14 Facts About Chen Xilian

Chen Xilian was a Chinese military officer and politician, general of the People's Liberation Army.

Chen Xilian then commanded the Shenyang Military Region and, crucially, the Beijing Military Region.

Additionally, Chen Xilian was a full member of the Politburo and Vice Premier.

When Deng Xiaoping gradually rose to power, Chen Xilian lost his powerful posts, but was allowed to retire without harm.

Chen Xilian became a soldier in the Chinese Red Army in 1929, at age 14, and joined the Communist Youth League a year later.

Chen Xilian was assigned to the 129th Division of Eighth Route Army, which later became the core of the 2nd Field Army led by Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping.

From 1950 to 1959, Chen Xilian served as Central Commander of the entire PLA Artillery, and President of the Artillery Academy.

Chen Xilian worked very closely with Soviet advisers and, like the Soviet Red Army, the PLA would acquire a preference for heavy artillery bombardments.

Chen Xilian especially distinguished himself during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis, with the PLA capturing the Yijiangshan and Dachen islands.

From 1959 to 1973, Chen Xilian was in Manchuria, serving as commander of the Shenyang Military Region.

In December 1973, Chen Xilian became Commander of the Beijing Military Region, while remaining a full member of the Politburo.

In October 1976 Chen Xilian was given credit by many for managing the arrest of the Gang of Four, but other sources instead give full credit to Wang Dongxing; in any case, the two were close allies, and both agreed in supporting Hua Guofeng, Mao's designated successor.

Chen Xilian was purged in February 1980 along with three other beneficiaries of the Cultural Revolution: Wu De, Ji Dengkui and Wang Dongxing.

Chen Xilian went on to enjoy a comfortable retirement, and died in Beijing in 1999, at the age of 84.