General Zhang Wannian, a retired leader of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), recently had his new book, The Collection of Military Works by Zhang Wannian, published by the PLA Publishing House.

The 600,000-Chinese-character book is composed of 178 articles, speeches, letters and instructions by the former chief of the PLA General Staff Department and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Zhang was also a member of both the Political Bureau and Secretariat of the 15th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Zhang joined the CPC-led armed forces in August 1944, one year before China defeated the Japanese invading army. Since then, he worked on a series of positions in the Chinese Army, including commander of the PLA Guangzhou Area Command and the PLA Jinan Area Command.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2008)