Lin Byao Chinese politician, considered the right hand and heir of Mao Zedong. Date of Birth: 05.11.1907 Country: China

1. Biograpy of Lin Biao
2. Early Life and Military Career
3. Contribution to the Chinese Civil War
4. Rise to Power and Death

Biograpy of Lin Biao

Lin Biao (pinyin: Lin Biao, Chinese: 林彪; December 5, 1907 – September 13, 1971) was a Chinese political figure who was considered the right-hand man and successor of Mao Zedong. However, he met a mysterious death in a plane crash over Mongolia and was posthumously denounced as a traitor and removed from the Communist Party of China (CPC) records.

Early Life and Military Career

Lin Biao was born in Huilunshan Village, Huang'an County, Hubei Province, China, to a small textile factory owner. He was initially named Yu Jun. After his father's textile factory went bankrupt, Lin's father worked as a cashier on a steamship that traveled along the Yangtze River. Lin came from a large family.

At the age of 10, Yu Jun left home and attended the Huilunshan School, followed by the Utao Middle School. At the age of 17, he joined the Socialist Youth League of China, and in 1925, he joined the CPC. In the same year, he enrolled in the Whampoa Military Academy, becoming a platoon commander and eventually a company commander in the National Revolutionary Army. During this time, he changed his name to Lin Biao. He participated in the Northern Expedition in 1926 and the Nanchang Uprising in 1927. After the uprising's defeat, Lin Biao attended a meeting in Maozhai, where some commanders suggested disbanding the troops. However, Lin Biao supported Zhu De's opposition to this proposal. In 1928, he commanded a regiment in the newly formed 4th Corps of the Red Army. In 1930, he became the commander of the 1st Army Group and participated in repelling the 5th Encirclement Campaign launched by the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang).

Contribution to the Chinese Civil War

After Japan's invasion of China in July 1937 and the formation of the United Front, the Red Army underwent reorganization, leading to the establishment of the 8th Army of the People's Revolutionary Army of China. Lin Biao was appointed as the commander of the 115th Division. His troops achieved several victories against the Japanese forces. In 1939, Lin Biao was severely wounded and went to the Soviet Union for treatment. While in the USSR, he represented the CPC in the Comintern. In 1942, he returned to Yan'an and became the secretary of the Northeast Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. In 1945, Lin Biao was elected as a member of the CPC Central Committee at the 7th National Congress. During this time, he commanded the Manchurian United Democratic Army, consisting of the 8th Army and the New 4th Army, with a total strength of up to 300,000 soldiers. In January-March 1947, Lin Biao's forces crossed the Sungari River three times and inflicted heavy blows on the enemy north of Changchun. In 1948, he became the commander of the Northeast Field Army and led the "Liaoshen Campaign," which resulted in the People's Liberation Army gaining a numerical advantage over the Kuomintang Army in Manchuria. In 1948, Lin Biao led the Beiping-Tianjin Front and, in March 1949, represented the CPC in negotiations with the Kuomintang. In September 1949, he was elected as a member of the All-China Committee of the National People's Political Consultative Conference and appointed as the commander of the Central China Military Region. From December 1949 to January 1953, Lin Biao served as the chairman of the Central-South Military Administrative Committee and, from July 1950, as the first secretary of the Central-South Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. In 1950, he opposed China's participation in the Korean War.

Rise to Power and Death

In August 1954, Lin Biao became a deputy of the National People's Congress and was reelected in July 1958 and September 1964. From 1954, he served as the vice chairman of the State Defense Committee and the deputy premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. In 1955, Lin Biao was awarded the military rank of Marshal of the People's Republic of China and received numerous honors and orders. From September 1956, he became a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, and from May 1958, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo and one of the deputy chairmen of the CPC Central Committee. After the Lushan Conference in September 1959, Lin Biao became the Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China. He actively promoted the cult of personality around Mao Zedong and ordered the publication of Mao's "Quotations," stating that every soldier should possess this book along with personal weapons. Lin Biao became an active participant and advocate of the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution." In August 1966, he was reelected to the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and was listed as the second-ranking figure after Mao Zedong. After the 9th National Congress of the CPC in April 1969, he officially became the sole deputy chairman of the CPC Central Committee and was designated as Mao Zedong's "successor."

In the early 1970s, Lin Biao fell out with almost all influential members of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, especially Zhou Enlai, who became the new second-ranking figure in the party. Lin Biao and his family attempted to flee to the Soviet Union by plane, but the aircraft crashed in Mongolia, resulting in the death of everyone on board. The strange fact was that the plane was heading from Mongolia back to China, judging by the wreckage. After his death, a campaign to criticize Lin Biao and Confucius was unleashed in China. Unlike many other politicians who were condemned during Mao Zedong's rule, Lin Biao was never rehabilitated, and the investigation into his life and the circumstances of his death is discouraged in China.