Li Yanlu
Encyclopedia
Li Yanlu, 李延禄, soldier
, communist, and leader of anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria
. Li was born in Yenchi
, Kirin
(now Jilin
) Province in April 1895. He became involved in the opposition to Yuan Shikai
's attempt to restore the monarchy. He joined the Northeastern Army
of the Fengtien clique in 1917, as a private soldier and rose to platoon leader then captain over the next sixteen years. Politically he moved to the left and in July 1931 he joined the Communist Party of China
. Three months later the Japanese began the Mukden Incident
and invasion of Manchuria. Avoiding capture and internment by the Japanese, he joined the volunteer army
of Wang Delin
. There Communists were welcomed and Li and Zhou Baozhong
were made high-ranking officers. Li became the chief of staff of Wang's Chinese People's National Salvation Army
one of the most successful of the volunteer armies resisting the Japanese and its puppet state of Manchukuo
. He was also said to have been secretly organizing communists within the army. Yet Party policy at the time opposed the volunteer armies and the participation of members in them and had their own Northeastern People's Revolutionary Army
. At first the Party severely criticised their conduct yet the stance of the Party prevented the growth of their own forces and did not help the anti-Japanese cause.
In 1933, when Wang was defeated by the Japanese and fled Manchuria, Li remained with the remnant NSA forces, now dispersed in small guerrilla bands. There he organized a unit from former NSA troops for the Northeastern People's Revolutionary Army in the Ning'an
area and continued the struggle against the Japanese. In 1934, there were still resistance forces estimated at 50,000 men still in the field. All the Communist Party units were reorganized into the single Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army
, with Zhao Shangzhi
as its Commander-in-Chief. It was now to be open to all who wanted to resist the Japanese invasion and proclaimed its willingness to ally with all other anti-Japanese forces, this won over some of the shanlin
bands, including former NSA units.
In 1935, when the party officially changed policy, and began creating a united front, the army welcomed and absorbed most of the remaining anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria. The army was now organized into three Route Armies including Zhou Baozhong's 2nd Route Army in Kirin Province, where Li was an officer.
From the fall of 1936 to 1938 Li was sent Shanghai and Nanjing to engage in Anti-Japanese United Front work. In 1939 was appointed to the Central Committee of the CCP Northeast Working Committee as a vice-president. He was responsible to train the cadre to be sent to operate in the Northeast. After the victory in the Sino-Japanese War he was made vice governor of Sungkiang
province in Manchuria.
After the People's Republic of China had been established, he was appointed Heilongjiang
Province assistant deputy governor and was the province Political Consultative Conference vice-president. He died after an illness in 1985, after he composed his revolutionary reminiscences of Communist Party history.
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Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, communist, and leader of anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. Li was born in Yenchi
Yanji
Yanji , also known as Yeon'gil from its Korean name , is the seat of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, eastern Jilin province, Northeast China. Its population is approximately 400,000 of which a large section is ethnic Korean...
, Kirin
Kirin
Kirin may refer to:People*Ivica Kirin , politician, former Interior Minister of Croatia*Kirin Kiki , Japanese TV and film actressCompanies* Kirin Brewery Company, a Japanese brewing company...
(now Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
) Province in April 1895. He became involved in the opposition to Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...
's attempt to restore the monarchy. He joined the Northeastern Army
Northeastern Army
The Northeastern Army , was the Chinese army of the Fengtien clique until the unification of China in 1928. From 1931 to 1933 it faced the Japanese forces in Manchuria, Jehol and Hebei, in the early years of the Second Sino-Japanese War.Zhang Xueliang commanded this army after the assassination of...
of the Fengtien clique in 1917, as a private soldier and rose to platoon leader then captain over the next sixteen years. Politically he moved to the left and in July 1931 he joined the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
. Three months later the Japanese began the Mukden Incident
Mukden Incident
The Mukden Incident, also known as the Manchurian Incident, was a staged event that was engineered by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for invading the northern part of China known as Manchuria in 1931....
and invasion of Manchuria. Avoiding capture and internment by the Japanese, he joined the volunteer army
Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies
After the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and until 1933, large volunteer armies waged war against Japanese and Manchukuo forces over much of Northeast China....
of Wang Delin
Wang Delin
Wang Delin or Wang Teh-ling, , bandit, soldier and leader of the National Salvation Army resisting the Japanese pacification of Manchukuo....
. There Communists were welcomed and Li and Zhou Baozhong
Zhou Baozhong
Zhou Baozhong was a commander of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army resisting the pacification of Manchukuo by the Empire of Japan....
were made high-ranking officers. Li became the chief of staff of Wang's Chinese People's National Salvation Army
Chinese People's National Salvation Army
One of the most successful volunteer armies was the Chinese People's National Salvation Army or NSA, led by a former bandit turned soldier, Wang Delin. At the time of the invasion, Wang Delin's 200 man battalion was stationed near Yanji, a small town in the east of Jilin province...
one of the most successful of the volunteer armies resisting the Japanese and its puppet state of Manchukuo
Pacification of Manchukuo
The Pacification of Manchukuo, was a campaign to pacify the resistance to the newly established puppet state of Manchukuo between the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies of Manchuria and later the Communist Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and the Imperial Japanese Army and the forces of the...
. He was also said to have been secretly organizing communists within the army. Yet Party policy at the time opposed the volunteer armies and the participation of members in them and had their own Northeastern People's Revolutionary Army
Northeastern People's Revolutionary Army
After the Empire of Japan invaded and occupied the Northeast in 1931, the Chinese Communist Party organized small anti-Japanese guerrilla units, and formed their own Northeastern People's Revolutionary Army, dedicated to social revolution, but these were dwarfed by the Anti-Japanese Volunteer...
. At first the Party severely criticised their conduct yet the stance of the Party prevented the growth of their own forces and did not help the anti-Japanese cause.
In 1933, when Wang was defeated by the Japanese and fled Manchuria, Li remained with the remnant NSA forces, now dispersed in small guerrilla bands. There he organized a unit from former NSA troops for the Northeastern People's Revolutionary Army in the Ning'an
Ning'an
Ning’an is a city located approximately 20 km southwest of Mudanjiang, in Heilongjiang province of China. It is located on the Mudanjiang River , which flows north, eventually falling into the Sungari River near Sanxing.Administratively, Ning'an is now a county-level city, and a constituent...
area and continued the struggle against the Japanese. In 1934, there were still resistance forces estimated at 50,000 men still in the field. All the Communist Party units were reorganized into the single Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army
Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army
The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army was an anti-Japanese guerrilla army in the Northeast part of China after the occupation of Manchuria by Japan in 1931. It was organized by the Manchuria branches of the Chinese Communist Party . However, it lost direct contact with the CCP headquarter in...
, with Zhao Shangzhi
Zhao Shangzhi
Zhao Shangzhi was born in Chaoyang, Liaoning Province, China. He participated in the "May 30 Movement movement" in 1925, and joined the Communist Party of China in the same year. In November 1925, he went to study in the Whampoa Military Academy in Guangzhou.After September 18, 1932 he took the...
as its Commander-in-Chief. It was now to be open to all who wanted to resist the Japanese invasion and proclaimed its willingness to ally with all other anti-Japanese forces, this won over some of the shanlin
Shanlin
The term shanlin 山林 means literally "mountain and forest" in Chinese and was frequently used to describe bandits in Manchuria from the time of the Qing dynasty, because they knew the local wooded and mountainous terrain very well. Most operated in a fairly small district and took pains to maintain...
bands, including former NSA units.
In 1935, when the party officially changed policy, and began creating a united front, the army welcomed and absorbed most of the remaining anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria. The army was now organized into three Route Armies including Zhou Baozhong's 2nd Route Army in Kirin Province, where Li was an officer.
From the fall of 1936 to 1938 Li was sent Shanghai and Nanjing to engage in Anti-Japanese United Front work. In 1939 was appointed to the Central Committee of the CCP Northeast Working Committee as a vice-president. He was responsible to train the cadre to be sent to operate in the Northeast. After the victory in the Sino-Japanese War he was made vice governor of Sungkiang
Songjiang Province
Sungkiang is a former province of the Republic of China. Mudanjiang was the capital. It was one of nine provinces created in Manchuria by the Chinese Nationalist government . It was bordered on the east by the USSR, and along part of the southern border ran the Nen and Songhua Rivers...
province in Manchuria.
After the People's Republic of China had been established, he was appointed Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
Province assistant deputy governor and was the province Political Consultative Conference vice-president. He died after an illness in 1985, after he composed his revolutionary reminiscences of Communist Party history.
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