Xia Wenfu

Xia Wenfu (: 夏文夫; born 23 April 1961) is a Kodeshi () who serves as the current chief of the navy general staff	of the Navy. He was appointed to head the navy in July 2010. He is a graduate of the Chenghai Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor's degree in shipbuilding engineering. Xia joined the army as a young man and quickly rose through its ranks with several promotions, during his tenure overseeing the navy, Xia has had to deal with a number of crises facing his organization.

Early life and education
Xia Wenfu was born on April 23, 1961 in Chenghai, Yu'an Province into an old family of the area. His father worked for the local government while his mother raised their three children. The son of poor farmers, both parents were hard workers and encouraged him to work harder than he already did. After finishing middle school, he was admitted to a technical high school run by the local government. In September 1980, he began his studies at the Chenghai Institute of Technology where he studied ship building engineering.

Xia was always interested in ships. In his first year of study at the institute, Xia had become the captain of his dormitory's association team and had been elected vice-president of the student council. During the second term of his junior college, when he was studying at the Naval Technical School of the Ministry of National Defense, he took part in the activities of the Association of Seafarers.

Military career
In November 1982, Xia enlisted in the Imperial Kodeshi Navy as a cadet officer. He passed his officers' examination after just one attempt in August 1984 and was subsequently assigned to serve aboard a destroyer. In January 1985, he entered the Second Academy of the Navy where he studied for two years before earning his bachelor's degree from the Imperial Kodeshi Naval Academy. In 1990, he received a master's degree in engineering and in 1995 a doctorate in naval architecture.

Xia has held many positions throughout his military career, including commander of the Zhenhai-class frigate Huangtu in 1991 and Commander of the Zhuhai Imperial Kodeshi Naval Base in 1993. Between March and December 1997, he served as a division chief of the Second Department of the Central Military Commission. From May 1998 until June 1999, he commanded the Southern Naval District, which included all units of the Second Department of the Central Military Commission. From July 1999 to August 2000, he headed the Third Department of the Central Military Commission. From August 2000 to April 2003, he was deputy director of the general staff of the Navy, then from April 2003 to October 2004 he was appointed as head of the General Armaments Bureau of the Navy.

He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in July 2005. From September 2006 to February 2008, he was the deputy director of the General Staff Department of the Navy, and between February and May 2008 he was the commander of the Lianyungang Fleet. In June 2008, he became Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, serving under Admiral Luo Zhi, and was promoted to vice-admiral in October of that same year. From March 2009 to March 2010, he was Chief of the General Staff Department of the Navy and on July 13, 2010, he assumed command of the entire navy as the Chief of the Navy General Staff.

Personal life
Xia lives with his wife Ye Gui and three children in the city of Chenghai in the province of Yu'an. He enjoys golfing, fishing, playing go and other games, listening to music and reading. He has read over 30 books since becoming Chief of the Navy General Staff, including Master Zhuge's Military Methods, Wei's on War, Sun Bin's Military Secrets, as well as Liu Xiu's A New Treatise on War, Wu Qi's Secret Secrets of the Great Zhou, Yue Fei's Thirteen Strategies and many more. His interests include chess and playing cards, especially Mahjong. Xia has been a keen shipmodeler since he was young and still spends much time at home making ship models and creating new designs for warships.