Ye Ting () (April 10, 1896 – April 8, 1946) was a Chinese military officer and figure who played a key role in the Northern Expedition to reunify China after the 1911 Revolution. After serving with the Kuomintang, Ye later joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Early life

Ye was born on April 10, 1896 at Zhoutian village, Danshui town, in Guishan county, located in Guangdong province. Ye's ancestors migrated from Ye county in Henan to the south, through Meizhou and Hingning, eventually settling in Guangdong. Ye's mother's last name is Wu and he is the eighth child in the family.

Ye was energetic and helped his father with farming when he was young. He was sent to the nearby Tengyun school to study. The Fourth army then reorganized the 34th regiment to be an independent regiment of the Fourth Army, ordering it to travel to Hunan.

In May 1926, Ye led his troops as an advanced force in the Northern Expedition. He left Zhaoqing and Xinhui, then proceeded to the frontline in Hunan to attack Wu Peifu. When the direct attack on Tingsi Bridge was not successful, Ye investigated a small path towards the back of Tingsi Bridge. After the Deputy Commander of the Fourth Army, Chen Keyu, ordered Ye to take a surprising attack on the back of Wu's army, the army achieved a complete win. After this battle, the independent regiment attacked and occupied several territories, including Taolinpu and Yindoushan.

On August 30, the Fourth and Seventh Army of the National Revolutionary Army started to battle with Wu's Army. Ye was the first one to attack the position of Wu's army, with other troops following in an attempt to improve the outcome of the battle, eventually taking Hesheng Bridge.

The Kuomintang government moved from Guangzhou to Wuhan in January 1927. The National Revolutionary Army was expanded and Ye was appointed as the Deputy Division Commander of the 25th Division, and Division Commander of the 24th Division of the 11th Army. In May 1927, the Nanjing-Wuhan Split occurred. On May 13, the commander of the Independent 14th Division, Xia Douyin, announced through a phone call a crusade in the communist party against the KMT and attacked Wuhan, which was controlled by the left-wing KMT. In the meantime, the Wuhan government was expanded north to attack Henan. Ye led to counter the attack and he soon defeated Xia. When he returned to Asia, Ye went into hiding in Macau.

New Fourth Army and death

In 1937, Ye served as commander of the New Fourth Army. During the New Fourth Army Incident, Ye, wanting to save his men, went to Shangguan Yunxiang's headquarters on January 13, 1941 to negotiate terms. Upon arrival, Ye was detained by the 52nd division of the 156th regiment. Chiang Kai-shek ordered the New Fourth Army disbanded on January 17 and sent Ye to a military tribunal. Ye was then jailed for five years, until 1946. On April 8, 1946, after he was released, Ye died in a plane crash en route from Chongqing to Yan'an. Among the victims were his wife Li Xiuwen, daughter Ye Yangmei, son, Ye Ajiu, and the nanny for his children, Gao Qiong, as well as several senior CCP leaders such as Bo Gu, Deng Fa, and Wang Ruofei. There are rumors that Chiang Kai-shek arranged the crash. On April 17, the Jin Sui branch of the Central Committee of the CCP () held a public memorial at the Lan County airport.

Ye had a total of nine children including aircraft designer Lt. Gen. Ye Zhengda. One of his granddaughters, Ye Xiaoyan (叶小燕), through Ye's second son Ye Zhengming (叶正明), is married to Li Xiaoyong (李小勇), son of former Chinese premier Li Peng.

Further reading

  • Chen Jiongming Revolt Event
  • Fourth Army (National Revolutionary Army)
  • Chinese Civil War

References

  • 国民政府军事委员会铨叙厅，忠收第296号通报，1937-09-28
  • 为顾全大局挽救危亡 朱彭叶项复何应钦白崇禧佳电.1940-11-09
  • 叶超：《悲壮的史诗——回忆皖南事变的经过》，载《皖南事变回忆录》
  • Dittmer 1974, p. 17 citing Tetsuya Kataoka, Resistance and Revolution in China: The Communists and the Second United Front, 1974 pre-publication.
  • "U.S. Army Plane Missing With China Red Leaders", New York Times, April 10, 1946, p8