Qiu Yanhan, male, Han nationality, is a native of Tianmen, Hubei province. He was born in 1944, joined the PLA in 1960, and joined the CPC in 1965. He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1995, and lieutenant general in 2001. Qiu held leading posts in the PLA 168th Infantry Regiment, where he served as chief of staff until 1978. In the mid-1990s he served as deputy commander of the South Border Military Region.
Qiu Yanhan was elected commander of the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Military Area Command in 2000. He is an alternate member of the 16th CPC Central Committee.