Dong Cunrui

Dong Cunrui (Chinese: 董存瑞; pinyin: Dǒng Cúnruì; 1929 - May 25, 1948) was a Chinese Communist soldier in the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War who blew himself up in order to destroy a Kuomintang bunker guarding an approach to an important bridge in Longhua County.[1]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Dong.
Dong Cunrui
Artist's depiction of Dong Cunrui as used in a political poster
Native name
董存瑞
Born1929
Huailai County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China
Died(1948-05-25)25 May 1948 (aged 18-19)
Longhua County, Chengde, Hebei province, China
Allegiance Communist Party of China
Service/branch People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Years of service1945–1948
Battles/warsChinese Civil War
AwardsOrder of Mao Zedong
Bravery Medal

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. He was posthumously awarded three "Bravery Medals" and one "Mao Zedong Medal", and his squad was titled "Dong Cunrui Training Model Squad". His sacrifice was heavily publicized by the Communists, who called him a "hero" and "model communist", and he remains well known in China. He 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.

Controversy

Xie Wenqing, a communist correspondent in Chinese Civil War stated, "Dong died because he failed to evacuate in time."[2]

See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-08-16. Retrieved 2011-05-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. 《我在解放战争中的三年采访》by Xie, Yanhuang Chunqiu2007 Nov
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