Zhang Dingcheng

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Zhang Dingcheng
张鼎丞
Zhang in the New Fourth Army
Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
In office
27 September 1954 – 17 January 1975
Chairman
Mao Zedong
Preceded byLuo Ronghuan
Succeeded byHuang Huoqing
Party Secretary of Fujian
In office
August 1949 – October 1954
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byYe Fei
Governor of Fujian
In office
August 1949 – October 1954
Preceded byZhu Shaoliang
Succeeded byYe Fei
Personal details
BornDecember 1898
Yongding County, Fujian, Qing Empire
DiedDecember 16, 1981(1981-12-16) (aged 83)
Beijing, China
PartyChinese Communist Party
Military service
Allegiance Chinese Communist Party
 China
Branch/service People's Liberation Army
Years of service
1928–1954
Battles/warsLong March, 2nd Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Civil War

Zhang Dingcheng (simplified Chinese: 张鼎丞; traditional Chinese: 張鼎丞; pinyin: Zhāng Dǐngchéng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: TiuⁿTiaⁿ-seng; December 1898 – December 16, 1981) was a military leader, revolutionary and politician of the People's Republic of China, Procurator–General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate from 1954 to 1975.[1] His tenure remains the longest in the history of the Supreme Procuratorate.

Biography

Zhang Dingcheng was born in Yongding County, Fujian in 1898. He graduated as a schoolteacher from the teachers college of Dapu County, Guangdong, and taught at primary schools. While teaching at the Qingxi Baoxu Temple primary school in Dapu County, he discovered Marxism, participated in revolutionary activities and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1927.[1]

He commanded units of the Chinese Red Army (predecessor of the People's Liberation Army), studied at the CCP Central Party School and took part in the Long March, accompanying Mao to Yan'an.[1] Zhang fought in both the Second Sino-Japanese War and, after the Japanese surrender, the Chinese Civil War that resulted in a CCP victory and the establishment of the People's Republic of China.[1]

From 1949 to 1954, Zhang served as Governor and CCP Committee Secretary of Fujian Province.[2][3] In 1954, he became Procurator–General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, holding that post for a record 21 years.[4] During the Cultural Revolution, he was publicly denounced by some Red Guard groups, but his loyalty to Mao ensured that he remained in his place.[1] Nevertheless, the 1975 Constitution, adopted a year before Mao's death, abolished the position of the Procurator–General (it was restored three years later, in 1978).[1]

Following the temporary abolition of the office of the Procurator–General in 1975, Zhang was elected a Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, holding that office until his death in December 1981, at the age of 83.[1]

References

  1. Zhang Dingcheng's biography Archived 2018-10-09 at the Wayback Machine, zhanghuasun.com, March 30, 2015
  2. "Personnel of the Fujian Provincial Government" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. September 9, 1953. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  3. 《二十世纪中国实录》编委会 (1997). 二十世纪中国实录 (in Chinese). Guangming Daily Press. p. 4074. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  4. "Communist China's New Government (Secret)" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. October 7, 1954. Retrieved May 26, 2026.