China's Central Military Commission (CMC) conferred the rank of general on six senior military officers on Saturday, bringing the total number of China's generals to 191.

CMC Chairman Hu Jintao awarded the officers certificates of command at a promotion ceremony. An order for the promotions was announced by CMC Vice Chairman Xi Jinping.

The senior officers are deputy chiefs of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Sun Jianguo and Hou Shusen, deputy chief of the PLA General Political Department Jia Ting'an, the Navy's political commissar Liu Xiaojiang, commander of the Shenyang Military Area Command Zhang Youxia, and political commissar of the Lanzhou Military Area Command Li Changcai.

China began to confer military ranks on military officers in 1955, when 10 senior officers were promoted to the rank of marshal, a rank which was later abolished.

Premier Zhou Enlai then issued a decree conferring the rank of general on 55 officers in 1955 and one each in 1956 and 1958.

In 1965, the CMC abolished the military ranking system, resuming it in 1988. Since then, 135 senior military officers and armed police officers have been promoted to the rank of general.

Hong Xuezhi, who became a member of the CMC in 1988, is the only officer to have received the rank of general twice. He was promoted to general in 1955 and 1988, respectively.

The PLA recognizes 10 military ranks for officers in active service: general, lieutenant general and major general; senior colonel, colonel, lieutenant colonel and major; captain, first lieutenant and second lieutenant.

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