Team News Riveting
General Xu Qinxian, the former commander of the 38th Army of the People’s Liberation Army, passed away in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, at the age of 85.
During the June 4th student movement, Xu Qinxian refused to execute the orders of his superiors and did not shoot to suppress the students and civilians who were demonstrating.
On May 20, 1989, the 38th Army was verbally ordered by the Beijing Military Region (BMR) to enforce martial law order against demonstrators in Beijing. Xu was a protege of Defense Minister Qin Jiwei, who had reservations about enforcing the crackdown.
Xu said he could not comply with a verbal order to mobilize and demanded to see a written order. When told by the BMR that it “was wartime” and an order in writing would be provided later, Xu responded that there was no war and reiterated his refusal to carry out the order.
President Yang Shangkun sent Zhou Yibing, the commander of the BMR, to Baoding to persuade Xu but failed. Xu refused to act on the order and asked for sick leave. His request was not granted but he still refused to report to duty. Privately, he told friends that he would rather be executed than to be a criminal to history.
Yang Shangkun declared that Xu Qianxian’s insubordination could not be tolerated. He ordered Xu be arrested, imprisoned and expelled from the Communist Party. The 38th Army under a new commander proceeded to play a major role in suppressing demonstrators. Many of Xu Qinxian’s former colleagues were promoted for their roles.
Xu was court-martialled and served five years in prison. At trial, he remained defiant, declaring that “the People’s Army has never in its history been used to suppress the people, I absolutely refuse to besmirch this historical record!”
After his release from prison, he was not permitted to live in Beijing and resided in a sanitarium for retired military officers in Shijiazhuang. When interviewed by the Hong Kong media 22 years after his decision, Xu expressed no regrets.
Radio Hong Kong quoted news that the military allowed Xu Qin’s three sons and daughters to come to Shijiazhuang to discuss funeral arrangements, but did not allow his friends to be present. Independent reporter Gao Yu revealed that after the authorities held a meeting today, the military stated that the “former 38th army commander” cannot be used in Xu’s funeral and his tombstone.
