Zhang Zongxun

Career

Zhang was born in Weinan, Shaanxi Province on 7 February 1908. He was enrolled in Whampoa Military Academy in 1926, and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the same year.

Zhang was the head of the 12th army group of Chinese Red Army, the principal and Political commissar of the Red Army University in Ruijin, the chief of staff of the 4th army of the Red 4th army group, chief of staff of the Red Army University, and the head of the 1st Bureau of the Central Military Commission. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was the Commander of the 358th Brigade, affiliated with the 120th division of the Eighth Route Army. Following the establishment of the Second United Front, Zhang was given the official rank of Major General by the National Revolutionary Army. In 1945, he became the commander and political commissar of the Lüliang Military Region. He later became the Vice Commander of the Northwest Field Army, Vice Commander of the First Field Army, and Vice Commander of the Northwest Military Region.

He participated in many famous battles and was regarded as one of the CCP's "Ten Anti-Japan Generals." In 1955, he was awarded the Colonel General (Shang Jiang) rank.

He was promoted to the deputy chief of staff of PLA, the director of the department of military academy, and the vice-director of the department of training superintendence. In 1971, he was appointed as the vice commander of Jinan Military Region. In 1973, he was promoted to the director of the general logistics department, until his retirement in 1978. He died on 14 September 1998 at the age of 90.

Family Zhang Zongxun's son, Zhang Youxia, is a veteran of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, and was the first-ranked Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. In January 2026, Zhang was put under investigation over "suspected violations of discipline" and became one of the highest-ranking military officers to fall from power since the era of Mao Zedong.