16 Facts About Ye Fei

Ye Fei was a Philippine-born Chinese military general and politician of the People's Republic of China.

Ye Fei served in a number of civilian posts including Governor and Communist Party Chief of Fujian Province, and Minister of Transport.

Ye Fei was born Sixto Mercado Tiongco on 7 May 1914 in the town of Tiaong in the then-named Tayabas Province, in the Philippines.

Ye Fei's father was Yap Sun Uy, a Chinese merchant from Nan'an, Fujian Province who had moved to the Philippines in 1900 and adopted the Philippine name Tiongco.

Ye Fei joined the underground Communist Youth League of China in May 1928, and the Chinese Communist Party in March 1932.

However, by the time Francisca Mercado reached Hong Kong, Ye Fei was already released from prison.

Ye Fei was made a regiment commander in the newly formed New Fourth Army and moved to the Jiangnan region to continue his guerrilla warfare, this time against the Japanese occupying force.

In 1940 Ye Fei moved across the Yangtze River to northern Jiangsu Province to continue fighting the Japanese as well as the Kuomintang, the nominal ally of the Communists.

Ye Fei was appointed the commander of the first column of the Northern Jiangsu division of the New Fourth Army under the leadership of Su Yu.

Ye Fei partially redeemed for the loss by winning the Dongshan Island Campaign in July 1953.

In 1953 Ye Fei was appointed Communist Party Chief and Governor of Fujian Province.

Ye Fei concurrently served as deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region.

Ye Fei held the position until February 1979, when he was appointed by Deng Xiaoping as the political commissar of the People's Liberation Army Navy, despite having never served in the Navy before.

At the invitation of then-President Corazon Aquino, Ye Fei visited the Philippines in February 1989 as the vice-chairman of the Chinese Congress.

Ye Fei spent two weeks in the country, visiting his parents' graves in Tiaong and having a reunion with his younger siblings, who were born after he left for China and had little idea of their brother's achievements.

On 29 March 2000, a memorial park in Tiaong was dedicated to Ye Fei, including a monument and a vocational school.