Fang Ch’iang

1907

Hunan, China

In 1948 he was commander of the 44th Army in Lin’s forces, which, by early 1949, were known as the Fourth Field Army. This large army was responsible for the takeover of Peking and much of the Yangtze Valley. It then pushed south into Kwangsi and Kwangtung, occupying Canton in October 1949. After Canton was captured Fang became a deputy commander of its garrison force, as well as a deputy commander of the South China Military Region, which was responsible for Kwangtung and Kwangsi Provinces. In 1951 he was identified as commander of the Fourth Field Army’s 15th Army Corps, and in the same year he assumed his first post in the Chinese Navy as commander of naval forces for the Central-South Military Region. He held the latter post at least until March 1953. Like most of the leading military figures in the early years of the PRC, Fang was concurrently assigned to civil posts. In January 1950 he was appointed a member of the Kwangtung Provincial People’s Government Council, and in June 1951 he became a member of the Central-South Military and Administrative Committee. He was not re-appointed to the latter when it was reorganized in January 1953 and was soon after transferred to Peking. By the early fall of 1953 Fang had become a deputy commander of the Chinese Navy under Hsiao Ching-kuang. He held this post at least until 1958 and possibly 1960. Personal military ranks were established by the Chinese Communists in 1955, and it was during that year that Fang was first identified by his present rank of vice-admiral, equivalent to a two-star admiral in the U.S. Navy. By 1957 he had been transferred from Peking to command the East China naval units head-quartered in Nanking. The following year Fang went to India with a 12-man delegation led by Marshal Yeh Chien-ying (January-March 1958). In January 1960 he was appointed a vice-minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building. He probably moved back to Peking, but he was apparently no longer holding the post by 1961, because the 1961 edition of the Jen-min shou-tse (People’s handbook) did not list him with the ministry. His responsibilities in the Machine Building Ministry were never specified, but because the ministry included the Bureau of Shipbuilding it is assumed that Fang, who had had nearly a decade of naval service, was involved with its naval shipbuilding program.

Fang Ch’iang

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politician

Background

Born about 1907, Fang is a native of Hunan.

Education

He was a soldier in Chu Te’s garrison force in Nanchang in 1927. During the early part of the Sino-Japanese War Fang was in the USSR where he underwent training at the Red Army Academy. By September 1942 he was back in Yenan, the capital of the Communist-held areas in northwest China.

Career

In 1948 he was commander of the 44th Army in Lin’s forces, which, by early 1949, were known as the Fourth Field Army. This large army was responsible for the takeover of Peking and much of the Yangtze Valley. It then pushed south into Kwangsi and Kwangtung, occupying Canton in October 1949.

After Canton was captured Fang became a deputy commander of its garrison force, as well as a deputy commander of the South China Military Region, which was responsible for Kwangtung and Kwangsi Provinces. In 1951 he was identified as commander of the Fourth Field Army’s 15th Army Corps, and in the same year he assumed his first post in the Chinese Navy as commander of naval forces for the Central-South Military Region. He held the latter post at least until March 1953. Like most of the leading military figures in the early years of the PRC, Fang was concurrently assigned to civil posts. In January 1950 he was appointed a member of the Kwangtung Provincial People’s Government Council, and in June 1951 he became a member of the Central-South Military and Administrative Committee. He was not re-appointed to the latter when it was reorganized in January 1953 and was soon after transferred to Peking.

By the early fall of 1953 Fang had become a deputy commander of the Chinese Navy under Hsiao Ching-kuang. He held this post at least until 1958 and possibly 1960. Personal military ranks were established by the Chinese Communists in 1955, and it was during that year that Fang was first identified by his present rank of vice-admiral, equivalent to a two-star admiral in the U.S. Navy.

By 1957 he had been transferred from Peking to command the East China naval units head-quartered in Nanking. The following year Fang went to India with a 12-man delegation led by Marshal Yeh Chien-ying (January-March 1958). In January 1960 he was appointed a vice-minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building. He probably moved back to Peking, but he was apparently no longer holding the post by 1961, because the 1961 edition of the Jen-min shou-tse (People’s handbook) did not list him with the ministry. His responsibilities in the Machine Building Ministry were never specified, but because the ministry included the Bureau of Shipbuilding it is assumed that Fang, who had had nearly a decade of naval service, was involved with its naval shipbuilding program.

Membership

In late 1964 Fang was named to membership on the Fourth National Committee of the quasi-legislative CPPCC as a representative of the China Scientific and Technical Association. Shortly afterwards, at the close of the first session of the Third NPC (January 1965), he was named as a member of the National Defense Council, the military advisory body with considerable prestige but little authority. At this same time he was also reappointed to head the Sixth Ministry of Machine Building.

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Fang Ch’iang

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1948

1951

1960