Zhu De

Yuanshuai
Zhu De
Yuanshuai Zhu De
朱德
	Marshal Zhu De in 1955
2nd Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
	In office; 28 April 1959 – 6 July 1976
President	Liu Shaoqi; None (Post abolished in 1975)
Preceded by	Liu Shaoqi
Succeeded by	Soong Ching-ling (acting)
1st Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China
	In office; 27 September 1954 – 27 April 1959
Chairman	Mao Zedong
Succeeded by	Soong Ching-ling and Dong Biwu
Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party
	In office; 28 September 1956 – 1 August 1966
Chairman	Mao Zedong
First Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection
	In office; 9 November 1949 – 31 March 1955
Preceded by	Li Weihan
Succeeded by	Dong Biwu
Commander-in-Chief of the People's Liberation Army
	In office; 28 November 1946 – 27 September 1954
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Post abolished
Personal details
Born	1 December 1886; Yilong County, Sichuan, Qing Empire
Died	6 July 1976 (aged 89); Beijing, People's Republic of China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party (1925–1976)
Spouses	; Xiao Jufang (m. 1912; died 1916) ; Chen Yuzhen (m. 1916; died 1935) ; Wu Ruolan (m. 1928; died 1929) ; Kang Keqing (m. 1929)
Children	Zhu Qi; Zhu Min
Alma mater	Yunnan Military Academy
Nickname(s)	朱老总 (Zhū lǎozǒng, "Old Chief Zhu") ; 红军之父 (Hóng jūn zhī fù, "The Father of the Red Army")
Military service
Allegiance	Chinese Communist Party; People's Republic of China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Ground Force; Eighth Route Army; Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army; National Revolutionary Army; Yunnan clique;
Years of service	1927–1976
Rank	Marshal of the People's Republic of China; General of the National Revolutionary Army, Republic of China;
Battles/wars	Northern Expedition; Chinese Civil War Encirclement Campaigns; Long March; ; Sino-Japanese War Hundred Regiments Offensive; ;
Awards	Order of Victory of Resistance against Aggression (1946); Order of August 1 (1st Class Medal) (1955); Order of Independence and Freedom (1st Class Medal) (1955); Order of Liberation (1st Class Medal) (1955); more...;
Chinese name
Chinese	朱德
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhū Dé
Wade–Giles	Chu Teh
IPA	Mandarin pronunciation: [tʂú tĕ]
Courtesy name: Yujie
Simplified Chinese	朱玉阶
Traditional Chinese	朱玉階
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhū Yùjiē
Wade–Giles	Chu Yu-chieh
IPA	Mandarin pronunciation: [tʂú ŷ.tɕjé]

Zhu De (朱德; /ˈdʒuː ˈdʌ/; also Chu Teh; 1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Zhu was born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan. He was adopted by a wealthy uncle at age nine and received a superior early education that led to his admission into a military academy. After graduating, he joined a rebel army and became a warlord. Afterward he joined the CCP. He commanded the Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. By the end of the civil war he was also a high-ranking party official.

Zhu is regarded as one of the principal founders of the People's Republic of China, and was a prominent political figure until dying in 1976. In 1955, he was ranked first among the ten marshals. He was chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and head of state from 1975 to 1976.