Nie Rongzhen
| Nie Rongzhen | |
|---|---|
Marshal Nie Rongzhen
|
|
| Native name | 聶榮臻 |
| Born | December 29, 1899 Kaixian, Sichuan |
| Died | May 14, 1992 (aged 92) Beijing |
| Allegiance |
 People's Republic of China
|
| Service/branch |
 People's Liberation Army
|
| Years of service | 1923-1989 |
| Rank | Marshal of People's Republic of China |
| Commands held | division commander, Eighth Route Army,Commander-in-Chief, Northern China Military Region |
| Battles/wars | Northern Expedition, Long March, Hundred Regiments Offensive, Chinese Civil War |
| Awards |
|
| Other work | Politician, Writer, Military Instructor |
Nie Rongzhen (simplified Chinese: 聂荣臻; traditional Chinese: 聶榮臻; pinyin: Niè Róngzhēn; Wade–Giles: Nieh Jung-chen) (December 29, 1899 – May 14, 1992) was a prominent Chinese Communist military leader, and one of ten Marshals in the People's Liberation Army of China. He was the last surviving PLA officer with the rank of Marshal.
Nie was born in Jiangjin County in Sichuan (now part of Chongqing municipality), the cosmopolitan and well-educated son of a wealthy family. In his 20s, Nie applied to the Université du Travail (University of Labour) in Charleroi, Belgium, with a scholarship from the Socialist Party, and was thus able to study science in Charleroi.
Zhou Enlai spent a night in Charleroi and met with Nie. Nie agreed to join the group of Chinese students in France on a work-study program, where he studied engineering and became a protégé of Zhou Enlai. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1923.
A graduate of the Soviet Red Army Military College and Whampoa Academy, Nie spent his early career first as a political officer in Whampoa's Political Department, where Zhou served as the Deputy Director, and in the Chinese Red Army.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was first assigned as the deputy division commander of the 115th division of the Eighth Route Army, with the commander being Lin Biao, and in the late 1930s he was given a field command close to Yan Xishan's Shanxi stronghold.
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