Li Lianxiu (Chinese:李连秀; December 1923 – 10 November 2019) was a Chinese military and police commander with the rank oflieutenant general. A veteran of theSecond Sino-Japanese War, theChinese Civil War, and theKorean War, he was appointed Commander of the38th Army of thePeople's Liberation Army in 1978. In 1984, he was appointed the second Commander of thePeople's Armed Police (PAP), a year after its founding, serving until his retirement in 1990.
Li was born in December 1923 into a tenant peasant familyYinan County,Shandong, Republic of China.[1] During theSecond Sino-Japanese War, he enlisted in theEighth Route Army in August 1938 and joined theChinese Communist Party in the same year.[2] Serving in the Shandong Column and later as a platoon commander in the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, he participated in almost 100 battles against Japanese invaders in Shandong.[1]
After thesurrender of Japan in 1945, Li became a member of theNortheastern Democratic United Army (later Fourth Field Army of thePeople's Liberation Army), and fought in many battles of theChinese Civil War, includingSiping, Liaoxi, Tianjin, and theYangtze River Crossing Campaign. During the war he was promoted to company and then battalion commander.[1]
After the founding of thePeople's Republic of China in 1949, Li served as Commander of the 337th Regiment of the38th Army and studied at thePLA National Defence University. Upon graduation, he was deployed to North Korea in 1952 to participate in theKorean War.[2] In his first battle of the war, he was credited with taking over Height 200 on the38th parallel from American forces. His unit participated in the Battle of Tokchon, during which the 38th Army took over the city ofTokchon and inflicted substantial losses on the7th Infantry Division of South Korea.[2]
Upon his return from Korea, Li was promoted to Deputy Commander of the 112th Division and later Commander of the 114th Division. He was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1955 and colonel in 1960. He was appointed Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the 38th Army in July 1969, and promoted to Commander of the 38th Army in May 1978.[1]
In 1984, Li was transferred to thePeople's Armed Police (PAP), which had been established a year before, to serve as its second commander. He was awarded the rank oflieutenant general in January 1989.[2][3] In October 1987, he led the PAP operation to put down theTibetan unrest.[1]
During the1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Li reportedly instructedXu Qinxian, his former subordinate and successor as Commander of the 38th Army, not to suppress the protesters without the approval of all three leaders of theCentral Military Commission—Deng Xiaoping,Zhao Ziyang, andYang Shangkun—knowing that Zhao would not approve such an order. Xu refused to lead the army to Beijing and was subsequently relieved of his command.[4] When the 38th Army entered Beijing under a new commander, the PAP was ordered to open a path for the army through the barricades and protesters on the roads leading to theTiananmen Square. In the night of 3 June, the PAP forces were able to reach the square without causing bloodshed, using onlystun batons andfibreglass shields to dispel the crowds, whereas the 38th Army that followed them opened fire on the protesters and committed the Tiananmen Square massacre. According to Gao Xin ofRadio Free Asia, this was a major embarrassment for the Chinese government and the military.[5] A few months after the crackdown, Li and three other top officers of the PAP were dismissed in February 1990,[5] and he officially retired.[1]
Li was a delegate to the12th and13th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. He also served as a member of the 8thChinese People's Political Consultative Conference.[1]
Li died on 10 November 2019 in Beijing, aged 95.[2][3]
