Cao Yunshan

On February 17, 1979, China launched the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, deploying 225,000 soldiers. Many heroic deeds during this campaign are touching, yet the late Mao Zedong would not have known that his relative, Cao Yunshan, participated in the battle. Mao’s children were unable to fight in the battle, but Mao Yuanzhi’s son, Cao Yunshan, served in the military. In Cao Yunshan’s memories, in 1959, he attended his Aunt Li Min’s wedding and met Chairman Mao. Mao Yuanzhi, born in 1923, was Mao Zedong’s niece. After her mother was arrested, Mao Yuanzhi and her mother went to Yan'an, where she eventually married Cao Quanfan. Cao Quanfan, born in 1949 in Beijing, held important positions during the revolution, and by 1979, Cao Yunshan had already enlisted in the army. After a series of military training, Cao Yunshan prepared for participation in the 1979 mobilization before the war, experiencing tremendous psychological pressure. The brutal war made him feel the sorrow of comrades’ sacrifices, especially the pain of organizing personal belongings before battles. In February 1979, the People's Liberation Army launched an attack. Due to insufficient logistics support, the army suffered heavy casualties, and ultimately, it was announced in March that the troops would withdraw. In later interviews, Cao Yunshan mentioned that war is painful, but it also underscores the responsibility to defend the homeland. He graduated from a military academy in 1983 and transferred to civilian work in 1988. As the grandson of Mao Zemin, Cao Yunshan’s mother, Mao Yuanzhi, remains modest and rarely discusses the Mao family history. Regarding Mao Zemin’s revolutionary experiences, Cao Yunshan actively seeks historical materials through his efforts, authoring books such as "Tracing Mao Zemin," "Revolution and Love: The Latest Declassification of Comintern Archives Revealing the Brotherly Relationship of Mao Zedong and Mao Zemin," and has produced related documentaries. His personal revolutionary journey is infused with reverence for history and a sense of mission to carry on that legacy. Through arduous exploration, Cao Yunshan is dedicated to spreading these stories accumulated by history, continuing the red spirit.