	Hong Xuezhi
Head of the PLA General Staff Operations Department
In office March 1952 – December 1954
Preceded by	Li Tao
Succeeded by	Wang Shangrong
Personal details
Born	(1914-10-05)5 October 1914 Pingjiang County, Hunan Province, Republic of China
Died	3 September 2015(2015-09-03) (aged 100) Beijing, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Military service
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Branch/service	Chinese Red Army New Fourth Army  People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Years of service	1930–1998
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Second Sino-Japanese War Chinese Civil War Korean War
Awards	August 1 Medal (2nd Class; 1955) Order of Independence and Freedom (1st Class; 1955) Order of Liberation (1st Class; 1955)
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	张震
Traditional Chinese	張震
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhāng Zhèn

Zhang Zhen (born October 5, 1914 – died September 3, 2015) was a very important general in China. He was part of the People's Liberation Army, which is China's military. He also served on the Central Military Commission, a group that leads the military for the Communist Party of China.

Life and Military Career

Zhang Zhen was born in Pingjiang County, which is in Hunan Province, China. His family came from Guangdong Province. He had a few different names when he was young, like Zhang Jiansheng.

He became involved with the Communist Youth League in April 1930. Later that same summer, he joined the Chinese Communist Party. This was the start of his long career in the military and politics.

Key Roles and Achievements

From 1957 to 1966, Zhang Zhen was a leader at the PLA Nanjing Military Academy. He started as the vice president and later became the president. This academy was a key place for training military leaders.

During a time called the Cultural Revolution, he faced some difficulties. But in 1975, he was able to return to his duties. He became the vice director, and then the director, of the PLA General Logistics Department. This department makes sure the army has all the supplies it needs. He also became a member of the CCP Central Military Commission.

From 1980 to 1985, he worked as the vice chief of staff in the PLA General Staff Department. This role involved helping to plan and manage the entire army. After that, from 1985 to 1990, he was the president of the PLA National Defense University. This university trains high-level military officers.

In 1990, Zhang Zhen took on even more leadership roles at the PLA National Defense University. He became its president, political leader, and the chief of its Communist Party branch. He was also an important member of the Communist Party's central committee.

Zhang Zhen lived a very long life. He celebrated his 100th birthday in October 2014. He passed away on September 3, 2015, just over a month before his 101st birthday.

His Children

Zhang Zhen had several children who also became important figures in the military.

• Zhang Xiaoyang: He became a major general and was the former Dean of the PLA University of Foreign Language.
• Zhang Lianyang: He also became a major general. He was the former Director of the Military Representative Office for the People's Liberation Army General Staff Department.
• Zhang Haiyang: He reached the rank of general. He was the former political leader of the PLA Second Artillery Corps, which handles missiles.
• Zhang Ningyang: He became a major general. He was the former vice minister of the Military Transportation Department within the PLA General Logistics Department.