Chen Yi (communist)

Chen Yi
Nickname	Poet Marshal
Born	1901 Sangzhi, Hunan
Died	1972 (aged 70 or 71)  People's Republic of China, Beijing
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Service/branch	People's Liberation Army
Years of service	1927-1972
Rank	Marshal of People's Republic of China
Commands held	Commander-in-Chief, Eastern China Field Army, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Central China Field Army
Battles/wars	Northern Expedition, Long March, Hundred Regiments Offensive, Chinese Civil War
Awards	Order of Independence, Order of Liberation, Order of the Army
Other work	Politician, Writer

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Chen.

Chen Yi (simplified Chinese: 陈毅; traditional Chinese: 陳毅; pinyin: Chén Yì; Wade–Giles: Chen I; August 26, 1901 - January 6, 1972) was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as the 2nd Mayor of Shanghai and the 2nd Foreign Minister of China.

Biography

Chen was born in Lezhi, near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family.

A comrade of Lin Biao from their guerilla days, Chen was a commander of the New Fourth Army during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), spearheaded the Shandong counter-offensive during the Chinese Civil War, and later commanded the Communist armies that defeated the KMT forces at Huai-Hai and conquered the lower Yangtze region in 1948-49. He was made a Marshal of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1955.

Rosenfeld (center) & Liu Shaoqi (L) Chen Yi (R)

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chen became mayor of Shanghai. He also served as vice premier from 1954 to 1972 and foreign minister from 1958 to 1972 and president of the China Foreign Affairs University from 1961 to 1969. During the Cultural Revolution, he was criticized in 1967, but never dismissed, so Zhou Enlai performed the duties of foreign minister in his place. He was a member of the 8th CPC Politburo from 1956 to 1967 and he was not admitted to the 9th Politburo (1969), though he was a member of the 9th CPC Central Committee.

After Marshal Lin Biao's death in 1971, he was restored to favor, although not to his former power. Mao Zedong personally presided over his funeral arrangements. This was Mao's last public appearance and his first appearance at anyone's funeral during the Cultural Revolution.

See also

• List of officers of the People's Liberation Army

References

• Handbook for the Chinese Civil War (US Naval War College)

External links

• Long March Leaders: Chen Yi (by Paul Noll)
• 陈毅纪念馆 (Chen Yi memorial site; in Chinese)
• 诗人元帅——陈毅 (The poet-general Chen Yi; in Chinese)

Political offices
Preceded by Zhao Zukang	Mayor of Shanghai 1949–1958	Succeeded by Ke Qingshi
Preceded by Zhou Enlai	Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China 1958–1972	Succeeded by Ji Pengfei
Party political offices
Preceded by Rao Shushi	Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Committee 1950–1954	Succeeded by Ke Qingshi
Academic offices
New title	President of the China Foreign Affairs University 1955–1969	Succeeded by Liu Chun Closed until 1980

Persondata
Name	Chen, Yi
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 26, 1901
Place of birth	Sangzhi, Hunan
Date of death	January 6, 1972
Place of death	, Beijing