Dong Cunrui (; 1929 - May 25, 1948) was a Chinese Communist soldier in the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
during the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
who
blew himself up in order to destroy a
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
bunker guarding an approach to an important bridge in
Longhua County
Longhua County () is a county in the northeast of Hebei province, China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the east. It is under the administration of Chengde City.
Administrative divisions
Towns:
*Longhua, Longhua County, Longhua Town (), Hanmaying ( ...
.
Death
Under heavy fire, he reached the bunker, but there was no place to effectively position the explosives. Reportedly shouting "For a new China!", he detonated the explosives he carried, killing himself and the defenders within the bunker. His sacrifice was heavily publicized by the
Chinese Communist Party
The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
, who called him a hero and model communist, and he remains well known in China. He was posthumously awarded three "Bravery Medals" and one "Mao Zedong Medal", and his squad was titled "Dong Cunrui Training Model Squad".
Cultural depictions
In 1954, a biography of Dong (''The Story of Dong Cunrui'') was published, part of a broader trend of biographies of heroic soldiers.
Dong was depicted in a 1955 film ''
Dong Cunrui'' directed by Guo Wei
and a 2009 TV miniseries titled ''
For a new China, forward''. His story was also published in national elementary Chinese textbooks.
See also
*
Lei Feng
Lei Feng (18 December 194015 August 1962), born Lei Zhengxing, was a soldier in the People's Liberation Army who was the object of several major propaganda campaigns in China. The most well-known of these campaigns in 1963 promoted the slogan ...
*
Zhang Side
Zhang Side (; April 19, 1915 – September 5, 1944) was a Chinese Communist soldier and guard for Mao Zedong. Zhang was killed during the collapse of a charcoal kiln after rescuing two other workers. Mao attended Zhang's funeral and wrote his f ...
*
Huang Jiguang
Huang Jiguang (; January 18, 1931 – October 19, 1952) was a highly-decorated Chinese soldier, considered a war hero for sacrificing himself to block an enemy machine gun emplacement with his body during the Korean War.
Early life
Huang wa ...
*
Qiu Shaoyun
*
Zuo Quan
Zuo Quan ( zh, s=左权; 15 March 1905 – 2 June 1942), also named Zuo Shuren (), born in Liling, Hunan, was a general in the Chinese Red Army during the Chinese Communist Revolution and the Second Sino-Japanese War, and a senior staff offi ...
References
External links
Dong Cunrui
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunrui, Dong
1929 births
1948 deaths
People from Zhangjiakou
People's Liberation Army personnel
Propaganda in China
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