Zhang Youxia

Zhang Youxia (Chinese: 张又侠; born July 1950) is a general in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China and a current member of the Central Military Commission. He was appointed Director of the PLA General Armaments Department in October 2012. He is the son of General Zhang Zongxun, and a veteran of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War. He is one of the few serving generals in China with war experience.

Biography

Zhang was born and raised in Beijing, but traces his ancestry to Yantou Village, Weinan, Shaanxi Province. He is the son of Zhang Zongxun, a Communist general in the Chinese Civil War. Zhang Youxia's father and Xi Jinping's father Xi Zhongxun both hail form the Weinan region of Shaanxi.

Zhang attended Beijing Jingshan School. He joined the army in 1968 at 18 years of age. In 1976 he was serving with the 14th Group Army, stationed in Yunnan province; he was rapidly promoted. He took part in the border clashes of 1979 between China and Vietnam, and then the 1984 Battle of Vị Xuyên.