Wu Ruolan

Wu Ruolan (March 1906 – February 12, 1929), born in Jiuyantang, Lei County, Hunan Province. An early member and martyr of the Chinese Communist Party, she was the wife of Zhu De, Commander of the People's Liberation Army.

In the winter of 1926, she graduated from Hunan Provincial Third Girls Normal School and joined the Chinese Communist Party in the same year. After graduation, she returned to her hometown in Lei County to engage in revolutionary work. In spring 1928, she participated in the Southern Hunan uprising, met Zhu De, and married him. Subsequently, she followed Zhu De to Jinggangshan. She served as the Director of Propaganda in the Political Department of the Fourth Red Army.

On February 2, 1929, while the Fourth Red Army was advancing from Jinggangshan to southern Gannan, they were ambushed by the Nationalist troops under He Jian and she was captured. On February 12, she was killed in Wufu Li, Ganzhou. Her head was cut off and displayed on a wooden pole at the city gate.

It is said that Zhu De developed a fondness for orchids later in life, which is related to remembering Wu Ruolan. Her former residence is now a protected cultural site in Hengyang.