杨振德

Yang Zende, born into a官宦 (official/elite) family, her exact birth year has not been detailed. Her parents passed away when she was 14 years old, after which she began to support herself independently. In 1904, she married Deng Tingzhong, an officer in Guangxi, and gave birth to a daughter, Deng Yingchao. Because her husband once attempted to send their daughter away, she took extreme measures to resist. In 1910, her husband died in another place, and she subsequently traveled to various locations to engage in medical and educational work, raising her daughter alone.

After Deng Yingchao married Zhou Enlai in 1925, Yang Zende went to Guangzhou to seek employment on her own, refusing to rely on her children. In 1927, after the failure of the Great Revolution, she used her medical practice as a cover to participate in underground party activities in Shanghai, assisting Zhou Enlai and his wife to carry out their work. In 1932, she entered the Central Soviet Area with her daughter and became a Red Army doctor. During the Long March in 1934, Yang Zende remained in Jiangxi and was captured. Confronted with persuasion to surrender, she resolutely stated, "Children’s matters are not something parents can manage." In 1940, after being released, she moved between Wuhan, Guiyang, and other places. In the winter of 1940, her health deteriorated severely, yet she persisted in reading materials related to the抗战 (the War of Resistance). She passed away on November 18, 1940, at the Eighth Route Army office in Chongqing.

Yang Zende’s death drew widespread attention. Her daughter-in-law Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao published obituaries for three consecutive days in the "Xinhua Daily," praising her contributions to the revolutionary cause over many years. After her passing, the Eighth Route Army held a solemn funeral for her. Zhou Enlai referred to her as a "revolutionary elder whom Red Army soldiers respect." Her belongings, including a watch and a porcelain box, are now kept in the Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao Memorial Museum as symbols of revolutionary friendship. Her story holds significant importance in China’s revolutionary history, exemplifying her contributions to the revolution and medical work.