Zhu De

Yuanshuai Zhu De
朱德
Marshal Zhu De in 1955
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
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	(1886-12-01)1 December 1886 Yilong County, Sichuan, Qing dynasty
Died	6 July 1976(1976-07-06) (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
Nicknames	"Old Chief Zhu" "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
Chinese name
Chinese	朱德
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
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.