1930 served as the captain of the Young Pioneers, and participated in the battle to clear the militia in Langchuan District. In the same year, he joined the Chinese Red Army of Workers and Peasants and the China Youth League.
1935 group transferred to China * * * production party. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, he served as a propagandist of the Political Department of the Twelfth Red Army to supplement the young officers of the Political Department of the First Division and the First Regiment. Participated in the first to fifth counter-campaigns against encirclement and suppression in the Central Soviet Area.
1934 10, the Central Red Army began the arduous 25,000-mile Long March. Zou Yan is the monitor of communications in the General Political Department. He often travels back and forth between the headquarters and central leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De to deliver information and important letters.
1936, new to the Central Party School. After graduation, he was assigned to the Northwest Security Bureau, and successively served as the chief of the inspection department, the chief of the security department of Huachi County, Gansu Province, the chief of the reconnaissance department of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Security Bureau, and the chief of the security department of Dingbian (Center) County.
1938, studying at Yan' an Central Party School. After graduation, he served as director of the political department of the security department of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region, political commissar of the security corps of the border region government, and commander of the southern district of Yan' an.
During the period of 1942, he was rated as a model worker in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region because of his outstanding achievements in leading the troops in the large-scale production movement, and attended the commendation meeting held by the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region government.
During the War of Liberation, he served as deputy political commissar of Jinxi detachment and political commissar of the second regiment of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, director of the political department of Mudanjiang Military Region, and political commissar of the eighth independent division of Northeast Field Army. During this period, Zou Yan led his troops to take part in Shangdang campaign, led the anti-bandits and land reform movement in Mudanjiang area, participated in major battles such as liberating Jilin, besieging Changchun and Liaoshen, and made important contributions to the liberation of Northeast China. After the liberation of Northeast China, the Eighth Independent Division was under the command of the Tenth Column, and later it was changed to the Sixteenth Division to enter the customs and participate in the Battle of Ping Jin. After the peaceful liberation of Peiping, Zou Yan and his men were ordered to stay in Beijing, participate in the formation of the central public security force, and served as political commissar, responsible for safeguarding the security of the CPC Central Committee and Mao Zedong, as well as the security work in Beijing. Participated in organizing troops to welcome the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Mao Zedong to Beiping safely, defended the victory of the first National Political Consultative Conference, and participated in the security work of founding ceremony and National Day.
After the founding of New China, in the spring of 195 1, he served as deputy political commissar of Northeast Public Security Force, political commissar of shenyang military area command Armored Forces, political commissar of 50th Army, deputy director, deputy political commissar and consultant of shenyang military area command Political Department. During his tenure in the Northeast Public Security Force, he participated in leading and directing the struggle on the hidden front.
1952, led the public security forces and local public security departments to annihilate and capture 80 agents from 3 regiments dispatched by the United States and Chiang Kai-shek at sea and 33 agents from 5 regiments airborne. The most legendary and sensational event in the world is the capture of CIA spies Donner and Fecteau alive. Zhou Enlai praised the whole army.
1955, he was awarded the rank of major general. Won the 3rd Class August 1st Medal, 2nd Class Medal of Independence and Freedom and 1st Class Medal of Liberation. 1988 won the first-class Red Star Meritorious Medal. He is a representative of the ninth, tenth and twelfth national congresses of China * * * production party. He was elected as a member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection at the twelfth national congress of China * * * production party and attended the thirteenth national congress of the party.