Xu Haidong
| Xu Haidong | |
|---|---|
Xu Haidong
|
|
| Native name | 徐海東 |
| Born |
June 17, 1900 Dawu, Hubei |
| Died | March 25, 1970 (aged 69) Zhengzhou, Henan |
| Allegiance |
 People's Republic of China
|
| Service/branch |
 People's Liberation Army
|
| Years of service | 1925–1969 |
| Rank | Senior General of the People's Liberation Army |
| Commands held | Corps commander of the Red Army, Senior Political Commissar of the Central China Bureau |
| Battles/wars | Northern Expedition, Autumn Harvest Uprising, Long March, Battle of Pingxingguan, Hundred Regiments Offensive |
| Awards | Order of Independence and Freedom, Order of Liberation, Order of the Army |
| Other work | Politician, Writer |
| Xu Haidong | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 徐海東 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 徐海东 | ||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xú Hǎidōng |
| Wade–Giles | Hsu Hai-tung |
Xu Haidong (June 17, 1900 – March 25, 1970) was a senior general in the People's Liberation Army of China.
Xu was notable for leading his men from the front lines during the Chinese Civil War and Second Sino-Japanese War. His exploits earned him the nickname "Tiger Xu". He was wounded in battle nine times; and, after contracting tuberculosis, was partially bedridden for the last eighteen years of his life. Xu opposed the radical policies of the Cultural Revolution, and was persecuted to death by the followers of Mao Zedong, Lin Biao and the Gang of Four.
Xu was born in the village of Xujiaqiao, Dawu County, Hubei. He was the sixth son in a family of ten children. His father was Xu Zhongben (徐重本) and his mother is only remembered by her last name, Wu (吴). When Xu Haidong was born, his father recognized that Xu's mother was too old to nurse Xu, and requested that his mother throw Xu in a pond to drown. Xu's mother refused to kill Xu, and recruited her sister-in-law to nurse Xu.
Xu's family was poor, and Xu did not receive any education until he was nine years old, when he was sent to a primary school where his uncle taught. Most of the students at the school were from rich families, and taunted Xu with the nickname "stinky tofu". When he was twelve, Xu was expelled from school after he injured a rich classmate who was bullying him.
Because his parents were elderly they were unable to support Xu after his expulsion, and he was forced to return home and work at his family's kiln. Xu worked at the kiln for several years. He also raised ducks and worked for periods at a factory to support himself and his family. In 1921 Xu left home and became a professional soldier.
After becoming a professional soldier, Xu worked for six years in the service of various military forces established by local warlords, and in the Nationalist Army. Xu joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1925, and participated in the Northern Expedition. After the Shanghai massacre of 1927, Xu escaped the Nationalist Army and begun organizing a guerrilla resistance unit in Hubei.
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