[citation needed] Yan Kelun was born in an ordinary peasant family in Fenghou Village, Jianjun Town, Yongshou County, Xianyang City.
After the peaceful settlement of the "Xi'an Incident" in December of that year, he was dispatched by the organization and served as a captain's political associate in the 6th Regiment of the 2nd Brigade of the Yanghucheng Department of Security, where he did military transport.
In the early days of the Liberation War, Yan Kelun led the Ministry to carry out guerrilla warfare in Linyou and other places to contain the Kuomintang army.
[citation needed] On August 30, 1988, Yan Kelun, who had just stepped down from his leadership role, died of diabetes comorbidity during his convalescence in Beidaihe, Hebei.
In 1953, introduced by Li Ping, then commander of the Xianyang Army Division, met Yan Kelun in Beijing; married in Xi'an in 1954; after marriage, he had three daughters.