Chen Yi (marshal)

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Marshal Chen Yi
陈毅
8th Mayor of Shanghai
In office 1949–1958
Preceded by
Succeeded by	Ke Qingshi
2nd Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China
In office 1958–1972
Premier	Zhou Enlai
Deputy	Luo Guibo
Preceded by	Zhou Enlai
Succeeded by	Ji Pengfei
2nd Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Committee
In office 1950–1954
Preceded by	Rao Shushi
Succeeded by	Ke Qingshi
1st President of the China Foreign Affairs University
In office 1955–1969
Preceded by	none
Succeeded by	Closed until 1980
Personal details
Born	(1901-08-26)26 August 1901 Lezhi County, Sichuan, Qing dynasty China
Died	6 January 1972(1972-01-06) (aged 70) Beijing, People's Republic of China
Spouse(s)	Xiao Juying (萧菊英) ​ ​ (m. 1930; death 1932)​ Lai Yueming (赖月明) ​ (m. 1932)​ Zhang Qian (张茜) ​ (m. 1940)​ [1]
Children	Chen Haosu, Chen Xiaolu
Awards	Order of Bayi (First Class Medal) Order of Independence and Freedom (First Class Medal) Order of Liberation (China) (First Class Medal)
Military service
Nickname(s)	Poet Marshal
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army
Years of service	1927–1972
Rank	Marshal of People's Republic of China
Commands	Commander-in-Chief, Eastern China Field Army, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Central China Field Army
Battles/wars	Northern Expedition, Long March, Hundred Regiments Offensive, Chinese Civil War

Chen Yi (Chinese: 陈毅; pinyin: Chén Yì; Wade–Giles: Chen I; August 26, 1901 – January 6, 1972) was a Chinese communist military commander and politician. He served as Mayor of Shanghai from 1949 to 1958 and as Foreign Minister of China from 1958 to 1972.

Biography[]

Chen was born in Lezhi County near Chengdu, Sichuan, into a moderately wealthy magistrate's family.

Jakob Rosenfeld (center), Liu Shaoqi (left), and Chen Yi (right)

Bust of Chen Yi in China Foreign Affairs University campus.

A comrade of Lin Biao from their guerrilla days, Chen was a commander of the New Fourth Army during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), spearheaded the Shandong counter-offensive during the Chinese Civil War, and later commanded the Communist armies that defeated the KMT forces during the Huaihai Campaign and conquered the lower Yangtze region in 1948–49. He was made a Marshal of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 1955.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chen became mayor of Shanghai. He also served as vice premier from 1954 to 1972 and foreign minister from 1958 to 1972 and president of the China Foreign Affairs University from 1961 to 1969. As vice premier, he was present during the breakup of Sino-Soviet relations. In August 1960, Chen Yi attempted to ease tensions with the Soviets, declaring on one instance to the Soviet Ambassador to Beijing that Moscow should stop "severing the friendship between the two nations," and two weeks later to the Soviet deputy foreign minister that Moscow and Beijing should both try to save the alliance.^[2] During the Cultural Revolution, he was criticized in 1967, but never dismissed, so Zhou Enlai performed the duties of foreign minister in his place. He was a member of the 8th CPC Politburo from 1956 to 1967 but was not admitted to the 9th Politburo (1969), though he was a member of the 9th CPC Central Committee.

After Marshal Lin Biao's death in 1971, he was restored to favour, although not to his former power. Mao Zedong attended Chen's funeral in 1972.^[3] This was Mao's last public appearance and his first appearance at anyone's funeral during the Cultural Revolution.

See also[]

• List of officers of the People's Liberation Army
• Historical Museum of French-Chinese Friendship

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chen Yi.

• Long March Leaders: Chen Yi (by Paul Noll)
• 陈毅纪念馆 (Chen Yi memorial site; (in Chinese))
• 诗人元帅——陈毅 (The poet-general Chen Yi; (in Chinese))
• Handbook for the Chinese Civil War (US Naval War College)