Zhu De facts for kids

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhu (朱).

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Yuanshuai

Zhu De

朱德

Marshal Zhu De in 1955

2nd Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

In office
28 April 1959 – 6 July 1976

President

Liu Shaoqi
None (Post abolished in 1975)

Preceded by

Liu Shaoqi

Succeeded by

Soong Ching-ling (acting)

Head of State of the People's Republic of China
as Chairman of the NPCSC

In office
17 January 1975 – 6 July 1976

Premier

Zhou Enlai
Hua Guofeng

Leader

Mao Zedong

Preceded by

Dong Biwu (as acting chairman of the PRC)

Succeeded by

Soong Ching-ling (acting)

1st Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China

In office
27 September 1954 – 27 April 1959

Chairman

Mao Zedong

Succeeded by

Soong Ching-ling and Dong Biwu

Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party

In office
28 September 1956 – 1 August 1966

Chairman

Mao Zedong

Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection

In office
9 November 1949 – 31 March 1955

Preceded by

Li Weihan

Succeeded by

Dong Biwu

Commander-in-Chief of the People's Liberation Army

In office
28 November 1946 – 27 September 1954

Preceded by

Post established

Succeeded by

Post abolished

Personal details

Born

1 December 1886
Yilong County, Sichuan, Qing Empire

Died

6 July 1976 (aged 89)
Beijing, People's Republic of China

Political party

Chinese Communist Party (1925–1976)

Spouses

Xiao Jufang

(m. 1912; death 1916)

Chen Yuzhen

(m. 1916; death 1935)

Wu Ruolan

(m. 1928; death 1929)

Kang Keqing

(m. 1929)

Children

Zhu Qi
Zhu Min

Alma mater

Yunnan Military Academy

Nicknames

朱老总 (Zhū lǎozǒng, "Old Chief Zhu")

Military service

Allegiance

Chinese Communist Party

People's Republic of China

Branch/service

People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Eighth Route Army
Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army
National Revolutionary Army
Yunnan clique

Years of service

1927–1976

Rank

Marshal of the People's Republic of China
General of the National Revolutionary Army, Republic of China

Battles/wars

Northern Expedition
Chinese Civil War
- Encirclement Campaigns
- Long March
Sino-Japanese War
- Hundred Regiments Offensive

Awards

Order of Victory of Resistance against Aggression (1946)
Order of August 1 (1st Class Medal) (1955)
Order of Independence and Freedom (1st Class Medal) (1955)
Order of Liberation (1st Class Medal) (1955)
more...

Chinese name

Chinese

朱德

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhū Dé
Wade–Giles	Chu Teh
IPA	Mandarin pronunciation: [tʂú tĕ]

Courtesy name: Yujie

Simplified Chinese

朱玉阶

Traditional Chinese

朱玉階

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhū Yùjiē
Wade–Giles	Chu Yu-chieh
IPA	Mandarin pronunciation: [tʂú ŷ.tɕjé]

Zhu De (朱德; 1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was an important Chinese leader. He was a general, a military planner, and a politician. He played a big role in the Chinese Communist Party.

Zhu De was born poor in Sichuan in 1886. When he was nine, a rich uncle adopted him. This helped him get a good education and go to a military school. After school, he joined a rebel army. Later, he became a strong supporter of communism.

He joined the Chinese Communist Party and rose through the ranks. He helped lead the Chinese Red Army during the Chinese Civil War. Zhu De was a key founder of the People's Republic of China. In 1955, he became one of the ten founding marshals. He remained an important political figure until he passed away in 1976.

Zhu De's Life Story
Family Life
- Marriages
- Children
Awards and Honors
Images for kids
See also

Zhu De's Life Story

Early Years and Education

Zhu De was born on December 1, 1886. His family were poor farmers in a hilly part of Sichuan province. Only eight of their fifteen children survived. Even though his family was poor, they worked together. They made sure Zhu De could go to a local private school in 1892.

When he was nine, his wealthy uncle adopted him. This helped him get into the Yunnan Military Academy. He went to a high school in Sichuan around 1907. He finished school in 1908. After that, he worked as a gym teacher at a primary school. He believed in modern science and new ways of teaching. Because of his ideas, he was fired from his job. Then, he joined the Yunnan Military Academy in Kunming. There, he joined a secret political group called the Tongmenghui. This group later became the Kuomintang.

Becoming a Communist

Zhu De in 1916.

After graduating, Zhu De taught at the Yunnan Military Academy. He joined the revolutionary forces in 1911. He helped fight against the old Qing dynasty. He became a commander in the army. After a leader named Yuan Shikai died in 1916, Zhu De became a brigade commander.

His soldiers supported him, and he became a powerful military leader. In 1920, he left China to study in Europe. In 1922, he tried to join the Chinese Communist Party. But they said no because he was a military leader.

In late 1922, Zhu De went to Berlin, Germany. He studied at Göttingen University. There, he met Zhou Enlai. He was kicked out of Germany for taking part in student protests. Around this time, he finally joined the Chinese Communist Party. Zhou Enlai helped him become a member. In 1925, he went to the Soviet Union. He studied military topics and Marxism there.

Working with Mao Zedong

Zhu De (second from right) with Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai (second from left) and Bo Gu (left) in 1937.

In 1927, Zhu De's army joined forces with Mao Zedong's group. This happened in the Jinggang Mountains in 1928. Zhu De helped build up the Red Army. He also helped expand the areas controlled by the Communists.

Zhu De and Mao Zedong worked so closely together that people called them "Zhu-Mao." In 1929, they had to leave Jinggangshan. They moved to Ruijin and formed the Jiangxi Soviet. This area grew to include about three million people. In 1931, Zhu De became the leader of the Red Army in Ruijin.

He led the army in battles against the Kuomintang. In 1934, Zhu De helped start the Long March. This was a long and difficult journey for the Communist forces.

Leading the Red Army

During the Long March, Zhu De worked with Zhou Enlai. He supported Mao Zedong's ideas at the Zunyi Conference. After this meeting, Zhu De worked closely with Mao and Zhou on military plans.

Zhu De helped rebuild the Red Army. He followed Mao's political guidance. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army. In 1940, he helped plan a big attack called the Hundred Regiments Offensive. This was a successful campaign.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1949, Zhu De became the Commander-in-Chief of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He also served as the vice-chairman of the Communist Party. From 1954 to 1959, he was the vice-chairman of the People's Republic of China. He oversaw the PLA during the Korean War.

In 1955, he was given the rank of marshal. Zhu De remained an important figure. He continued to work as a statesman until he died on July 6, 1976. His death came shortly after Zhou Enlai's and just before Mao Zedong's.

Family Life

Marriages

Zhu De was married four times.

Xiao Jufang: They married in 1912. She died in 1916 after giving birth to their son, Baozhu.
Chen Yuzhen: They married in 1916. She was killed by the Kuomintang in 1935.
He Zhihua: She met Zhu De in Shanghai. They went to Germany together. She gave birth to their daughter, Zhu Min, in Moscow.
Wu Ruolan: They married in 1928. She was captured and executed in 1929.
Kang Keqing: Zhu De married Kang in 1929. She was a member of the Red Army. She fought alongside her husband as a soldier. Kang Keqing lived longer than Zhu De.

Children

Zhu Baozhu (later named Zhu Qi) was born in 1916. He passed away in 1974.
Zhu Min was born in Moscow in 1926. Her mother was He Zhihua. She studied in Moscow and later taught at Beijing Normal University. She passed away in 2009.