The
1st Division () was created in February 1949 under
the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, basing on the 386th Brigade, 1st Column of the PLA
Northwest Field Army. Its history can be traced to the 2nd Army of the
Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, formed in July 1930. The division is part of 1st Corps (now
1st Army). Under the flag of 1st division it took part in the
Chinese Civil War. In 1952 it absorbed the
3rd Division from the same Corps.
Post-war In February 1953 the division entered Korea to took part in
Korean War under the command of the Corps. Then in 1955, it was renamed as the
1st Infantry Division (). Since then it became a part of the
People's Volunteer Army until 1958, where it moved to
Kaifeng,
Henan province with the Corps HQ. It was renamed again in 1960 as the
1st Army Division (). In January 1961 it became one of the first ten
combat alert divisions of the army, which made it a "big" division under PLA glossaries, as a fully staffed and equipped division. In 1962 the division was designated as a
"Northern" unit, Catalogue A. the division was shortly moved to
Fujian province for an emergency alert deployment with the Corps HQ. In 1968 the 206th Tank Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment was detached from the division and formed the later 41st Tank Regiment of the
11th Tank Division. The division was basically not affected during the army re-designation in December 1969. Its 301st Artillery Regiment was renamed as Artillery Regiment, 1st Army Division. In the 1970s the division then maintained as an
Army Division, Catalogue A unit. In 1975 the division moved to Zhejiang Province with the Corps HQ to replace
20th Army Corps. Since then the division is stationed in
Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. In 1984 the division took part in the
Battle of Laoshan with the Corps HQ. In 1985 the division was converted to a motorized division, renamed as the
1st Infantry Division (). The division then maintained as a
Northern Motorized Infantry Division, Catalogue A unit. The Tank Regiment of 1st Army Corps attached to the division, and its Anti-Air Artillery Battalion expanded to a regiment.
Current history (1998–present) Between 1998 and 2000 the division was further converted to an amphibious mechanized division, renamed as the
1st Amphibious Mechanized Infantry Division (). In April 2017 the division was divided into two combined arms brigades: the
1st Amphibious Combined Arms Brigade () and the
5th Amphibious Combined Arms Brigade (). The 1st was transferred to the
74th Group Army (formerly the 42nd Group Army), while the 5th was still under the 1st Group Army, which currently known as the 72nd Group Army. ==Structure==