The Army Special Operations Academy is descended from two different institutions: a succession of physical education institutions in Guanzhou, and a training center in Guilin. The PLA reformed its educational institutions with great frequency, so both units had many incarnations.
PLA Special Operations Academy
In November 1949, the People's Liberation Army stationed in Guangdong took over the Second Branch of the Central Police School of the Republic of China in Shahe, Guangzhou, and established the "Chinese People's Liberation Army Military and Political University" under the leadership of the Guangdong Military Region. The principal and political commissar was Ye Jianying.The school had a training department, a political department, a cadre department, and a material support department. It has jurisdiction over 4 student brigades with more than 3,000 students. The first, second, and fourth brigades recruited students and young people to train into military, cultural, and educational cadres; the third brigades were serving cadres, mainly training platoon, company, and battalion cadres of the Guangdong Military Region troops. There were 3 military squadrons, 2 political squadrons, 1 staff squadron, and 1 insurrectionist officer corps (起义军官队). The academic course duration was half a year, and only one term was held. [2]
In August 1950, Guangdong Military and Political University was renamed as "The Sixth Branch of the Central South Military and Political University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army", which was affiliated to the main campus of the CSMPU. [2]
In March 1951, the university was reorganized into the "25th Infantry School of the Chinese People's Liberation Army" and was placed under the leadership of the Fourth Senior Infantry School of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The school headquarters consisted of a training department, a political department, a cadre department, and a material support department. There were a total of 3,000 students, organized into a first, second, third and fourth cadet brigades. The trainees came from army veterans, platoon and company cadres, and individual battalion-level cadres. It mainly trained grassroots cadres, with cultural education accounting for 70%, military training accounting for 20%, and political education accounting for 10% of study time. The plan was for degree course to take one and a half years, but due to the outbreak of the Korean War, cultural studies were stopped and all time was dedicated to military training. The first brigade graduated at the end of 1952. The second, third and fourth brigades graduated in June 1953. [2]
In July 1953, the school was reorganized yet again into the "PLA Military Sports School", still stationed in Shahe, Guangzhou, [2] [3] under the Central-South Military Region. The school consisted of a Training Department, Political Department, Cadre Department, Material Support Department, Formations Department, and Finance Department. It had 6 cadet teams and 1 practice company. The establishment number was 905 people. The mission was to train army, division and regiment sports directors, and military academies sports teachers for the entire military. The trainees mainly came from current military sports cadres and grassroots sports cadres. The schooling lasted from 3 to 10 months, for a total of 5 semesters given, and an enrollment of 3,026 students. [2]
In August 1957, the school was reorganized, and formed into the "General Staff Headquarters's Sports Cadre Rotation Training Team". In July 1958, this was expanded into the "Sports Cadre Training Brigade of the General Staff Headquarters". A total of 5 terms were held, with 2,200 trainees trained, including a total of 87 foreign students from Vietnam. The training brigade hosted the Bayi (PLA's) Track and Field Team, Bayi Weightlifting Team, Bayi Cycling Team, Bayi Archery Team, and Bayi Fencing Team. [2]
In January 1961, the sports cadre training brigade was expanded into the "PLA Sports Institute". The Institute had a training department, a political department, a college affairs department, a crash-course department, a basic training department, a sports department, and a college office. As of 1965, it had trained a total of 2,783 trainees, including 24 Vietnamese students, and trained 1,800 key sports personnel for various military units and colleges. From 1959 to 1965, a total of 10 athletes from the academy broke 24 national records in men's and women's archery 213 times, including 5 athletes who broke 12 world records 25 times. From 1961 to 1965, a total of 29 athletes from the weightlifting team, track and field team, and cycling team broke 51 national records and broke 1 world record in weightlifting. [2]
In 1966, the "Cultural Revolution" broke out and the college ceased operations. [2] The college was dissolved in April 1969. The Guangzhou Military Region Sports Training Team was established instead. [2] In April 1973, the Physical Training Team was expanded into the PLA Military Sports Training Brigade, as a division-level unit. [2]
In September 1974, the PLA Sports Institute was restored. From 1974 to 1980, there were 25 enrollment periods and 6,358 trainees were trained. In 1981, the majors were adjusted, the physical education major was compressed, and a telecommunications major was added. The three departments were changed into three brigades: the physical education major became the First Brigade, with a 3-year schooling period, and was geared towards military trainers; the communications major became the Second and Third Brigades, geared towards service units. Local enrollment was available, and the schooling system was divided into 2, 3, and 4 years courses. Due to this (rather uncommon) dual specialties structure, the college was given two names: it was also known as the Guangzhou Communications College of the PLA. [2] In October 1992, the college was disbanded and split into the "Army Staff College of Chinese People's Liberation Army's Physical Education Department", and the "PLA Communications Command College Guangzhou Branch". In June 1993, the PLA Sports College was restored (including the Communications College) and became a division-level unit again. In 1993, it began to recruit master's degree students [4]
In June 1999, the organizational structure of all military colleges and universities was adjusted, and the communication professional training tasks were transferred to other units. The August 1st Military Sports Brigade was merged into the college, and the college was renamed "PLA Sports Institute" as a division-level unit directly under the leadership of the PLA General Staff Headquarters. In 2003, the People's Liberation Army Physical Education College was abolished and reconstituted as the "PLA Military Sports Comprehensive Training Base", and used as the PLA' Military Sports Continuing Education College, recruiting graduate students only [5]
In June 2011, the Reconnaissance and Special Operations Command majors of the NUDT International Relations Department (majors established in 1978), and the Military Sports Comprehensive Training Base were merged to form the PLA Special Operations Academy which was "responsible for cultivating talents in professional fields such as special operations, military reconnaissance, military sports, and some confidential roles". [1] [4]
In 2016, as part of the 2015 People's Republic of China military reforms, the PLA's SOA was transferred to the PLA Ground Force and became the Army Special Operations Academy. [6]
People's Liberation Army Ground Force 
