Colonel General - China (PRC)

China (PRC)

The People's Liberation Army rank of shang jiang (上将: literally, "senior general") is variously translated as either colonel general or general, with the translation as colonel general generally reserved for the period 1955-1965 (when it corresponded to the Soviet rank of colonel general). All ranks in the PLA were abolished between 1965 and 1988. When it was restored, there was a reduction in the number of officer ranks, and the ranks have since been normally translated into English as the corresponding American or British rank, rendering the rank of shang jiang as simply "general".