Zhang Lianzhong

Zhang Lianzhong (; born 23 June 1931) is a retired submariner and admiral of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). An army veteran of the Chinese Civil War, he trained to become a submariner in the 1960s and commanded China's first submarine mission to sail past the first island chain into the Pacific Ocean in 1976. He served as commander of the Lüshun Naval Base from 1983 to 1985 and as commander of the PLA Navy from 1988 to 1996.

Early life and army career Zhang was born on 23 June 1931 in Xiaogao Village, Jiaozhou, Shandong, Republic of China. He enlisted in the People's Liberation Army in March 1947 and fought in major battles of the Chinese Civil War, including the Battle of Jiaodong, the Battle of Jinan, the Huaihai campaign, the Yangtze River Crossing Campaign, the Shanghai Campaign, and the Battle of Zhangzhou–Xiamen.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Zhang served in the 31st Group Army as a platoon and company commander. Following two years of study at the Advanced Infantry School from 1956 to 1958, he served as a battalion chief of staff in the Fuzhou Military Region.

Zhang put a strong emphasis on maritime defence. In an interview in 1988, he said that "We will never forget that China was invaded several times by imperialist troops from the sea. The nation's suffering from lack of sea defence still remains fresh in our mind; and the history should not repeat itself." He served for more than eight years as the PLAN commander until November 1996, According to James R. Lilley and David Shambaugh, Zhang was "respected" in the navy.