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Qin Jiwei
秦基偉
Qin Jiwei in 1955
State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China
In office 12 April 1988 – 29 March 1993
Premier	Li Peng
Minister of National Defense
In office 12 April 1988 – 29 March 1993
Premier	Li Peng
Preceded by	Zhang Aiping
Succeeded by	Chi Haotian
Political Commissar of the Beijing Military Region
In office September 1977 – January 1980
Preceded by	Liu Zihou
Succeeded by	Yuan Shengping [zh]
Commander of the Chengdu Military Region
In office 1973 – October 1975
Preceded by	Liang Xingchu
Succeeded by	Liu Xingyuan
Personal details
Born	(1914-11-16)16 November 1914 Hong'an County, Hubei, China
Died	2 February 1997(1997-02-02) (aged 82) Beijing, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Children	Qin Weijiang Qin Tian
Military service
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Years of service	1927–1993
Battles/wars	Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) Chinese Civil War (1946–1950) Korean War (1950–1953)
Awards	Order of Bayi (2nd) Order of Independence and Freedom (1st) Order of Liberation (1st)

Qin Jiwei (simplified Chinese: 秦基伟; traditional Chinese: 秦基偉; pinyin: Qín Jīwěi; 16 November 1914 – 2 February 1997) was a general of the People's Republic of China, Minister of National Defense and a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo.

Qin Jiwei was born to a poor peasant family in Huang'an (now Hong'an), Hubei Province of China in November 1914.

Combat

Qin joined a Hebei guerrilla band after the failed Autumn Harvest Uprising, and spent his earliest years in the military under the leadership of Xu Haidong and Xu Xiangqian, and alongside future generals Chen Zaidao and Xu Shiyou. After a series of setbacks, the unit Qin served in was redesignated the 31st Division, Red 11th Corps.

The Fourth Front Army participated in the Long March as a separate unit from the main force under Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong. At the close of the Long March, Xu Xiangqian's Right Column (to which Qin, Chen Xilian and Li Xiannian were assigned) were shattered by Muslim cavalry in a battle that might have turned out differently had Mao Zedong not abandon Fourth Front Army commander Zhang Guotao. One story has Qin and future general secretary Hu Yaobang captured in the battle and held prisoner for a year or so before finding an opportunity to escape.

In 1939, Qin was commander of the 1st Military Sub-District of the Jinjiyu Military Region and at the end of the Sino-Japanese War, Chief-of-Staff of the Taihang Military District. His units were organized into the 9th Column in 1947, and later combined with Chen Geng's 4th Column into the 4th Army of the 2nd Field Army (二野), this Army’s leader is Deng Xiaoping. In 1949, Qin commanded the 4th Army’s 15th Corps.

Battle of Triangle Hill

Qin Jiwei gained fame during the Korean War by commanding the 15th Corps at the Battle of Triangle Hill, which is regarded by the Chinese as one of the decisive engagements of the war.

Domestic assignments

In the 1954 reorganization that established 13 Military Regions, Xie Fuzhi was given command of the Kunming MR and Qin was made deputy commander. He was awarded the rank of Lt. General in 1955 and eventually, he became a member of the National Defense Council (1965-75), and commander of the Kunming Military Region (1960-67) and Sichuan Military Region (1973-76). In 1975, he was named political commissar of the Beijing MR, and in 1980-87 was its commander. It was in this role that he commanded the September 1981 field military parade in the Hebei Province and the 1984 National Day parade commemorating the 35th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In the latter post, Qin took over from two of the so-called 'Small Gang of Four', commander Chen Xilian and political commissar Ji Dengkui.

Qin was a member of the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Central Committees. In 1977, he was named to the party Military Affairs Committee and a decade later, as one of only two military officers named to the politburo (the other was Yang Shangkun). In September 1988, Qin was promoted to full general and made Defense Minister, until 1990.

Spring 1989

In May 1989, Qin was reported to be reluctant to use force against protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. On 17 May 1989, Qin, as Defense Minister and politburo member, attended a meeting at the home of paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, and was directed to impose martial law on the demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. Qin declined to do so immediately, citing the need to receive party approval. Deng was the chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, but Zhao Ziyang, as general party secretary, was nominally head of the party. After the meeting, Qin called Zhao's office, hoping that Zhao would call off the martial law order. He waited four hours until early morning on 18 May, for Zhao's reply, which never came. Qin later publicly supported the military crackdown but was stripped of the defense minister position the following year. At his death in February 1997, his only official post was Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress.

References

1. Whitson, William; Huang, Chen-hsia (1973). The Chinese High Command: A History of Communist Military Politics, 1927-71. New York: Praeger. p. 51.
2. Whitson & Huang 1973, p. 126, 153.
3. Whitson & Huang 1973, p. 169, Chart D.
4. Lamb, Malcolm (1983). Directory of Officials and Organizations in China. New York: M.E. Sharp. p. 84.
5. Choi, Chi-yuk; Zhuang, Pinghui (16 March 2017). "Massive parade tipped for PLA's 90th birthday". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017.
6. Kondapalli, Srikanth (October 2005). "China's Political Commissars and Commanders: Trends & Dynamics" (PDF). Singapore: Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies. p. 23.
7. "UPHEAVAL IN CHINA; Chinese Hard-Liner Tightens Grip As Attacks on His Rival Multiply". New York Times. 27 May 1989.
8. ^ Garnaut, John (4 June 2010). "How top generals refused to march on Tiananmen Square". Sydney Morning Herald.
9. "Qin Jiwei, Ex-Defense Minister of China, 82". New York Times. 10 February 1997.

v t e Founding lieutenant generals of the People's Liberation Army
Bao Xianzhi Bi Zhanyun Cai Shunli Cao Lihuai Chang Qiankun Chen Kang Chen Qingxian Chen Renqi Chen Xianrui Chen Zhengxiang Cheng Jun Cheng Shikai Cui Tianmin Deng Yifan Ding Qiusheng Dogan Penjor Rabgye Du Ping Du Yide Dun Xingyun Fan Chaoli Fang Qiang Fang Zhengping Fu Lianzhang Gan Weihan Guo Huaruo Guo Peng Han Liancheng Han Wei Han Zhengji He Cheng He Dequan Hu Qicai Huang Huoxing Huang Xinting Huang Zhiyong Kang Zhiqiang Kong Congzhou Kong Qingde Kong Shiquan Kuang Fuzhao Kuang Rennong Kuang Yumin Lai Yi Li Chengfang Li Shouxuan Li Tianhuan Li Xuesan Li Yao Li Zuopeng Liang Biye Liang Congxue Liang Xingchu Liao Hansheng Liao Rongbiao Lin Weixian Liu Changyi Liu Daosheng Liu Fei Liu Haotian Liu Jinxuan Liu Peishan Liu Shaowen Liu Xiansheng Liu Xingyuan Liu Xiyuan Liu Zhijian Liu Zhong Liu Zhuanlian Lu Sheng Luo Shunchu Luo Yuanfa Mo Wenhua Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme Ni Zhiliang Nie Fengzhi Nie Heting Ouyang Wen Ouyang Yi Peng Jiaqing Peng Lin Peng Mingzhi Pi Dingjun Qian Jun Qin Jiwei Qiu Chuangcheng Qiu Huizuo Rao Shoukun Rao Zhengxi Rao Zijian Saifuddin Azizi Su Jing Sun Jixian Sun Yi Tan Furen Tan Guansan Tan Jian Tan Jiashu Tan Xilin Tang Ping Tang Tianji Tang Yanjie Tao Yong Teng Haiqing Tian Weiyang Wan Yi Wang Bicheng Wang Bingzhang Wang Daobang Wang Enmao Wang Huiqiu Wang Jinshan Wang Shangrong Wang Zheng Wang Zifeng Wang Zonghuai Wei Jie Wen Niansheng Wen Yucheng Wu Faxian Wu Fushan Wu Kehua Wu Ruilin Wu Xian'en Wu Xinquan Xian Henghan Xiang Zhonghua Xiao Wangdong Xiao Xiangrong Xiao Xinhuai Xie Youfa Xu Binzhou Xu Liqing Xu Shenji Yan Fusheng Yan Kuiyao Yang Guofu Yang Meisheng Yang Xiushan Yao Zhe Yu Lijin Yu Qiuli Yuan Shengping Yuan Ziqin Zeng Guohua Zeng Shaoshan Zeng Siyu Zeng Zesheng Zhan Caifang Zhang Caiqian Zhang Chiming Zhang Dazhi Zhang Fan Zhang Guohua Zhang Jingwu Zhang Lingbin Zhang Nansheng Zhang Renchu Zhang Tianyun Zhang Xianyue Zhang Yixiang Zhang Zhen Zhang Zuliang Zhao Qimin Zhao Rong Zheng Weishan Zhong Chibing Zhong Hanhua Zhou Biao Zhou Guanwu Zhou Renjie Zhou Shiping Zhou Xihan Zhou Yucheng Zhou Zhijian Zhu Huizhao Zhu Ming Zhuang Tian

• 1914 births
• 1997 deaths
• Ministers of national defense of the People's Republic of China
• People's Liberation Army generals from Hubei
• Politicians from Huanggang
• Chinese Communist Party politicians from Hubei
• People's Republic of China politicians from Hubei
• Political commissars of the Beijing Military Region
• Deputy commanders of the Yunnan Military District
• Commanders of the Beijing Military Region
• Commanders of the Chengdu Military Region
• Commanders of the Kunming Military Region
• Members of the 13th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party
• State councillors of China
• Vice Chairpersons of the National People's Congress
• Burials at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery
• Members of the 10th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• Members of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• Members of the 12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
• Members of the 13th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party