On July 5, 2003 (June 6, 2003 in the lunar calendar), General Zhang Aiping passed away. Picture: Zhang Aiping Zhang Aiping (January 9, 1910 - July 5, 2003) A native of Daxian County, Sichuan. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as the commander of the 7th Corps and the commander of the Zhejiang Military Region, the chief of staff of the East China Military Region and the Third Field Army, the deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the deputy director of the National Defense Industry Office of the State Council, the director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, the deputy secretary-general of the Central Military Commission, the vice-premier of the State Council, the state councilor and the minister of national defense. He was awarded the rank of general in 1955. He served as the minister of national defense from November 1982 to March 1988. In November 1982, Zhang Aiping was appointed as the state councilor and the minister In this position, he participated in and witnessed the leaps and bounds of China's national defense science and technology, and experienced firsthand the breakthroughs in Sino-US military diplomacy. Zhang Aiping was brutally persecuted during the "Cultural Revolution", was criticized and imprisoned for 6 years, and his left leg was disabled. After his comeback in March 1975, he served as the director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and successfully organized the launch of our country's first return satellite "Jianbing No. 1". He came back again in March 1977 and served as the director of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, the deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, the director of the Office of the Central Special Commission, and the director of the Science and Technology Equipment Committee of the Central Military Commission. In May 1980, he successfully organized and commanded the launch of China's first intercontinental missile. In September of the same year, he served as Vice Premier of the State Council. In September 1982, he served as Deputy Secretary-General of the Central Military Commission, and in November, he served as State Councilor and Minister of National Defense. He made significant contributions to national defense construction and the revolutionary, modernized and regularized construction of our army, especially the construction of national defense science and technology and weapons and equipment. In November 1987, he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Commission and took a back seat. From the above-mentioned brief to the simplest resume, Zhang Aiping's name has already appeared in the annals of history. However, his ideological strength, behavioral influence and personality charm are destined to be written in large characters in the annals of history. Zhang Aiping said that he had "four fearless" in his life: he was not afraid of destiny, not afraid of adults, not afraid of saints and not afraid of power. The perilous situation of the Cultural Revolution can test people's mental hardness the most. Zhang Aiping was a "mighty and unyielding" man during the Cultural Revolution. The rebels criticized General Zhang and swung the iron chain to fight. The general angrily raised the bench to defend himself, forcing the other party to restrain his hands. The general said: "The three armies can win the command, but each man cannot win the will." After he was falsely accused of being a "secret agent" and imprisoned, he resolutely did not bow his head, do not review, and do not expose others, and adhered to his integrity as a human being. Zhang Sheng saw the words on the piece of paper his father brought out of prison: "Grit your teeth and overcome humiliation." "Stand to die, do not kneel to live!" Due to the extreme force of the pen, the paper was poked full of holes.