About Chi Haotian
Chi Haotian (simplified Chinese: 迟浩田; traditional Chinese: 遲浩田; pinyin: Chí Hàotián; born 9 July 1929), also spelled as Chih Hao-tien, is a retired general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He served as Minister of National Defense from 1993 to 2003. == Early life == Chi was born 9 July 1929, in a poor mountain village in Zhaoyuan, Shandong, Republic of China. His family was, large with eleven siblings, four of whom died young. Yet even in such circumstances, when Chi was seven, his mother made up her mind and insisted on sending him to school. She hoped her son would acquire learning and become a teacher when he grew up. In 1941, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army carried out a large-scale pacification campaign in the Jiaodong region, committing arson, murder, rape and looting in Chi's hometown. After this experience, his mother decided to send Chi to join the army as well. == Military career == Chi was recruited to the army in July 1945, and graduated from the synthesis department of Military Academy of PLA. During the Korean War, he served as the battalion instructor and deputy director of a regimental political department within the 27th Corps of the People's Volunteer Army in North Korea. For his valor during the war, he received a "Class-One" commendation.
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