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| Guangzhou Military Region | |||||||||||||
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 Guangzhou Military Region (highlighted) | |||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 广州军区 | ||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 廣州軍區 | ||||||||||||
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TheGuangzhou Military Region was from 1955 to 2016 one of thePeople's Liberation ArmyPLA Military Regions, located in the south of thePeople's Republic of China. In May 1949, the Central China (Hua Zhong) Military Region (MR) was formed.[1] In March 1955, it was divided into two, the Guangzhou MR and theWuhan Military Region. When the Wuhan MR was disbanded in August 1985, its troops stationed around the Hubei province were assigned to the Guangzhou MR.
The region was disestablished in 2016 and reorganised as theSouthern Theater Command.
Just before being disbanded, the Guangzhou MR controlled theGuangdong Province,Guangxi Autonomous Region,Hunan Province,Hubei Province, and theHainan Province Military Districts. TheHong Kong andMacau garrisons were within the Guangzhou MR area but reported directly to theCentral Military Commission.
There were two Group Armies within the Region, the41st Group Army and42nd Group Army, and in 2006 the International Institute for Strategic Studies said the region had some 180,000 personnel, one mechanised division, three motorised infantry divisions, one artillery division, two armoured brigades, one artillery brigade, and two anti-aircraft brigades.[2] The 123rd (Amphibious) Infantry Division (53023) atGuigang/Guangxi and124th Infantry Divisions at Boluo,Guangdong had been identified as Rapid Reaction Units.[3] The Hong Kong garrison includes a brigade with a helicopter unit.
The PLA's15th Airborne Corps was also located in this MR though not under its command.
The PLA's first cyberblue team was established in the region in May 2011 to test regular PLA unit's cyber defenses.[4]: 202
Commander:Lt. Gen. Han RuijiePolitical Officer: Lt. Gen. Wang JilianDeputy Commander:Maj. Gen. Zhang Shutian
In June 1962, the second Shantou Command Post became the7th Air Corps. After a move toXingning inGuangdong Province, it moved toNanning,Guangxi Autonomous Region, in August 1964.[5]
The48th Aviation Division was active, initially under the12th Air Corps, from 1971 to 1992.
Organizations affiliated with the Guangzhou Military Region often used the nickname "warrior" (Chinese:战士;pinyin:zhànshì;lit. 'battle person'), including the Warrior Performance Troupe (Chinese:战士文工团) and the Warrior Newspaper (Chinese:战士报).