North China Nationalist commander, famed for defending Suiyuan, who handed over Beiping without a fight in 1949
Starting as an officer in Yan Xishan’s Shanxi army, he fought in the Northern Expedition and the Central Plains War. Charged with developing Suiyuan in the 1930s, he won wide praise for repelling the Japanese-backed Mongol army of Demchugdongrub in 1936. At the end of the civil war he held Beiping, Tianjin and Zhangjiakou as Nationalist commander in north China, but when the Northeast Field Army came south after Liaoshen and surrounded him he negotiated secretly with Lin Biao and on 31 January 1949 went over without a fight with Beiping’s garrison of a quarter of a million. Rewarded with high office in the People’s Republic, he was Minister of Hydraulics until 1972 and held posts in the Political Consultative Conference. He died in 1974.
Also known as: Fu Tso-i
Activities and affiliations
-
–1928
Beiyang government and warlordsOfficer in Yan Xishan’s Shanxi army
Military command -
1928–1949
Republic of China state institutionsNationalist commander in north ChinaMain
Military command -
1949–1972
People’s Republic of China state institutionsMinister of Hydraulics
Government and administration
Career Timeline
- 1927–1928Fought in the Northern Expedition
- 1930Fought for Yan Xishan in the Central Plains War
- 1931Took charge of Suiyuan
- 1936Repelled Demchugdongrub’s army in Suiyuan
- 1948Nationalist commander in north China; Pingjin campaign
- 1949Peaceful surrender of Beiping
- 1949–1972PRC Minister of Hydraulics
Related historical events
- 1945–1949The Chinese Civil WarNationalist commander who handed over Beiping without a fightOn 31 January 1949 he handed over Beiping with its garrison of 250,000, and later became PRC Minister of Hydraulics.
- 1949Establishment of the People’s Republic of ChinaFormer Nationalist general on the Central People’s Government CouncilHaving handed over Beiping, he was elected to the new government council.