Wei Jinshan | |
|---|---|
魏金山 | |
 | |
| Political Commissar of the People's Liberation Army Navy | |
| In office April 1990 – December 1993 | |
| Commander | Zhang Lianzhong |
| Preceded by | Li Yaowen |
| Succeeded by | Zhou Kunren |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1927-04-05)5 April 1927 |
| Died | 8 December 2023(2023-12-08) (aged 96) |
| Party | Chinese Communist Party |
| Awards | Order of Liberation Order of the National Flag Order of Friendship Order of Independence Medal of Honour |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  People's Republic of China |
| Branch/service |  People's Liberation Army Ground Force People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Years of service | 1945–1993 |
| Rank |  Vice Admiral |
| Battles/wars | Second Sino-Japanese War Chinese Civil War Korean War |
Wei Jinshan (Chinese:魏金山;Wade–Giles:Wei4 Chin1-shan1; 5 April 1927 – 8 December 2023) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary andvice admiral of the ChinesePeople's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Starting in 1945, he served for decades in the army under GeneralXu Shiyou, and became a decorated veteran of theSecond Sino-Japanese War, theChinese Civil War, and theKorean War. He later transferred to the Navy and served asPolitical Commissar of the PLAN from 1990 to 1993. He was awarded the Medal of Honour byCCP general secretaryXi Jinping and theOrder of the National Flag by North Korea.
Wei Jinshan was born on 5 April 1927 in Wei Family Village (魏家村) inPenglai, Shandong, Republic of China.[1] During theSecond Sino-Japanese War, he attended secondary school in theJiaodong Communist Base from 1943 to 1944. In February 1945, he enlisted in theEighth Route Army and served under GeneralXu Shiyou, the commander of the Jiaodong Military Area.[2]
After theEmpire of Japan announced itssurrender on 15 August 1945, the Communist forces in Shandong attackedJimo, which was held by Japan and the puppetWang Jingwei regime, to gain an advantage over theKuomintang forces. Wei participated in the battle on 26 August, when the Communists took over the city after a three-hour battle and annihilated the 34th Brigade of the Wang Jingwei regime.[2]
Soon after the Battle of Jimo, Wei was promoted to a company-level officer.[2] Under the command of Xu Shiyou, he distinguished himself in major battles during theChinese Civil War, including theBattle of Laiwu, theMenglianggu campaign, theBattle of Jinan, theHuaihai campaign, and theYangtze River Crossing Campaign.[3] At Menglianggu, the 9th Column Wei belonged to was a main attacking force. It subsequently became the main unit of theEast China Field Army (later renamed the Third Field Army). By the end of the civil war in 1949, Wei had been promoted to Chief of Staff of the Combat Department of the 79th Division, under the27th Army of the Third Field Army.[2]
A year after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Wei joined thePeople's Volunteer Army to fight in theKorean War in November 1950. He continued to serve in the 79th Division of the 27th Army, and participated in theSecond Phase Offensive and theFifth Phase Offensive.[2]
After the Korean War, Wei served in the East China Military Region, which was reorganized into theNanjing Military Region in 1955.[2] Wei headed the training department of the Nanjing MR, before being appointed the secretary of Xu Shiyou, the commander of the military region. Having earned the trust of Xu,[3] Wei was successively promoted to regiment commander, Political Commissar of the 179th Division, Political Commissar of the 60th Army, Political Commissar of the12th Army (1978), Director of the Political Department of the Nanjing MR (1982), and Director of the Political Department of thePLA General Staff Department (1985).[2]
After decades of service in the army, Wei transferred to thePLA Navy in July 1985[2] to serve as the sole Deputy Political Commissar underLi Yaowen. He was awarded the rank of vice admiral in September 1988. In April 1990, he succeeded Li as Political Commissar of the Navy,[3] serving alongside CommanderZhang Lianzhong.[4] He retired in December 1993.[2]
Wei became an alternate member of the12th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 1982, and was elected a full member of the13th and14th Central Committees, serving from 1987 to 1997.[5] He was also a delegate to the5th National People's Congress.[3]
Wei Jinshan died inNanjing on 8 December 2023, at the age of 96.[6]
Wei was a recipient of theOrder of Liberation (Third Class).[3] For his service in the Korean War, he was awarded theOrder of the National Flag (Third Class) by the North Korean government. Before his retirement, he was awarded theOrder of Friendship (Second Class) by North Korea in October 1992. In July 1998, he was awarded the Order of Independence (独立功勋荣誉章) by theCentral Military Commission.[2]
In September 2015, the 70th anniversary of the surrender of Japan, CCP general secretaryXi Jinping awarded the Medal of Honour to 30 people who made major contributions to the victory over Japan. Wei was one of the recipients.[2][7]
Officers of the ChinesePeople's Liberation Army Navy | ||
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| Commanders |  | |
| Political Commissars | ||
| Chiefs of Staff | ||