Chen Yi (marshal)

Yuanshuai
Chen Yi
Yuanshuai Chen Yi
陈毅
Vice Premier of China
	In office; September 1954 – January 1972
Premier	Zhou Enlai
2nd Minister of Foreign Affairs
	In office; 11 February 1958 – 6 January 1972
Premier	Zhou Enlai
Deputy	Luo Guibo
Preceded by	Zhou Enlai
Succeeded by	Ji Pengfei
Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai
	In office; 1950–1954
Preceded by	Rao Shushi
Succeeded by	Ke Qingshi
8th Mayor of Shanghai
	In office; May 1949 – November 1958
Preceded by	Zhao Zukang
Succeeded by	Ke Qingshi
1st President of the China Foreign Affairs University
	In office; 1955–1969
Preceded by	none
Succeeded by	Liu Chun; Closed until 1980
Personal details
Born	Chen Shijun (陈世俊); 26 August 1901; Lezhi County, Sichuan Province, Qing Empire
Died	6 January 1972 (aged 70); Beijing, People's Republic of China
Spouses	; Xiao Juying (萧菊英) (m. 1930; died 1932) ; Lai Yueming (赖月明) (m. 1932) (later separated due to war, each believing the other deceased. She later remarried.); Zhang Qian (张茜) (m. 1940)
Relations	Wang Guangya
Children	Chen Haosu, Chen Xiaolu
Nickname(s)	元帅诗人 (yuán shuài shī rén, "The poet marshal"); 陈老总 (Chén lǎozǒng, "Old Chief Chen"); 501 (military call sign)
Military service
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Years of service	1927–1972
Rank	Marshal of People's Republic of China
Commands	Commander, PLA Eastern China Field Army; Deputy Commander, PLA Central China Field Army;
Battles/wars	Northern Expedition; Sino-Japanese War Hundred Regiments Offensive; ; Chinese Civil War Long March; ;
Awards	Order of Bayi (First Class Medal); Order of Independence and Freedom (First Class Medal); Order of Liberation (China) (First Class Medal);

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. He is one of Ten Marshals of the People's Republic of China.

Early life

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.

War

A comrade of Lin Biao from their guerrilla days, he was prominent in the Jiangxi Soviet. Later, due to a leg injury, he was the only one of the later Ten Marshals to have not participated in the Long March. Thus, Chen was later made a commander under Ye Ting in the New Fourth Army. After the Wannan Incident, Chen succeeded Ye Ting as commander of the New Fourth Army during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). He played a pivotal role as commander of the 3rd Field Army working closely with his close friend and comrade Su Yu. When Su Yu showed his expertise and talent in large formational warfare, the division of labour between them meant that Chen Yi remained in command of 3rd Field Army, but mainly focused on rallying support for Su Yu's plans as well as focusing on political work, which was his area of expertise. Thus, he and Su Yu 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. After the capture of Shanghai, he remained in Shanghai as Mayor where he oversaw the economic stabilisation and reconstruction. In 1950, he offered to take command of the People's Volunteer Army in Korea, but Mao declined, possibly because Chen's partner Su Yu was in poor health due to shrapnel injury and selected Peng Dehuai instead. He was promoted to marshal in 1955.

People's Republic

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]

Like other Chinese policymakers, Chen viewed the July 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty as demonstrating a US-USSR re-alignment against China.^[3]^: 96–97 Chen described it was "targeted against us."^[3]^: 96

During the Cultural Revolution, Chen was one of the most vocal leaders in the February Countercurrent, which criticized the Cultural Revolution for creating social disorder and undermining China's leadership.^[4]^: 154 As a result, he was required to request a leave of absence and undertake self-criticism,^[4]^: 154 but he was 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.^[5] This was Mao's last public appearance and his first appearance at anyone's funeral during the Cultural Revolution.

Other work

When not in military uniform, Chen Yi was known for his trademark sunglasses and white shirt. He was an avid Weiqi player and was prominent in promoting the game to a professional level in the People's Republic of China.

References

^ maokaikai, ed. (7 January 2016). "陈毅的子女后代陈毅有几位妻子" [The descendants of Chen Yi. How many wives did Chen Yi have?]. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
^ Shu Guang Zhang, 2010, The Sino-Soviet alliance and the Cold War in Asia, 1954-1962. The Cambridge History of the Cold War, Vol 1, p.371.
^ ^a ^b Crean, Jeffrey (2024). The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History. New Approaches to International History series. London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-350-23394-2.
^ ^a ^b Hou, Li (2021). Building for Oil: Daqing and the Formation of the Chinese Socialist State. Harvard-Yenching Institute monograph series. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Asia Center. ISBN 978-0-674-26022-1.
^ Perlez, Jane (6 December 2013). "A Leader in Mao's Cultural Revolution Faces His Past". New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2013.

External links

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)

Government offices
Preceded by Zhao Zukang	Mayor of Shanghai 1949–1958	Succeeded by Ke Qingshi
Preceded by Zhou Enlai	Minister of Foreign Affairs 1958–1972	Succeeded by Ji Pengfei
Party political offices
Preceded by Rao Shushi	Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Committee 1950–1954	Succeeded by Ke Qingshi
Academic offices
New title	President of the China Foreign Affairs University 1955–1969	Succeeded by Liu Chun Closed until 1980

[lishi-1] , ed. (7 January 2016). "陈毅的子女后代陈毅有几位妻子" [The descendants of Chen Yi. How many wives did Chen Yi have?]. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.

[2] Shu Guang Zhang, 2010, The Sino-Soviet alliance and the Cold War in Asia, 1954-1962. The Cambridge History of the Cold War, Vol 1, p.371.

[Crean-3] Crean, Jeffrey (2024). The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History. New Approaches to International History series. London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-350-23394-2.

[:03-4] Hou, Li (2021). Building for Oil: Daqing and the Formation of the Chinese Socialist State. Harvard-Yenching Institute monograph series. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Asia Center. ISBN 978-0-674-26022-1.

[5] Perlez, Jane (6 December 2013). "A Leader in Mao's Cultural Revolution Faces His Past". New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2013.

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