Jian Xianren

Jian Xianren (1909–2004), born into a merchant family in Cili County, Hunan Province. Her father, Jian Chengyan, was a patriotic and progressive businessman. She was the second child in the family. In 1926, she joined the Chinese Communist Youth League, and in March of the following year, became an official member of the Chinese Communist Party. Around the Spring Festival of 1928, she participated in the “New Year’s Uprising” led by the Party organization in Shimen Nan Township, which was ruthlessly suppressed by the Kuomintang troops stationed in Changde. In early 1929, she established contact with He Long and joined the Red Army, becoming a female soldier.

In the Fourth Army of the Red Army, He Long welcomed her arrival. She served as a cultural instructor within the army, becoming the first female Red Army member and a Party member during the Great Revolution period in western Hunan. He Long also requested her to serve as a cultural teacher, providing her with learning opportunities, and developed a study plan to quickly improve her cultural literacy, laying a foundation for her revolutionary career. In September 1929, she married He Long. That year, they had a daughter named “Honghong,” symbolizing that both parents were Red Army members.

In 1930, Jian Xianren, due to the inconvenience of marching with her child, stayed in western Hunan to engage in local work. Because of a betrayal by a traitor, she was wanted by the Cili County Youth Defense Bureau and was forced to hide her newborn daughter in the mountains and forests. She endured extremely harsh conditions; during this time, her daughter Honghong fell ill and passed away. Afterwards, she embarked on a four-year journey searching for He Long and the Red Army, finally locating the Red Army in Daxiong District in August 1934.

In November 1935, during a strategic retreat by the 2nd and 6th Red Army Corps, Jian Xianren had given birth to her second daughter. Before the departure, persuaded by her comrades to stay behind, she insisted on following the army with her baby, undertaking a long trek. During the Long March, she carried her young children multiple times, crossing perilous terrains such as Lishui River and Umon Mountain. To avoid exposing their whereabouts, she tied the baby to her chest with cloth strips or wrapped his head with clothing, demonstrating remarkable resilience and maternal love.

After the Anti-Japanese War, Jian Xianren held positions at the Political Department of the Jireliao Military Region. She later served in several important roles, including Deputy Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Weichang County, Party Secretary of Sihai County, Deputy Secretary of the Harbin Urban District Party Committee, and Secretary of Dongguan District in Shenyang. Following the Liberation War and the founding of New China, she continued to serve in various key positions, contributing to the liberation and development of Northeast China. In 1954, she was transferred to the Central Ministry of Light Industry, where she held multiple significant posts.

During the Cultural Revolution, she was severely persecuted, but she remained faithful to the Party and her beliefs, never wavering. After her rehabilitation in 1978, she served as Deputy Secretary of the Central Organization Department. On July 25, 2004, she passed away in Beijing due to illness at the age of 96. Her death prompted widespread mourning within and outside the Party, with leaders such as Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin paying their respects and expressing condolences to her family.

Jian Xianren holds a prominent position in Chinese revolutionary history, regarded as an outstanding female representative within the revolutionary ranks and havingDedicated her whole life to the Chinese Communist Party. Among her children, her son He Jiesheng was admitted to Peking University in 1955, later transferred to the military, served as Director of the Research Department at the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, and was promoted to the rank of Major General.