Biography.guide
Home › People › Military personnel › Su Zhenhua
Portrait of Su Zhenhua

Su Zhenhua

1912 – 1979

Chinese military leader and politician

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Su Zhenhua

Lived 1912 – 1979 (aged 66). Su Zhenhua was a Chinese military personnel.

Su Zhenhua (; June 2, 1912 – February 7, 1979), born Su Qisheng (蘇七生), was a Chinese Communist general and politician. He fought for the Communists in the Chinese Civil War. After the founding of the People's Republic, Su became an admiral in the People's Liberation Army Navy, the Party Secretary of Guizhou province, the First Secretary of Shanghai, and a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party.

Su was born in Pingjiang County, Hunan province. Su joined a guerrilla fighting force in 1926 at age 14, and entered the Communist Youth League three years later. He joined the Red Army in June 1930 and the Communist Party several years later. He participated in the Long March and was instrumental in the Communist takeover of Zunyi. He then served successively in a series of roles as political commissar. In December 1949, following the Communist takeover of Guizhou province, Su became the Party Committee Secretary of Guizhou. In April 1954, he became a deputy political commissar in the PLA Navy. He joined the Central Military Commission in 1959. During the Cultural Revolution, Su was purged and called "a time bomb in the navy planted by Deng Xiaoping." He was rehabilitated in 1972 and became the First Political Commissar of the Navy.

Su played a pivotal role during the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976, when he was commissioned by Hua Guofeng and Ye Jianying to 'invade' the Xinhua News Agency, central television and radio stations, and the People's Daily headquarters, which were all then under the control of elements friendly to the Gang of Four. In order to prevent a coup by the Gang of Four in their power base of Shanghai, Su was then sent to Shanghai as First Secretary to oversee the party organization in collaboration with Ni Zhifu and Peng Chong.

He was an alternate member of the 8th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and a full member of the 10th and 11th Central Committees. He was also a member of the 11th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. He died on February 7, 1979, and was eulogized with high honours.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Positions held
Mayor of Shanghai
Awards
Third Class Red Star Medal

People in Su Zhenhua's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Su Zhenhua's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Su Zhenhua?

Chinese military leader and politician (1912-1979)

When was Su Zhenhua born?

Su Zhenhua was born on 2 June 1912 in Pingjiang County.

When did Su Zhenhua die?

Su Zhenhua died on 7 February 1979 in Beijing.

What was Su Zhenhua's occupation?

Su Zhenhua was a military personnel.

What nationality was Su Zhenhua?

Su Zhenhua was Chinese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Su Zhenhua

· Wikidata: Q8314180

· DBpedia: Su Zhenhua

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Su Zhenhua. https://biography.guide/su-zhenhua/

MLA: "Su Zhenhua." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/su-zhenhua/.

Chicago: "Su Zhenhua." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/su-zhenhua/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-21 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:59 UTC