Cai Nan

Cai Nan comes from a family widely regarded as the CCP’s premier revolutionary family. Her direct grandfather was Cai Hesen (1895–1931), one of the early leaders of the Chinese Communist Party; he sacrificed his life in 1931 after being betrayed by a traitor. Her grandmother was Xiang Jingyu (1895–1928), the CCP’s first female central committee member, who died heroically in 1928. Her father was Cai Bo, who, following his parents’ example, devoted himself to the revolution.

Among extended relatives, great-aunt Cai Chang (1900–1990) was a leader of the new China’s women’s movement and formed a revolutionary partnership with Li Fuchun; aunt Cai Ni (1922–2012) was raised by others after Xiang Jingyu’s death and later, together with Hong Ge, devoted herself to the revolutionary cause.

Cai Nan has been immersed in revolutionary ethos since childhood; the family is known as the CCP’s premier revolutionary family. The letters Xiang Jingyu wrote to her children before her martyrdom became an important spiritual heritage, recording and transmitting the revolutionary ideal of “bringing great light to the women’s world.”

At present, Cai Nan has publicly stated that she intends to tell her grandmother’s story well, to carry on the red family tradition, and to continue to promote the ancestors’ revolutionary spirit through participating in commemorative activities, publishing articles, and other means. In 2025, she participated in the compilation of commemorative articles such as “Grandmother Xiang Jingyu: Her Original Aspiration and Mission.”

Historically, the Cai Hesen family has Three generations of ongoing involvement in China’s revolution and nation-building: the first generation participated in the party’s founding struggles, the second generation engaged in the War of Resistance, and the third generation is devoted to spiritual inheritance. As a direct descendant of Xiang Jingyu, Cai Nan assumes certain responsibilities in events commemorating Xiang Jingyu’s birth, reflecting the continuity of her family legacy and its social influence.