Yu Wen

Yu Wen, born in 1926, was a native of Cixi City, Zhejiang Province. Her early educational experiences included Attian Primary School, Shangzhi Primary School (the predecessor of Cicheng Town Central Primary School), and Cihu Middle School. In 1935, due to her father Weng Zuwang's position at the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education, her family moved to Hangzhou. However, following the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in 1937, they returned to Cicheng. During the wartime, she and her sister participated in a locally organized Anti-Japanese Salvation Propaganda Team, with Yu Wen being the youngest member. In 1939, the buildings of Cihu Middle School were bombed by Japanese aircraft, prompting the school to relocate to Lushan Temple in Luojiang Town, where she and her sister continued their studies. In April 1941, Ningbo fell, and Cihu Middle School closed, causing her to discontinue her studies.

After the Spring Festival of 1942, with her mother’s support, Yu Wen and her sister went to Yongkang to stay with their maternal uncle Chen Qihui, but due to frequent enemy air raids, they had to flee. In 1944, while studying at Wenzhou Senior High School, she decided to return to her hometown in Cixi and to join the Zhejiang Eastern Anti-Japanese base. She received training at the Lu Xun Academy on Siming Mountain. Two months later, following arrangements by the Party organization and introductions, Yu Wen officially joined the Chinese Communist Party.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, with the signing of a peace agreement between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, she was arranged to go to Shanghai in September 1945. She enrolled at Zhejian University, with her organizational relationship transferred to the university’s branch. In 1946, she began working as a reporter for the United Evening News and was a special editor and contributor for the semi-monthly magazine Youth Knowledge. Her reports focused on student movements in Shanghai and nationwide student protests. Under the pen name "Ling Lan," she published articles revealing the assassination of Yu Hua, head of the Criminal Second Division of Jiangsu High Court.

In 1947, amid the Kuomintang’s crackdown and closures of several newspapers, Yu Wen was secretly transferred and joined the National Students' Federation, becoming a secretary in the Youth League Central Committee office. In 1952, she married Qiao Shi, who was then the director of the Propaganda Department of the Hangzhou Municipal Committee. After marriage, she was stationed in Hangzhou. Subsequently, she worked as a research section chief and deputy secretary at Anshan Steel Works and Jiuquan Steel Works. In 1957, she became deputy director of the Party Committee Office.

In 1963, Yu Wen was transferred to the Central Foreign Liaison Department, where she served as a researcher in the Translation Office, deputy leader of a research group, and director. In 1969, she was sent to the "Five-Seven" Cadre School in Zhaoyuan, Heilongjiang, and later transferred to Shenqiu, Henan. After Geng Biao was appointed Minister of the United Front Department in 1971, she was recalled to continue working on research tasks within the department. During the 1970s, she was responsible for editing the "Communist Movement Monthly," reflecting comprehensively on the Party’s movement situation.

Beginning in 1986, she served as Deputy Secretary-General, Secretary-General, and Vice President of the China International Friendship Association. In 1993, she participated in the opening ceremony of the Hemudu Museum and delivered a speech. Yu Wen retired starting in 1999. She accompanied her children to participate in the celebrations of Cihu Middle School’s anniversary twice, in 2002 and 2012. She passed away in Beijing on January 28, 2013, at the age of 87.

Her family background includes her father Weng Da, who served as Secretary to Chen Bulei, and her mother Chen Ruoxi, from the Jiangnan Guanquiao Chen family. Her eldest maternal uncle Chen Qihui studied in Japan and participated in anti-Qing revolutionary activities, engaging in education. Her second uncle Chen Bulei joined the Tongmenghui, worked as a reporter for Shanghai’s "Tianduo Bao" and "Shangbao," and later served as the secretary to the Kuomintang Central Committee, drafting important documents for Chiang Kai-shek. Her husband Qiao Shi joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1940 and served as a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee; he passed away in the 2000s.

Throughout her life, Yu Wen was dedicated to Party work and social service. She served as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. She authored several works, including the book "Yu Yu Hu Wen Zai — Remembering Yu Wen," published in 2015. Her former residence is located in Wengfang Village, Hemudu Town, Yuyao City, and is now a protected cultural site. Society generally regards her as a loyal and dedicated Party member, leader, and practical worker, as well as an example of a kind and industrious Chinese woman.