Qiu Huizuo (Chinese: 邱会作; April 16, 1914 – July 18, 2002) is a former general of the People's Liberation Army of China, best known for being one of the principal officers of Marshal Lin Biao during the Cultural Revolution. Originally from Jiangxi province, Qiu rose through the ranks of the People's Liberation Army during the civil war between the Communists and the Kuomintang. He took charge as army logistics chief in 1959, and was persecuted at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. He was later restored to power owing to the blessing of Zhou Enlai and Lin Biao. However, he fell from grace again after the flight of Lin Biao. He was purged and sentenced to prison, before being released on medical parole.
Revolutionary years edit
Qiu was born in Xingguo County, Jiangxi province. He was schooled in a local sishu (private school specializing in education in Chinese classics).[1] He joined the militia forces in his home county in 1929 at the age of fifteen. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1932. Beginning in 1934, he took part in the Long March. Shortly prior to the Communist exodus from their revolutionary heartland, Qiu was almost executed by party intelligence officials who thought he had access to too much sensitive information regarding military logistics. However, on the day of his execution, his life was spared by Zhou Enlai, who put Qiu under the wing of then army supplies coordinator Ye Jizhuang.[2]
By the time Communist forces arrived in northern Shaanxi, Qiu was tasked with logistical work, ensuring that the army had sufficient supplies. After the New Fourth Army incident of 1941 which decisively ended the Kuomintang-Communist alliance, Qiu was transferred to the third division of the New Fourth Army.
After civil war resumed between the Communists and Kuomintang in northeastern China in 1945, Qiu was stationed there, participating in the Liaoshen Campaign, Pingjin Campaign, and the Hengbao Campaign. After the war ended, he was sent to the southwest. In 1955, he was named a lieutenant general of the People's Liberation Army. In 1959, he was named head of the People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department (GLD) after the dismissal of Hong Xuezhi.
Cultural Revolution edit
When the Cultural Revolution began, Qiu was labelled a counter-revolutionary element and targeted by rebels in the GLD. He was subject to physical abuse and torture, fainting many times. Qiu's supporters then wrote personally to Lin Biao who intervened and asked Qiu to be released. After Qiu's release, marshals Liu Bocheng, Nie Rongzhen and Ye Jianying visited Qiu as he was undergoing treatment. The senseless mistreatment of Qiu was one of a series of events that pushed marshals Nie and Ye to voice their displeasure with the Cultural Revolution during the February Countercurrent, the last serious phase of dissent in the senior ranks of the party during the movement. Zhou Enlai himself asked Qiu to be restored in his leadership position in the GLD. On Qiu, Zhou commented, "the logistics department is like a smaller State Council, comrade Qiu has helped me with many things."[1]
Qiu was restored to his position in 1967, and became fervently dedicated to the Cultural Revolution. He accused various cadres within the department for counter-revolutionary crimes. He was named a member of the 9th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1969, where Qiu and many other PLA generals emerged as the main beneficiaries of the Cultural Revolution after the destruction of the old guard. Qiu's political fortunes, however, were short-lived. When Lin Biao fled the country in September 1971 in an event still shrouded in mystery, Qiu was implicated by association.[3] He was relieved of his duties on September 24, 1971, then sent to confinement in a military base in Shunyi while the authorities sorted out the consequences of the incident. Qiu was then expelled from the party in 1973.[3]
Trial, prison, and release edit
Qiu was considered one of the main culprits of the so-called "Lin Biao-Jiang Qing Counter-revolutionary clique" and went on trial along with the Gang of Four in 1981. Of Lin Biao's inner circle, Qiu was said to have a good attitude during the proceedings, openly confessing to the charges and falling to his knees in front of the widow of a Cultural Revolution victim to seek forgiveness. On January 25, 1981, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. He served only five years and was released on medical parole in 1987. He was then resettled in Xi'an where he reunited with his family and was afforded some basic benefits from the state as well as a living stipend of about 200 yuan a month. As his health worsened in 2001, he was sent to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for treatment, and died there in 2002.[3]
Autobiography edit
Qiu wrote an autobiography, which included details on the intrigues of the Cultural Revolution and his relationship with Lin Biao. In it, Qiu portrays himself as a bulwark against the political machinations and ambitions of Jiang Qing. It was released in Hong Kong in 2012.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c "周恩来不是人民的总理，而是毛氏的家臣 ——从《邱会作回忆录》看周恩来在中共政权中的作用(余杰)". Radio Free Asia. August 16, 2012.
- ^ As recounted by Qiu's own autobiography, described in the article by Radio Free Asia; Ye Jizhuang (1893–1967) was eventually named Minister of International Trade, but was purged and died during the Cultural Revolution.
- ^ a b c "林彪大将邱会作的晚年生活 2002年病逝". Ifeng. January 4, 2009.