Tian Xiusi

Tian was born in Dongshuiyun Village, Houcun Town, Mengzhou, Henan Province. He joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 1968 and served in Xinjiang for more than three decades. He attained the rank of lieutenant general in July 2006,^[3] and general in July 2012. A veteran of the 1984 Battle of Laoshan of the Sino-Vietnamese conflicts, Tian was one of the few Chinese generals of his generation with actual battle experience.^[1] He succeeded General Zhang Haiyang as political commissar of the Chengdu Military Region in 2009.^[1] In 2012, he replaced and General Deng Changyou as the 12th political commissar of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, even though he had never served in the Air Force.^[4]

Tian retired from active service in July 2015, after having reached the age of 65. He was replaced by Lt. General Yu Zhongfu.^[1] After retiring from military service, he was named a deputy chair of the National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee in August 2015.^[5]

Tian was a member of the 17th and 18th Central Committees of the Chinese Communist Party.^[1]