Based on: “唐生智“, Kotobank

Last updated: 26/07/2019

Tang Shengzhi (also T’ang Sheng-chih) was born in 1889 in Dongan, Hunan province. In 1915, he graduated from Baoding Military Academy. In 1926, he became Governor of Hunan and supported Chiang Kai-shek’s Northern Expedition. In 1927, he was exiled by Chiang and fled to Japan. Two years later, Tang returned to China to join the war against Chiang. When this failed he fled to Hong Kong. In 1931, he joined the Guangdong government and subsequently became leader of the Guangdong military. In the following year, he joined Chiang’s Nanjing government again. In 1937, he was in charge of the defense of Nanjing. Tang was widely blamed for the failed strategy to protect the city and its people against the Japanese attacks. After the war and the civil war, Tang took several offices in his native province of Hunan, including the position of vice-governor and also served as a representative in the National People’s Congress. Tang died in April 1970 in Beijing.