Central Guard Bureau

	Soldiers of the Central Guard Regiment guarding the main entrance of the Zhongnanhai compound (Chinese Internet)

The Central Guard Bureau (CGB) (中央警卫局) is a special government agency of the PRC government responsible for the personal security of the top party and state leaders. It also has a subordinate special unit known as the Central Guard Regiment (CGR, 中央警卫团), which is responsible for guarding the premises of the party and central government headquarters. The CGB is staffed by active servicemen of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and is normally headed by a PLA general.

The CGB can trace its origin back to the Guard Department of the CCP Central Committee General Office (中共中央办公厅警卫处) formed in April 1947, responsible for protecting Mao Zedong and other party leaders. In March 1953, the PRC leadership decided to reform its government and party security system after the Soviet model. This led to the creating of the 9th Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, which was also known as Zhongnanhai Guard Bureau (中南海警卫局), which mirrors the Ninth Chief Directorate of the KGB. At the same time, an independent Central Guard Regiment was created to mirror the Kremlin Regiment of the Soviet Union.

The 9th Bureau differs to the Ninth Chief Directorate in that it was responsible exclusively for protecting only the five most senior leaders including Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and Chen Yun, while the responsibility of protecting other senior party and state officials lies with the 8th Bureau of the MSP. In April 1964, the two bureaus were merged to form a new 9th Bureau, but the bureau was disbanded in October 1969 due to political struggles amongst the top Chinese leadership. The Central Guard Office (中共中央警卫处) was reinstated within the realm of the PLA to provide personal security for Mao and other members of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee.

The Central Guard Office and its subordinated CGR were involved in the political struggles within the CCP during the ‘Culture Revolution’ and participated the arrest of the ‘Gang of Four’ in 1976. As a reward, the department was upgraded to the Central Guard Bureau in 1977, and its subordinated CGR was upsized to the Central Guard Division, with a total strength of 8,000 troops organised into seven groups (大队). In 1982, the division was downsized to a regiment again.

Currently, the CGB offers personal security and protection for 5~6 top party and state leaders and their families. The most important protectee is the PRC President Hu Jintao, who is concurrently the CCP General Secretary and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). Other protectees include the Premier of the State Council Wen Jiaobao, the Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the Deputy Chairmen of the CMC.

Structure

The CGB includes a number of subordinated organs, including:

• General Office (办公厅)
• Political Department (政治部)
• Policy Research Department (政策研究部)
• Operations Department/Command and Coordination Centre (行动部/指挥协调中心)
• Intelligence Department (情报部)
• Technical Department (技术部)
• Communications Department (通信部)
• Training Department (训练部)
• Support Department (生活保障部)
• Construction Review Department (建设审查部)
• Liaison Department (联络部)
• Cadre Department/Bodyguard Group (干部部/卫士大队)
• Organisation Service Centre (机关服务中心)

The Cadre Department, also known as Bodyguard Group, is directly responsible for the safeguard of top leaders during their public appearance and travelling, both domestic and in foreign countries. Like their counterparts around the world, these bodyguards wear plain clothing style (jackets or business suits). While outside, they wear sunglasses and communication earpiece. They are highly skilled in firearm tactics and martial arts. They are equipped with small arms, cold weapons, non-lethal weapons, body armours, and communications equipments.

Central Guard Regiment

The Central Guard Regiment (CGR), also known as Zhongnanhai Guard Regiment (中南海警卫团), is similar to the Russian Kremlin Regiment in its roles and responsibilities. The regiment is responsible for guarding the key party and government properties including the Zhongnanhai compound, the Great Hall of the People, the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and the summer resorts of top leaders in the seaside Beidaihe District. The regiment is staffed by the PLA servicemen who wear a special olive green dress uniform when on duty. The CGR is often known as “field duty” (外勤), while members of the Cadre Department of the CGB are known as “internal duty” (内勤).

The CGR can trace its lineage back to the Special Mission Company of the Fourth Front Army of the Chinese Red Army. In November 1931, the company was reorganised into the State Political Guard Group. Over the years, despite several changes in its name, the unit remained solely responsible for protecting the CCP headquarters and top party leaders. In 1949, the unit was reorganised into the a division under the command of the People’s Public Security Force. In May 1953, the 1st Regiment stationed in Zhongnanhai became the independent Central Guard Regiment. In 1959, the regiment was transferred to the PLA. In 1969, the CGR was assigned to the then Central Guard Department, which later became the CGB.

When the unit was first activated, the CGR only had about 1,000 troops. By the mid-1970s, the unit was expanded to over 8,000 troops. As a result, the regiment was expanded into the “Central Guard Division” (中央警卫师) in 1977. The division was subsequently downsized again to a regiment in 1982. However, the regiment then became a “division level” (师级) unit in 1993, though it has retained its “regiment” name.

Over the years, the CGR has remained highly secretive and low profile. The unit is often referred to as the 8341 Unit, a cover designator it used until 1976. Since then, the unit’s cover designator had been changed to 57001 Unit. In 2000, the cover designator has been changed again to 61889 Unit. However, the old designator 8241 Unit is still sometimes used figuratively in the press to refer to the current CGR.

The CGR is organised into a special “groups (大队)- squadrons (中队)-detachment (区队)-squad (分队)” four-level organisational structure. The 1st Group is responsible for the security of the Zhongnanhai compound. The 2nd Group is responsible for the Great Hall of the People. A number of groups are stationed in various locations in Beijing and nearby region, such as the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and the Beidaihe summer resorts. There are possibly also a special operations group (特种大队) and an engineering and maintenance group (工程维护大队). Due to its importance, the regiment is normally headed by the Chief or Deputy Chief of the CGB concurrently.

Last update: 24 August 2008