Xu Qinxian

People’s Republic of China state institutions Marxism–Leninism 1935–2021 ○ Natural causes

38th Group Army commander who refused the 1989 deployment order

PLA general from Shandong. After service in armoured formations and the 38th Group Army, he became its commander in 1987. He refused to sign the May 1989 deployment order for martial law in Beijing and lost command. Court-martialed, he received a five-year prison term and was expelled from the CCP. His refusal did not represent the whole army; the 38th later participated in the crackdown under replacement leadership. He lived in Shijiazhuang after release and died in 2021.