| Unit Name: | 78th Group Army |
| Native Name: | 第七十八集团军 |
| Dates: | 1949–present |
| Type: | Group army |
| Command Structure: | Northern Theater Command |
| Garrison: |  Harbin, Heilongjiang |
| Battles: | World War II Chinese Civil War Korean War |
| Current Commander: | Major General Zhang Fan |
| Commander2: | Major General Zhang Xiao |
| Commander2 Label: | Political Commissar |
| Notable Commanders: | Yang Dezhi Yang Yong Su Zhenhua |
| Identification Symbol Label: | NATO Map Symbol |
The 78th Group Army, Unit 31669, formerly the 16th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 78th Group Army is one of thirteen total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces in the People's Republic of China, and one of three assigned to the nation's Northern Theater Command.[1]
The origins of this army go back to Nanchang Uprising. After People's Republic of China was established, it belonged to the 62nd Group Army for a while.
On February 19, 1949, column 1 of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region in Henan Shenqiu area became the 16th Army of the People's Liberation Army, was placed under the 5th Corps of the PLA Second Field Army. Yin Xianbing (尹先炳) was appointed army commander.
It was composed of the 69th, 46th, 48th,[2] and 4th Armored Divisions, the 68th brigade and an artillery brigade.
In 2006 the formation consisted of the:
(Source Blasko 2006, 76)
In 2013, the formation consisted of the:
Note Blasko 2013, lists the 4th Armored Division as a division, not as a brigade.
(Source Blasko, Tradition and Transformation of the PLA, 2013, 89)
In 2017, the formation consisted of the:
General Xu Caihou, former vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) who was detained as part of a high-profile anti-corruption campaign, was a former member of the 78th Group Army.[10]