Guan Linzheng

Guan Linzheng 關麟徵 (关麟征)
General Guan Linzheng
5th Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of China Army
In office 25 August 1949 – December 1949
President	Li Zongren
Preceded by	Gu Zhutong
Succeeded by	Gu Zhutong
Personal details
Born	March 19, 1905 Hu County, Shaanxi, Qing Dynasty
Died	August 1, 1980 (aged 85) Hong Kong
Awards	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun, Presidential Medal of Freedom
Military service
Nickname(s)	Guan the Brave, The Iron Fist
Allegiance	China
Years of service	1924–1950
Rank	General
Unit	The 3rd military police battalion
Commands	25th Division,52nd Corps, 15th Army, 9th Army Group
Battles/wars	Northern Expedition, Anti-Communist Encirclement Campaigns, Central Plains War Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War

Guan Linzheng (simplified Chinese: 关麟征; traditional Chinese: 關麟徵; pinyin: Guān Línzhǐ; Wade–Giles: Kuan Lin-cheng; 1905–1980) was a highly successful Chinese general in the Kuomintang who fought against both the Communists and the Imperial Japanese Army, and was a recipient of Order of Blue Sky and White Sun, the highest honor for a Chinese Nationalist commander.

Guan Linzheng was born in a rural peasant family in Hu County, Shaanxi. Shanxi General Governor Yu Youren recommended him to join the Chinese Nationalist Party headed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in Canton. and attended the Whampoa Military Academy, where some of his notable classmates included Du Yuming, Fan Hanjie, Hu Lien, Liu Yuzhang, Zhang Lingfu, and Lin Biao.

In 1925, Guan a member of the first graduating class the Academy, he was seriously injured in his knees during the Eastern Expedition against the Cantonese warlord Chen Jiongming.

In 1926, Guan was appointed to be the battalion commander of the Central garrison regiment and participated in the Northern Expedition. In 1927 Guan received his promotion as regiment commander of the General Headquarters of National Revolutionary Army, and was then transferred to the 11th division, one of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's most elite units.