Yesterday 70 years ago - on September 29, 1952, Yang Xiaoyong, a graduate of the Music Department of the National Women's Normal University, the head of the composition group of the 12th Army of the People's Liberation Army, and a soldier from Banan, Chongqing, died on the Korean

Yang Guangyuan is Yang Xiaoyong's nephew. Last year, he saw his aunt's name in the list of martyrs history at Southwest University reported by Chongqing Evening News and other reports, and he could no longer sit still. After several twists and turns, Yang Guangyuan found me in the school archives and found my aunt's academic record and grades archives and other information.

This is a rare two-way search. After I published the list of martyrs, I was also trying to find the relatives of the martyrs, hoping to get a clear photo of the martyrs - because when I posted the list, I searched all the time and only had a vague back. And just so happened that Yang Guangyuan had a clear military photo of his aunt in his hand, looking so young and so beautiful.

In the next year, I and the descendants of the Yang family searched for some information through various channels. With the help of relevant comrades in Banan District, Chongqing Veterans Affairs Bureau and other relevant comrades, they provided supporting documents to relevant state departments. On September 15, Yang Xiaoyong's martyr certificate was reissued.

can comfort martyrs and their relatives.

The Motherland Condolences Group in North Korea (Data Picture)

2 Female soldiers crossed Yalu River

This is a difficult excavation and sorting.

The first time I got to know Martyr Yang Xiaoyong was in May 2020. After I went to work in the archives, I accidentally referenced the school history documents and saw the memories of another alumnus, Li Changshi, who had studied at the Department of History and Geography of the National Women's Normal University, the predecessor of Southwest University. She and Yang Xiaoyong entered the North Korea together. After returning to China, she traveled to various parts of the country to engage in geological work, and finally retired from the Guizhou Nonferrous Geophysicals Corps.

In a long article titled "The Battle of the Twelve Army Art Troupe", Li Changshi recalled: On November 30, 1949, Chongqing was liberated. At that time, I was a first-year student in the Department of History and Geography of the National Women's Normal University in Jiulongpo, Chongqing. Less than a month after the liberation, more than a dozen female teachers participated in the PLA. Most of them worked in the 12th Army Art Troupe of the People's Liberation Army, including Chen Ming (formerly known as Chen Jialian), Lu Binliang (we called her Binwazi), Zhong Wennong (formerly known as Zhong Wenlong), Li Changshi (formerly known as Fu Canxia, ​​changed his name to commemorate his mother when he joined the army), Yang Xiaoyong (martyr), Yang Lingyu (martyr Yang Xiaoyong's sister).

To investigate the deeds of martyr Yang Xiaoyong, I purchased the book "Female Soldier Crossing the Yalu River" edited by Lu Binliang mentioned in Li Changshi's article (first edition of Tongxin Publishing House in May 2003). It contains Lu Binliang's memoir "Iron Horse and Ice River Comes into Dreams", which begins with the scene of the female soldiers starting from Beibei -

We took a boat down the river from Beibei at around 12:00 on December 20, 1950.That night, the moon was shining. We first and second-year college girls who had just joined the army for a year and were in their 20s, were not afraid or sad, only excited and excited. Due to the confidentiality of the military operation, we cannot and do not say goodbye to our family, nor do we tell our relatives, friends and local classmates the excitement and mysterious mood...

Regarding this departure time and place, I confirmed it in the oral history materials of Yang Xiaoyong's sister and Yang Lingyu, who is also an alumnus of the Female Normal University: Before departure, it was around December 20 that the military direct agency held a brief farewell meeting in Beibei (the military headquarters moved to Beibei at that time) to thank the local government and the people. As soon as the meeting ended, we left Chongqing by boat on a night and went downstream to Wuhan. After resting in Wuhan for a day, the next morning, he took a tank truck and headed north. Finally, the train stopped in Xinji, Hebei, and the 12th Army was incorporated into the Volunteer Army Third Corps. We were waiting for the order to go to the front line.

spent the Spring Festival of 1951 in Xinji . I feel so cold, it's the first time that many people have seen snow, their faces, hands and feet are frozen, yellow water flows out, and black coffee is formed. The third sister (Yang Xiaoyong)'s condition was not much better, her hands and faces were frozen black. She said, "The cold taught us the first lesson."

Another comrade-in-arms who was familiar with Yang Xiaoyong was Hu Deqin, who graduated from the Chongqing female division. In an article, she recalled the female soldiers going to Korea:

Hu Deqin said in the article that the march was always at night to reduce casualties. At the beginning, he marched sixty or seventy miles in one night, then eighty or ninety miles in one night, and the most he walked one hundred and twenty miles in one night. During the march, the art troupe members often ran around and played quick-paced to encourage the marching.

3 Art Troupe's combat life

Hu Deqin's article records the truth about the combat life of the Art Troupe:

Our troops participated in the fifth battle. During this period, the female comrade of the Art Troupe participated in nursing and transporting wounded personnel in the Second Branch of the 12th Army Field Hospital. It is said to be a branch, but it is actually a ravine next to the highway. The wounded are coming down from the position. We are responsible for registering our names, troops, troops, and injured parts, and assigning them to various air raid shelters. We are actively busy under the dispatch of doctors and nurses, delivering food and water to take care of the daily lives of the injured.

Art Troupe Group performed on the road (data picture)

The Political Department of the 12th Army and the Art Troupe were stationed on the hillside of Shangqiuli Mountain. In the article, Hu Deqin recalled that northern North Korea is mountainous and cold. In November, there is snow everywhere on the mountain. Comrades from the political department would dig out firewood from the snow on the mountain every morning and drag it to the bottom of the mountain. Then the charcoal-burning soldiers burned it into charcoal to store it for the winter.

In addition to participating in battlefield epidemic prevention and rescue, the main task of the art troupe is still performance. In order for all soldiers to see or hear their performances, the art team was divided into many groups, carrying the motherland's condolences, crossing the enemy's firepower blockade at night, bringing warmth to the soldiers. The soldiers also kept the fruit candy sent by the motherland's condolence group for the girls to eat. The actors sang in tears with respect. The soldiers were moved to tears. The artisans and the soldiers formed a brother-sister relationship.The performance scene of the art troupe was confirmed in the oral materials given to the author by Yang Xiaoyong's sister Yang Lingyu:

Yang Xiaoyong's art troupe's schedule is very tight, and they have to perform during mobilization before the war, and the troops celebrated and commended after the war. They also have to go to the front line to express their condolences and temporarily compile the deeds of the heroic warriors into a program rap , so they are very popular among the front line soldiers. Yang Xiaoyong is a versatile person. He can perform concerts, dance, write lyrics and compose music. He is the backbone of the art troupe. He has large performances and is responsible for directing programs... In the early stage of the battle, when the situation was not very tense, sometimes he marched to a mountain and heard the sound of rapping in front of him from afar. I am not sure whether there is Yang Xiaoyong. I know they have broken into pieces and formed a three-person group to perform for the soldiers on the marching road and in the tunnel. When we arrive, they will move to the next location. They have to rely on their own feet to quickly rush to the next mountain and wait for the troops to pass by.

4 "Hidden Cave" was attacked, and Yang Xiaoyong died

Unfortunately, Yang Xiaoyong died on the eve of the upcoming National Day of the condolence group.

Art Troupe is located near the command post of the 12th Army. It is called "Hidden Cave". It is actually a hidden ravine with lush green trees, clear streams and beautiful environment. The Art Troupe set up a rehearsal shed on the mountainside. The festive day of the third anniversary of the founding of New China will usher in the motherland's condolence group. All the program groups of the art troupe are stepping up rehearsals, and the program is all based on real combat life. In order to welcome relatives of the motherland, Yang Xiaoyong, the leader of the composition team, also wrote a song "Welcome Song".

Regarding Yang Xiaoyong's sacrifice, Li Changshi recalled this way -

On the morning of September 29, 1952, everyone was rehearsing. Suddenly, four US military "oil pickers" (F-86 fighter jet, author's note) were hit by a spy using mirrors and sunlight to indicate the target, and they dropped bombs and exploded the main rehearsal shed as soon as they arrived. Before joining the army, my classmate Martyr Yang Xiaoyong was a top student in the Music Department of Chongqing National Women's Normal University. He was able to write and compose music, and was also a major actor. When she took the "Welcome Song" score written for the motherland's condolence group to the rehearsal shed, the enemy plane attacked. Half of her head was cut off by the shells dropped by the enemy plane, and she was also hit by a machine gun bullet on her back, and she died heroically. Another female music classmate, Zhong Wenlong, was singing in front of the cover-up department and was also injured.

When Yang Xiaoyong died, her sister Yang Lingyu was not aware of it, and the two sisters had only met once in North Korea. Yang Lingyu said in his oral materials: After crossing the river (Yalu River), the troops streamlined the organs in order to strengthen their combat power. Perhaps it was for the protection of female soldiers that they assigned us to the company, field hospitals and logistics departments. I went to the Sixth Field Hospital to be an intern political officer, while Yang Xiaoyong continued to stay in the Art Troupe of the 12th Army. Since then, we have only met once during the reign of the Republic of China. She once returned from North Korea to attend a meeting and was preparing to return to Tianjin for further study. Before returning to China, she came to say goodbye to me and was in a hurry. She said she learned Korean dance from the Korean Art Troupe and danced to me while talking. I asked her about her future plans, and she said she could not leave the front line, otherwise she would lose inspiration and be unable to create. She liked the troops and marching and performing in artillery shuttles.

Yang Lingyu only learned about the news of his sister's death after returning to China. In her oral materials, she said: "I can't remember the specific time. At that time, I was already a teacher at the Logistics College of the Military Commission. One day, Su Zhongfu, the instructor of the 12th Army Art Troupe, came to me and told me the news of Yang Xiaoyong's death. He said that the entire army had returned to China and was responsible for the aftermath of the sacrifice of comrades. He had gone to Sichuan (Chongqing at the time), met my family, and handed over the relics of the martyrs. The family had been arranged, so I felt at ease."

Regarding the death of Yang Xiaoyong, the editor of China Youth Publishing House, Hu Deqin provided detailed memories:

Hu Deqin said that after the bombing, the fire was raging and the straw hut burned down. The director of the small opera "A Bazooka", drama business , and actors, all 7 comrades were killed. The scene was terrible. Yang Xiaoyong, the screenwriter and composer of the drama, even had a bloody hole in his face.

Hu Deqin recalled that not long before his sacrifice, Yang Xiaoyong was sent back to the country to Central Conservatory of Music further study, but because her musical level had already met the course exemption requirements, Yang Xiaoyong quickly returned to North Korea with the approval of the teacher. It was this time when she returned to China that she brought a military quilt. In order to march lightly, members of the art troupe threw away their belongings as much as possible, and could only sleep in a military coat at night. With this military quilt, in order to protect their voices from the cold and protect their singing comrades, Yang Xiaoyong always pulled everyone together to cover the quilt.

"These warmth has become my last memory with her. I have always cherished the photos she gave me during her lifetime. Now that I open the album, I can’t help but tell Yang Xiaoyong’s story to future generations over and over again. "Hu Deqin said.

Li Changshi will never forget a detail about Yang Xiaoyong and himself before his lifetime:

When a march was dark, it was so dark that it could not see his hand. I knew Yang Xiaoyong was walking in front, but I couldn't see it. As soon as I shouted "Yang Xiaoyong", I hit her and both of them fell down. Yang Xiaoyong asked me strangely: "Why did you call me and hit me at the same time?" I said: "I can't see you!" We all laughed, helped each other up and continued to move forward. I absolutely did not expect that the collision and simple conversations between each other in the marching of the night would become a perfect match.

Art Troupe performed at the tunnel entrance (data picture)

5 Eternal red bow

5 A love for beauty, everyone has it, and the female soldiers of the Art Troupe are no exception.

Among the members of the Art Troupe, Yu Lin (born in Chongqing in March 1935, participated in the revolution in November 1949 - Editor's Note) later wrote an article "The Story of the Red Bow", which said: During a marching, Yu Lin's headband fell off, and there was no way, so she had to tie it up with her shoelaces. In this way, the careful cooking squad leader discovered it.

At this time, I saw two bright red headbands on the big palm of the bandaged hand. He said, "Hurry up and tie the red headbands. "I never expected that I took the headband in surprise and looked carefully. I was stunned. It turned out that two strips of gauze dyed red with red potion. This incident reached the military headquarters. The military political commissar Li Zhen was very moved when he learned about this. He said, "Our girls are very beautiful, and the war has already aggrieved them..." He ordered the leaders of the art troupe to tear off the red flags used to arrange the venue and give each female soldier of the art troupe two pairs of red silk braids. From then on, the soldiers saw red bows floating on the braids of the art troupe.What I will never forget is the pair of red bows on the braid on the chest of the team leader Martyr Yang Xiaoyong!

Yu Lin also recalled the situation on the day Yang Xiaoyong died:

htmlOn September 29th, it was originally planned to be scheduled for the opening ceremony, and all the actors came on stage, but later it was changed to schedule the opera "A Bazooka" first, asking us to practice separately and not go far. I can't remember who I went to the kitchen to get boiled water and wanted to deliver it to the elder brothers and sisters in the shed. When I walked to the hillside, I saw the team leader Yang Xiaoyong walking down with the manuscript in his hand. She is the composer of "A Bazooka" and may talk about creation. We called him: "Tongsan (this is her nickname, which we all call her). Don't leave, please take a sip of boiled water." She then replied: "I don't drink boiled water here, there is a big pot in the kitchen..." At that time, because we watched the former Soviet movie "Happy Life", the girls and young men in the film often used playful conversations with small quick-pitched conversations, which was very interesting, and we were also infected.

At this moment, the enemy plane dived down and a heart-wrenching sound rang out. I quickly ran into the small air raid shelter nearby. The sound of machine guns firing and the sound of continuous bombing sounded. Suddenly, the entire ravine filled with smoke and fires soared into the sky. With the loud explosion, I knew the greenhouse had collapsed! There were a few big brothers who were rehearsing "A Bazooka" and Yang Xiaoyong who had just walked out...

I ran out of the hole and wanted to go up. I don't know who shouted, "Little devil, no one is allowed to go up!" People ran up and down, and I had to go around the path on the opposite mountain and watch the comrades who were carried away... Until the evening, the big brothers and sisters had arranged the arrangements. After we repeatedly asked and promised not to cry, we let us go over and meet the comrades who died last.

Yang Xiaoyong's face was covered with a white towel, with her military cap on the towel, and she was wearing the new military uniform for the performance. I held her hands that loved to have frostbite, which were still so soft. I felt that there was still heat. She didn't, she was not dead! How can I forget these hands? !

I don’t think she is dead, she is still alive, alive! I shouted out loud. I don’t know which older sister tied the pair of red bows on Tong San (Yang Xiaoyong)’s short braid. I couldn't help it anymore and cried loudly. I don’t know who pulled me apart, but how could I forget the red bow under the military cap! How can you forget...

6Singing before dawn

Yang Xiaoyong was an active and progressive young man in college. What kind of person is she, the fragmentary memories of her comrades, formed a beautiful, warm and sunny image.

In the white terror of the Kuomintang, the struggle led by the Communist Party has never stopped. In addition to the familiar prison struggles of revolutionary patriots in Zhazidong and Baigongguan, many primary and secondary schools in Chongqing also have underground party activities. The History Museum of Southwest University treasures 3 student record files . According to the history records of the school, the three students are the underground party members of the National Women's Normal University , developed by Jiang Jie (Jiang Zhuyun). Through her cousin Yang Shuqiao and underground party member Lai Song, Jiang Jie developed underground party organizations and the "June 1st Society" in women's Normal University and other schools. What is little known is that Yang Shuqiao actually lives in the same dormitory as martyr Yang Xiaoyong and his sister Yang Lingyu.

Yang Lingyu recalled:

At that time, student movements were coming one after another. After I entered the school, I also experienced large-scale student movements such as "food storm", "fighting for food and clothing, striving for survival, fighting for hunger, and anti-civil war".

Jiang Jie's cousin Yang Shuqiao and I are in the same dormitory. She is in the history department and I met her when I was teaching at Jiulongpo Primary School in Chongqing. She was from an underground party, slightly taller than me, and very thin. She introduced me to work at the Workers and Peasants Night School and gave lectures to the " Literacy Class ". At that time, I didn't know that the Workers and Peasants Night School was an underground party organization.

There are 8 people living in our dormitory, 4 Chinese departments, one from the housekeeping department, one from the history department (Yang Shuqiao), one from the music department is my sister, and one can't remember...

The author found a precious photo in the tweet "Jiang Jie's Youth" on the Zigong Radio and Television website on March 17, 2021. It was a group photo of Jiang Jie and Yang Shuqiao and three students from the National Women's Normal University. The note is: Jiang Zhuyun trained underground party members or members of the "June 1st Society" trained by Jiang Zhuyun in Chongqing. From left: cousin Yang Shuqiao, Jiang Zhuyun, Liu Dexin, and Liu Xiaolan. This is also the only photo found so far that directly proves that Sister Jiang has developed a student movement in Chongqing. From another aspect, Yang Xiaoyong was deeply influenced by progressive ideas during his college years.

As a top student in the music department, she used the sing of progressive songs as a weapon to actively participate in student movement struggles such as "anti-hunger and anti-civil war". In the 6th issue of "Red Rock Spring and Autumn" magazine published an article titled "Song of Dawn - Recalling the Battle Song of the "Second Front" by Gan Li, a retired teacher at Chongqing No. 1 Middle School, in 2004. The article mentioned Yang Xiaoyong many times, further enriching the moving image of a musical talented woman. The article said: "The 1947 anti-violence struggle was also a movement to break through the 'snare' with singing. At that time, two schools were mainly led by: Yucai School and the National Women's Normal University. Together with the anti-violence songs, the atmosphere of various schools in Chongqing changed, and the slutty sounds were swept away."

Gan Li recalled that on March 29, 1949, the "Living Party" was held at Chongqing University . The team of Chongqing No. 1 Middle School went, but there was no program prepared and was "chasing blindly". The team of the Women's Normal School came and hurriedly asked them for help. Yang Xiaoyong came to teach and sang the chorus "Down with the Pig and Dog Bastards", and sang: "Why is life so difficult? Just to have a pig and dog bastard. Issued bills and . Prices rise. Catch the strong men and fight civil war..." After the "Living Party", the Autonomous Association of the First Middle School and various student movement organizations officially established a singing team and asked the Women's Normal University for help through underground relations. Yang Xiaoyong took a group of classmates to No. 1 Middle School to teach everyone to sing. Gan Li recalled emotionally in the article: Yang Xiaoyong, a group of female teachers' college students in

, is particularly dazzling. She is not tall and passionate. The song is very popular, her voice is very exciting, and every sentence is penetrating... I still clearly remember the scene when Yang Xiaoyong taught us to sing "Praise of Light". In the intense singing, I suddenly felt that this conductor was Danke written by Gorky .

Gan Li recalled that the young people at the beginning of liberation were like echoing in the melody of the song. Every time there was a gathering, they would definitely compare songs with each other. It was really a song that was inseparable. I heard that Yang Xiaoyong participated in the military art troupe, so I hoped to see her again on any performance occasion... Yang Xiaoyong's passion is most suitable for singing "The Sky in the Liberated Area", "The Tower Rises from the Earth", and "Women's Free Song". Unfortunately, this star that once shone before dawn in the mountain city, and did not become a star like "Chongqing Guo Lanying" after liberation. When the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea broke out, she went to North Korea with the troops. Many classmates from No. 1 Middle School also joined the army. It was a long time later that we learned from them that Yang Xiaoyong's blood turned into Jin Dalai Flower. She died heroically in the battle to defend the country...

Yang Xiaoyong was only 22 years old when he died, but in that era he was already the age to talk about marriage. Did she have a boyfriend during her lifetime? The answer is revealed in the oral narrative of his sister Yang Lingyu -

As far as I know, Yang Xiaoyong has a boyfriend named Liu Shiping who works in Tianjin. His family and my family are family friends. They can be said to be childhood sweethearts and wrote a letter a day when they were in college. When we passed by Tianjin on the eve of the morning, Liu Shiping came to see us off, but Yang Xiaoyong called me to accompany her. She said she didn't want to give Liu Shiping a chance to confess, because any situation would happen in the war. The situation in the army was kept secret, we could not say anything, he sat for a while and left. In fact, if they knew that their relationship was clear, the army would take care of her, and she would be able to return to China. After Yang Xiaoyong's death, Liu Shiping and I met in Beijing...

7 reissue the martyr's certificate to correct the hero

Yang's family has always had a wish that it would "correct" Yang Xiaoyong and get the martyr's certificate again.

Shortly after Yang Xiaoyong died in 1952, his parents received the relics and martyrs certificates sent back by the army. They used the relics to repair the tomb of their daughter. The author saw the epitaph written by his brothers and sisters on the tombstone of the tomb. The last sentence was "She is the sister we miss and regret the most."

Old man Yang Guangyuan recalled that the martyr's certificate was kept by Yang Xiaoyong's mother Jiang Yongyi. When he was a child, he saw his grandmother often took out the certificate and photos of his aunt, and she cried while watching. In 1959, on the 10th anniversary of the founding of New China, grandma was invited to Chengdu and participated in the condolences with the mothers of Sichuan-born martyrs such as Huang Jiguang and Qiu Shaoyun. Grandma died in 1974. In 1984, the national civil affairs department re-identified the martyr and issued the certificate, but the Yang family "rummaged through the boxes and cabinets" for a long time, but they could not find the martyr certificate that year. This has become a regret for the whole family. In recent years, the Yang family's nephews have also visited the Memorial Hall for the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in Dandong, Liaoning, and other places, but have found nothing. It was not until April 2020 that Yang Guangyuan saw the author's "School History Night" report planned by the author in the Chongqing Evening News, and found his aunt's name from the "List of Martyrs in the Southwest University History" released that night. After many inquiries, he came to the school to find the author.

After nearly a year of investigation, with the joint efforts of the Banan District Veterans Affairs Bureau and the school, we have supplemented and improved detailed supporting materials. On September 15 this year, the martyr's certificate was officially issued, fulfilling the wish of the Yang family and fulfilling the author's wish as a school history worker at the alma mater of the martyr.

It should be noted specifically: Perhaps there is an error in the memory of relatives. On the oral narrative of her sister Yang Lingyu and the tombstone of Yang Xiaoyong's tomb, her sacrifice was September 30, 1952, but looking at all the documents and the memoirs of her comrades, it was September 29. The reissue of the martyr certificate respects the opinions of relatives is confirmed as September 30. However, the newly issued martyr's certificate and the stubs issued at the same time are consistent with the tombs of clothing repaired by the family. It happened to be October 1, which happened to be the birthday of the Republic. Although it is purely coincidental, it is even more tearful to read.

We should remember that on the eve of National Day 70 years ago, there was such a beautiful young man who sacrificed his precious life for her motherland. She, and him, they, they are always the cutest people!

Chongqing Evening News Special Correspondent Zheng Jinsong

(the author is Southwest University Archives , School History Museum , and the museum deputy director)

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