Fang Huai

Fang Huai (Chinese: 方槐; pinyin: Fāng Huái; 24 October 1917 – 16 February 2019) was a major general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.[1][2][3]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Lai.
Fang Huai
Native name
方槐
Birth nameLai Fanghuai
Born(1917-10-24)24 October 1917
Yudu County, Jiangxi, China
Died16 February 2019(2019-02-16) (aged 101)
Wuhan, Hubei, China
Allegiance People's Republic of China
Service/branch People's Liberation Army Air Force
Years of service1932–1983
Rank Major general
UnitRed Army
People's Liberation Army
Battles/warsSecond Sino-Japanese War
AwardsSecond Class Medal, Order of Bayi
Second Class Medal, Order of Independence and Freedom
Second Class Medal, Order of Liberation
First Class Medal, Order of Red Star
Spouse(s)Wang Yunxue

Biography

Fang was born Lai Fanghuai (Chinese: 赖方槐) into a family of farming background in Yudu County, Jiangxi in October 1917. At the age of 12, he joined the Communist Children's League and two years later he joined the Communist Youth League of China. He enlisted in the Red Army in February 1932 and joined the Communist Party of China in the next year.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, with the help of the Soviet Union, he trained pilots in Xinjiang. In 1942, Chiang Kai-shek ordered his subordinates to detain Fang and other Communists. After Zhang Zhizhong's rescue, he returned to Yan'an in 1946. Then he was sent to Shenyang to establish an aviation school.

On October 1, 1949, he flew an airplane over Tiananmen to be inspected by the Party and the people.[4] After the founding of the Communist State, Fang Huai was appointed director of Aircraft and Navigation Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of the Central Military Commission, director of Operations Department of the Air Defense Force Command, director of Navigation and Telecommunications Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of the Central Military Commission, manager of the People's Airlines of China, president of the PLA Third Air Force School, and deputy commander of the Wuhan Military Region Air Force.

On December 30, 1951, Mao Zedong commissioned him as president of the Civil Aviation University of China.[5] He was awarded the military rank of major general (shao jiang) by Mao Zedong in 1955. He retired in 1983.

Fang Huai died on February 16, 2019, in Wuhan, Hubei, aged 101.

Awards

Personal life

Fang married Wang Yunxue (Chinese: 王韵雪), who was the widow of Chen Tanqiu, they had two sons and two daughters and three step children.

References
  1. "湖北媒體追憶開國少將方槐：長征聽毛主席講遵義會議__新浪網-北美". chinanews.sina.com.
  2. 中国元帅将军授衔全纪录: 中国人民解放军1955-1964年元帅将军授衔纪事. 中央编译出版社. February 19, 2004. ISBN 9787801099846 – via Google Books.
  3. 102岁开国少将方槐逝世：系我军“航空火种”之一 [Fang Huai, a 102-year-old Founding Major General, passed away: one of the "aviation fires" of the PLA]. sina (in Chinese). 2019-02-17.
  4. 开国少将方槐辞世 曾在开国大典上驾驶战机飞过天安门 [Founding Major General Fang Huai passed away and once flew fighter plane over Tiananmen in the Founding Ceremony]. ifeng (in Chinese). 2019-02-16.
  5. 开国少将、中国民航大学首任校长方槐辞世 [Founding Major General and First President of Civil Aviation University of China, Fang Huai, passed away]. sina (in Chinese). 2019-02-16.
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