Ye Fei

Ye Fei (; 7 May 1914 – 18 April 1999) was a Philippine-born Chinese military general and politician of the People's Republic of China. Born Sixto Mercado Tiongco in the Philippines to a Sangley Chinese father and a Mestiza Filipina mother, he joined the Chinese Communist Party at a young age and fought many battles as a senior commander of the People's Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. At age 40, he was among the first PLA commanders to be awarded the rank of Colonel General by the newly established People's Republic of China and later served as Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Navy. He also served in a number of civilian posts including Governor and Communist Party Chief of Fujian Province, and Minister of Transport.

Early life

Birth in the Philippines Ye Fei was born Sixto Mercado Tiongco on 7 May 1914 in the town of Tiaong in the then-named Tayabas Province, in the Philippines. His father was Yap Sun Uy (; Hokkien ), a Sangley Chinese merchant from Nan'an, Fujian Province who had moved to the Philippines in 1900 and adopted the Philippine name Tiongco. Yap converted to Catholicism in order to get approval of the parents to marry Ye Fei's mother Francisca Mercado, a Mestiza Filipina from a local Catholic family. Ye Fei's original Chinese name was (Hokkien ; Mandarin ).

Youth in China In 1919 Ye Fei, then four years old, and his older brother (Hokkien ; Mandarin ), were brought by their father to his Chinese hometown for schooling.

Ye Fei joined the underground Communist Youth League of China in May 1928, and the Chinese Communist Party in March 1932. '''

In 1940 Ye Fei moved across the Yangtze River to northern Jiangsu Province to continue fighting the Japanese as well as the Kuomintang, the nominal ally of the Communists. He was appointed the commander of the first column of the Northern Jiangsu division of the New Fourth Army under the leadership of Su Yu. In October, he annihilated a Kuomintang brigade in the Battle of Huangqiao. In 1944, he commanded the Communist force in the Battle of Cheqiao defeating the Japanese. The next year he was appointed commander of the Central Jiangsu military region and deputy commander of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang military region. However, his forces suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Guningtou, during which more than ten thousand PLA soldiers were killed or captured when they landed on Kinmen Island off the Fujian coast. The Communists were never able to take over Kinmen and to this day Kinmen remains under the administration of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Ye Fei partially redeemed for the loss by winning the Dongshan Island Campaign in July 1953.

Peacetime career

In 1953 Ye Fei was appointed Communist Party Chief and Governor of Fujian Province. He also concurrently served as deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region. In 1955, at age 40, he was among the first group of People's Liberation Army commanders to be awarded the rank of General.

Opposition to army crackdown in Tiananmen Square During the Tiananmen Square protests of spring 1989, Ye Fei signed a letter opposing the enforcement of martial law by the Army in Beijing.

Death and monument Ye Fei died in Beijing on 18 April 1999, aged 84.