Xiao Jufang

Xiao Jufang (1885 – June 24, 1919), also known as Xiao Jufang, was the second wife of Marshal Zhu De, one of the founding fathers of the People's Republic of China. She was born in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, with ancestral roots in Jiangxi Province. After completing her studies at Kunming Normal School, she remained at the school to teach.

In the autumn of 1912, Xiao Jufang married Zhu De. Soon after their marriage, they had a son named Bao Shu, also known as Zhu Qi. In early 1916, Zhu De participated in the northern expedition with the First Army of the Yuan Guo Military, heading to his hometown in Sichuan. At that time, Xiao Jufang was pregnant. To accompany her husband and their unborn child, she bravely took a sedan chair to Lijiang and lived with Zhu De. In late September, she gave birth to her son Bao Shu in Lijiang, bringing warmth and happiness to the family.

Xiao Jufang worked tirelessly to raise her son, but unfortunately contracted a heat illness similar to dysentery during early childhood. Her condition quickly worsened, and she passed away on June 24, 1919. Historical records differ on the cause of her death: some say she fell ill a few months after her child's birth; others, according to the "Zhu De Chronology (New Edition)," state that she died on June 24, 1919.

After her death, her son Bao Shu was raised by Zhu De's third wife, Chen Yuzhen. While mourning his wife, Zhu De wrote a lament poem expressing his grief over her early death:

"Brief marriage in turbulent years, hard to look back on the fleeting beauty. Amid the gunfire and rain of war, was there worry and fear even in the underworld?"

His poem reflects the turbulent times and personal tragedy intertwined in that era.

Xiao Jufang's life was brief but held a significant place in Zhu De's early life, leaving a profound impact on his family and emotional world.