Cheng Qian

Cheng Qian (simplified Chinese: 程潜; traditional Chinese: 程潛; pinyin: Chéng Qián; Wade–Giles: Ch'eng Ch'ien; 31 March 1882 – 5 April 1968) was a Chinese army officer and politician who held important military and political positions in both the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China. Educated at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy and Waseda University, he first met Sun Yat-sen in Tokyo, becoming an early supporter. Later, under Chiang Kai-shek, he was one of the most powerful members of the Kuomintang, notably serving as Chief of Staff of the Military Affairs Commission during the Second Sino–Japanese War.

In August 1949, as Governor of Hunan, he peacefully surrendered to Mao Zedong's advancing Communist forces, joined the Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang and, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, went on to serve as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (1949–1968), Governor of Hunan (1952–1967) and Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress (1954–1968), among other posts.

Born into a prosperous landlord family in Liling, Hunan, Cheng received a classical Confucian education and at the age of the 16 he obtained the Xiucai (the first degree in the imperial civil service examination), and then studied at the Yuelu Academy in Changsha. Here he began to understand the current political situation and decided to give up a civil career in favor of the military, and so entered the Hunan Military Academy, being then sent to study in Japan at the Tokyo Shimbu Gakko, a military official preparatory academy. While in Tokyo, he met Huang Xing, Li Liejun, and Song Jiaoren, future nationalist leaders, who fascinated him with their ideas.

In 1905 Cheng met Sun Yat-sen and joined the Tongmenghui, a secret revolutionary society, committed to overthrow the Qing dynasty and modernize China. In 1907, Cheng graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy as an artillery lieutenant (artillery, especially field artillery was to be his specialty throughout his military career). One of his classmates was Tang Jiyao.

Cheng then returned in China, where he was assigned by the Qing imperial government to train a New Army in Sichuan Province under the overall command of Zhu Qinglan.

After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, Cheng took part in the Wuchang Uprising and immediately after he participated in the Battle of Changsha.

With the establishment of the Republic of China, Cheng was appointed military commander of Hunan. However, as Yuan Shikai staged his coup to control the Republic,^[when?] Cheng tried to revolt, but then fled to Japan, where he joined the Kuomintang and entered Waseda University, studying for a degree in Political Economy.

Shortly after, Yuan Shikai tried to proclaim himself Emperor, causing the National Protection War. Cheng returned to Hunan to enlist rebel soldiers in Cai E's army. During the Constitutional Protection Movement he was first appointed military commander of Changsha, then Deputy Minister of War in Sun Yat-sen's Guangzhou Government. He was put in charge of training troops in Guangzhou, and then took part in the Northern Expedition. From 1925 to 1927 he was the General commanding the 6th Army, and briefly served as Chairman of the Government of the Hunan Province in 1928. In 1926 he was elected a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang. It was in these years that Cheng first met and collaborated with Mao Zedong, as the Kuomintang and the Communists were working together during this time under the direction of the Soviet Union (namely, the First United Front), with Mao at one time serving as Cheng's assistant in political and propaganda affairs.