Ye Jianying

Ye Jianying (; Wade-Giles:Yeh Chien-ying; 28 April 1897 – 22 October 1986) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary leader and politician, one of the Ten Marshals of the People's Republic of China. He was the top military leader in the 1976 coup that overthrew the Gang of Four and ended the Cultural Revolution, and was the key supporter of Deng Xiaoping in his power struggle with Hua Guofeng between 1978 and 1981, which ended in Hua fading into political obscurity. In his capacity as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Ye served as China's head of state from 1978 until 1983, being succeeded in that capacity by Li Xiannian with the restoration of the post of Chairman of the People's Republic of China by a new constitution.

Early life Ye Yiwei was born into a wealthy Christian Hakka merchant family in Jiaying County (present-day Meixian District, Meizhou), Guangdong. His courtesy name was Cangbai . Several of Ye Jianying's siblings died in childhood from serious illnesses. In January 1912, Ye graduated at the top of his class from Sanbao Academy and was admitted to Wuben Middle School in Meixian. Later that year, Wuben was merged with three other schools and reorganized as a government-run institution. Dissatisfied with the conservative leadership of its new principal, Ye organized and led more than 100 students in withdrawing from the school, after which they transferred to Dongshan Academy in Meicheng.

Shortly afterwards, progressive intellectuals, local gentry, students' parents and patriotic overseas Chinese established Dongshan Middle School at the foot of Dongshan Hill, where Ye continued his education.

During Chen Jiongming's rebellion in June 1922, Ye, then serving as a battalion commander in the Naval Landing Corps, led his troops in escorting Sun to safety before fighting against Chen's forces. He subsequently served as chief of staff of the 8th Brigade of the Eastern Route Bandit Suppression Army in Fujian before returning to Guangdong to campaign against Chen. His role in the victory at Yanling Pass established his reputation as a capable military officer.

While serving at Whampoa, Ye came into contact with numerous members of the Chinese Communist Party and became increasingly influenced by Marxism–Leninism. In response, Ye declared his support for the Wuhan Nationalist Government and convened a meeting of his officers, announcing:

"Those who are willing to carry out the revolution and support the Wuhan Government may remain. Those who support Chiang Kai-shek and wish to go to Nanjing may do so freely." According to these accounts, he travelled to Khabarovsk in the Soviet Far East, joined the Far Eastern Workers' Partisan Detachment, helped train its personnel, fought against the forces of Zhang Xueliang and participated in Soviet operations around Hailar in Heilongjiang.

Return to China In the second half of 1930, Ye returned to China and arrived in Shanghai, where he worked with Liu Bocheng and other Chinese Communists translating Soviet military publications, including the Red Army Infantry Combat Regulations and the Political Work Regulations.

After the Red Army reached northern Shaanxi, Ye served concurrently as chief of staff of the First Front Army and the Central Military Commission. During the subsequent Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius campaign, many generals who had been supported by Lin were removed and military programs Lin had implemented were canceled. The Nine Points Proposal also talked of trade, transportation, and postal services as "three links" across the strait and "four exchanges" in the areas of culture, academics, economics, and sports.

Family Ye married six times and had six children. His sons include Ye Xuanping (1924–2019), Ye Xuanning (1938–2016), and Ye Xuanlian (, born 1952). Ye's granddaughter Robynn Yip (born 1986), daughter of Xuanlian, is a professional musician based in Hong Kong.

Awards