Figure timeline
Lin Biao was a Chinese military commander and politician. Pivotal to the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, he commanded the Liaoshen and Pingjin campaigns at the head of the Manchurian Field Army, led the People's Liberation Army into Beijing, and swept the Kuomintang from the coastal provinces of Southeast China. He was ranked third among the Ten Marshals of the People's Republic of Chi…
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
politics · Chinese marshal and politician (1907–1971) · politician · military personnel · also Lin Biao, Lin Yurong, Lin Piao, Biao
Born 5 December 1907 · Died 13 September 1971 · Q315475
42 published statements · 0 followers
See & hear
14 photos
Media from Wikimedia Commons, hotlinked at the source under its own licence — see each file for author and terms.
Live now
Pulling headlines from trusted outlets — this usually takes a few seconds
Checking the wires…
Feed scan
These are live links, not archived citations — they only join the timeline once a collect run verifies and archives them.
Live pulse
Most recent outstanding titles, awards, and quotes
A big portrait of Lin was added to the Chinese Military Museum in Beijing, included in a display of the "Ten Marshals", a group considered to be the founders of China's armed forces
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examined evidence in Russia, Mongolia, mainland China, the United States, and Taiwan, and came to a number of conclusions, some of which were contrary to the official Chinese version of events
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The government released their verdict: that Lin Biao must be held, along with Jiang Qing, as one of the two major "counter-revolutionary cliques" responsible for the excesses of the late 1960s
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Chinese government held a series of "special trials" to identify those most responsible for the Cultural Revolution
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The government confirmed its condemnation of Lin and generally ceased any dialogue concerning Lin's place in history
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
And many negative aspects of the Cultural Revolution were blamed on Lin
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Jiang Qing, Mao's fourth wife and a former political ally of Lin's, started the Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius campaign, aimed at using Lin's scarred image to attack Zhou Enlai
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Died 1971-09-13.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
A Soviet forensic investigation was not able to determine the cause of the crash, but hypothesized the pilot misjudged his altitude while intentionally flying low to evade radar
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin and his supporters disagreed with Zhou Enlai and his followers over the issue of China's relationship with the United States and the Soviet Union
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
As Jiang frequently attempted to interfere in Chinese military affairs, which Lin found intolerable
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin directed Red Guards in Beijing to "smash those persons in power who are traveling the capitalist road, the bourgeoisie reactionary authorities, and all royalists of the bourgeoisie, and to forcibly destroy the "four
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin Biao emerged as the most likely candidate to replace Liu as Mao's successor
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This campaign widened into the Cultural Revolution
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (1966–1971).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
All other candidates for the position were removed, and Lin accepted the position as sole Vice-chairman, replacing Liu Shaoqi as Mao's unofficial successor
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mao asked Ye to publicly criticize Lin's chief of staff, Luo Ruiqing, on Lin's behalf, even though Ye did not yet hold any high political position
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (1964–1971).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China (1959–1971).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (1959–1971).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin joined the Politburo Standing Committee and became one of China's Vice-chairmen
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (1958–1971).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (1958–1971).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
A title that recognized Lin's substantial military contributions
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Career landmark: Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (1954–1971).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Was visited by Gao Gang, and was later suspected of supporting him
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mao ordered Lin to assemble his army to take and defend key cities, which was against the previous strategy of the Red Army
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Based on his earlier battlefield reputation
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin proposed to Sun and promised to divorce his wife, from whom Lin had become estranged
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Suffered from ongoing physical and mental health problems
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
While he was still leading Chinese forces in Shanxi, Japanese soldiers who had joined the Communists and were serving under Lin's command presented Lin with a Japanese uniform (reportedly an officer's winter coat, which
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin married one of the students there, a girl named Liu Ximin, who had earned the nickname "University Flower"
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
And wrote about Lin in his book, Red Star Over China
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin continued his position as one of the most successful commanders in the Red Army during the Long March
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin was one of the first Red Army commanders to publicly advocate the abandonment of the Jiangxi Soviet, but he was opposed by most Red Army commanders, especially Braun and Peng Dehuai
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Won First Class Red Star Medal (1933).
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
By his rivals (the 28 Bolsheviks), Lin frequently attended strategic meetings in Mao's name and openly attacked the plans of Mao's enemies
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin Biao was given command of the 1st Red Army Corps, which then numbered about 20,000 rifles
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lin was assigned to a regiment commanded by Ye Ting
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Participated in the May Thirtieth Movement and enrolled in the newly established Whampoa (Huangpu) Military Academy in Guangzhou
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
And moved to Shanghai in 1919 to continue his education
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Born 1907-12-05.
Text from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Connections