Yang Shangpeng

Yang Yijun (born 1906), was born in Shuangjiang Town, Tongnan County, Sichuan Province (now part of Chongqing City), with ancestral roots in Huayin, Shaanxi. Her family members include her father Yang Xuanyong (alias Huaiqing), her second brother Yang Hengshi, and her younger brother Yang Baibing.

Yang Yijun received her early education at the Second Girls’ Normal School of Sichuan Province in Chongqing, then studied at Chongqing Sino-French School. During the period of the Revolution of 1911 / the May Fourth Movement, she joined the Chinese Communist Party, becoming a member, and actively participated in revolutionary activities under the leadership of Yang An-gong.

After the failure of the revolution, Yang Yijun returned to her hometown Shuangjiang and, together with her second brother Yang Hengshi, led and carried out revolutionary work. She collaborated with her father Yang Huaiqing to establish Shuangjiang Primary School and served as its principal. Due to her connections, she liaised with local revolutionary organizations and completed various tasks assigned by the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. During the liberation of Tongnan, she provided intelligence to the organization, contributing to the liberation efforts.

After the liberation, Yang Yijun moved to Chongqing to engage in educational work. She taught at Chongqing Women’s Normal School and Beibei Fourth Normal School, later joining the Sichuan Provincial History Compilation Committee to participate in the compilation of local historical records.

During the Cultural Revolution, Yang Yijun suffered persecution. Her family was denounced; Jiang Qing once slandered her family with the phrase “There are no good people in Yang Shangkun’s family.” The Red Guards criticized her at Baihua Tan Middle School, subjecting her to humiliation and mistreatment. On the morning of April 25, 1968, her body was discovered below the school building. The cause of her death remains controversial: some believe she was murdered due to persecution, others speculate that she may have committed suicide; no definitive conclusion has been reached to this day.

Throughout her life, Yang Yijun experienced numerous major historical events, and her personal life and revolutionary activities reflect the turbulence and changes in Chinese society at that time.