Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which major cities did Lin Biao’s forces capture in 1949?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Lin Biao
At a 1967 Red Guard rally, Lin Biao (left) and Zhou Enlai publicly display copies of The Little Red Book.
In 1949, as the commander of the Fourth Field Army, Lin Biao led his forces south and captured several major Chinese cities during the final stages of the Chinese Civil War. Specifically, his troops took:
- Beijing: Captured in January 1949.1
- Wuhan: Captured in May 1949.1
- Guangzhou: Captured in October 1949.1
These victories followed Lin Biao's successful campaign in Manchuria, where he had previously forced the surrender of Nationalist garrisons by the end of 1948, ensuring the rapid collapse of the Nationalist forces in the rest of the country.1