Gansu is an important province in the northwest region of my country. It communicates the transportation between Xinjiang and the mainland. Its strategic location is very important, with rich mineral resources and important raw materials for industry, and nickel and cobalt ranks among the top in the country. During the War of Liberation, Marshal Peng Dehuai led his army to liberate the northwest. Gansu was an important strategic goal. So who was the first provincial party secretary of Gansu after the founding of the People's Republic of China?
Gansu's first provincial party secretary was Zhang Desheng. Zhang Desheng was born in a poor family in Yulin Province, Shaanxi Province. His father was a shoemaker. The overall economic situation of the family was very tight. As the saying goes, "People are poor and their ambitions are endless", Zhang Desheng still studied hard and studied at the , Shaanxi Provincial Fourth Normal School, . When he was studying in the school, he accepted the revolutionary ideas of the time and later participated in the Great Revolution.
Zhang Desheng
After the April 12th incident, Zhang Desheng was not scared by Chiang Kai-shek's minions. He joined the party and participated in the uprising in Shaanxi. He was unfortunately arrested after the uprising, but was then rescued by a rescue activity organized by local party members. It is very common for the arrested personnel to be rescued because the intelligence capabilities of the Red Army are excellent, and the underground personnel of white area also actively organize rescue activities. For example, Zhao Dezun, the secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee, was also rescued shortly after being arrested.
After Zhang Desheng was rescued, he moved in the base area of Sichuan and Shaanxi. Later, he fought in the Red Fourth Front Army and participated in the great Long March . The Red Army's Long March was very vast, passing by almost ten provinces. Along the way, the customs and folk customs of various places were very different. Zhang Desheng was responsible for the liaison work at that time. He knew very well along the road and often used as a guide to tell the Red Army how to march.
During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Zhang Desheng served as Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee and served in administrative positions for many years. In the early days of the War of Liberation, he participated in the counterattack in Shaanxi and repelled the attack of the Kuomintang army. In the late period of the Liberation War, he served as deputy director of the Political Department of the Northwest Field Army. The director of the political department was not a tiny position. General Gan Siqi, who was later awarded the title of general, also served as the director of the political department of the Jinsui Military Region.
Yulin has always been one of the key targets of the Northwest Field Army and is also an important place in a strategic position. After the Kuomintang Army uprising in Yulin, Zhang Desheng immediately became the secretary of the Yulin Prefectural Committee. This also shows the trust in his ability and handed over the newly liberated area to him.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhang Desheng became the first provincial party secretary of Gansu, and he also served as the political commissar of the military region. During his term of office, he did his best to complete a series of tasks such as land reform and the extermination of bandits. Gansu Province is located in the northwest region, with a drought climate and a lot of wind and sand. Zhang Desheng also made efforts in a series of improvements to the natural environment such as planting trees and afforestation. During his five-year term (1949-1954), Gansu's industry and agriculture were also restored and developed, laying the foundation for the development of the subsequent 15th Five-Year Plan.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, many provincial party secretaries were transferred to the central government. For example, Fu Qiutao, the first provincial party secretary of Shandong, was transferred to the Minister of the People's Armed Forces Department, and the first provincial party secretary of Hunan, Huang Kecheng, was transferred to the Minister of Logistics Department.
Zhang Desheng is different from them. He was transferred to the position of the same level. From the , the secretary of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee, he was transferred to the secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee. This is a very unique example, and it can also be seen that Zhang Desheng's extraordinary qualities are. Later, he served as Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee for ten years and left many achievements.
