Hou Jingru | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1902-10-17)17 October 1902 |
| Died | 25 October 1994(1994-10-25) (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | Whampoa Military Academy Zhengzhou University |
| Occupation(s) | Army officer, politician |
Hou Jingru (Chinese:侯镜如; October 17, 1902 – October 25, 1994) was a Chinese army officer and politician, prominent member of theRevolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang. He notably served asVice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference,Counsellor of the State Council, member of theCentral Military Commission and President of the China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification.[1][2]
Hou is famous as one of the most successfulCommunist spies lurking in theNationalist Army. His greatest service to the Communists came in theBattle of Jinzhou, when, as the Nationalist general commanding the 17th Army Group (which included four armies), he deliberately delayed his arrival to Jinzhou by 11 days, leading to the envelopment and destruction of the Nationalist forces.[3]
Hou Jingru was born inYongcheng,Henan, in 1902. In 1924 he graduated fromZhengzhou University (where he studied physics and mathematics) and in 1925 from theWhampoa Military Academy.[3] He fought in theNorthern Expedition and sided with theWuhan Nationalist Government, for which he was arrested and briefly imprisoned, but was eventually released. His contacts with theChinese Communist Party date to 1925, when he metZhou Enlai.
Beginning in 1932, he served as chief of staff of the 30th Division of the 30th Army of theNational Revolutionary Army, and then commander of the 89th Brigade of the 30th Division. In April 1935, theNationalist Government ofChiang Kai-shek awarded Hou Jingru the rank ofmajor general in the army, and he was given command of the 30th Division of the 30th Army of the National Revolutionary Army.
In 1937, theSecond Sino-Japanese War broke out. Because of his outstanding performance in theBattle of Xinkou, Hou Jingru was promoted to Chief of Staff of the 91st Army . At the beginning of 1938, he was transferred to command the 21st Division and fought in the battles ofTaierzhuang,Wuhan andZaoyi. In 1943, he was promoted to commander of the 92nd Army, and awarded the rank oflieutenant general, leading his troops to participate in theBattle of West Hunan.
During theChinese Civil War, Hou Jingru notably served as the commander of the Peking Garrison, from 1946 to 1948. In 1948, he was promoted to commander of the 17th Army Group. During theBattle of Jinzhou, when the defenders of Jinzhou were in desperate situation, and Chiang Kai-shek ordered the four armies under the command of Hou Jingru to immediately rush to Jinzhou, Hou Jingru deliberately slowed down and delayed 11 days before leading the troops to arrive. As a result, the Nationalists were decisively defeated in the Battle of Jinzhou.[3]
In 1949, Hou Jingru went toHong Kong, supposedly to visit his mother who was living there, although probably he was involved inUnited Front work and instigating defections to the Communists among Nationalists in the city whose loyalty wavered. In July 1952, Hou returned to China and was appointed byMao Zedong asCounsellor of the State Council and a member of theCentral Military Commission. In May 1955, Hou Jingru joined the Central Committee of theRevolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (RCCK), later becoming Vice Chairman of RCCK. He also served as the President of the China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification.
From March 1989 until his death five years later, he wasVice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.[1][2]
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