Communist Military Leaders of the Korean War 5. Marshal He Long

Background and History Born in 1896 in the mountains of Hunan, He Long (pronounced Ho Long) began his revolutionary career by attacking a government tax assessor with a butcher cleaver. The attack on a salt tax office destroyed the tax office, resulted in some guns being captured and the beheading of the tax collector. In 1923, he was the commander of the Nationalist Twentieth Army. He joined the Communist ranks in 1926. After he joined the Communist, Chiang Kai-Shek never stopped trying to get him back to the KMT. Failing that, Chiang killed 100 of He Long's relatives including three sisters and his brother. He was a flamboyant, mustachioed, outgoing man, unable to walk down the street without attracting a crowd, and he was a fine orator.

Proclamation of the People's Republic of China

At the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, He was on the review stand with Chairman Mao. After the Japanese surrender, He became one of the Ten Chinese Marshals in 1955. He Long was the Secretary of the Department of Sports in the late 1950's and helped China win their first gold medal.

Activities in Korean War Marshal He Long did not directly participate in the Korean War.