Ceng Yansheng

Zeng Yansheng, courtesy name Guangyi, was born on March 9, 1897, in Zeng Village, Jinyuan, Jixian County, Jiangxi Province, into a scholarly family. Many family members engaged in education and revolutionary activities; his father, Zeng Caiqin, was a provincial scholar in the late Qing Dynasty and was repeatedly imprisoned during revolutionary movements, ultimately dying in prison. Among his siblings, many also dedicated themselves to revolutionary causes. His mother, Kang Chunyu, was arrested five times during the revolutionary period, demonstrating her unyielding revolutionary will.

During his childhood, Zeng Yansheng studied successively at his ancestral hall in his hometown, Yongle Temple, Aolu Village, and Jixian County City. In 1921, he graduated from Nanjing Physical Education Normal School and was hired as a physical education teacher at Jiyang Bailuzhou Middle School and concurrently taught Chinese at a local elementary school. In the first half of 1923, he read revolutionary publications such as "New Youth," which inspired him. Due to “misconduct,” he was dismissed by the school and subsequently, with his father's support, enrolled at Shanghai University to study sociology. That autumn, he joined the Chinese Communist Party.

Driven by the domestic and international situation, Zeng Yansheng actively participated in various revolutionary activities. In 1924, he was dispatched to Shanghai to establish a "Civilian Night School," working among workers to disseminate revolutionary ideas. The same year, he joined the Shanghai "Workers' Propaganda Team" and during the May Thirtieth Movement, led demonstrations, distributed leaflets, and promoted anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggles. In June 1925, as a representative of the business and industrial sector's propaganda, he went to Nanchang, Jiangxi, to report on the truth of the May Thirtieth Massacre to the public. Meanwhile, he organized the youth progressive group "Juequn Society" in Jiyang, serving as its president. In October, he returned to Shanghai and served as the propaganda commissioner for the CCP branch committee in Yinhang Port.

In November 1926, Zeng Yansheng was appointed as the secretary of the CCP Jiujiang Prefectural Committee. During this period, he promoted the organizational development of workers, peasants, and students. In 1927, he participated in the Nanchang Uprising, serving as a member of the Grain and Feed Management Committee, and subsequently took part in the Wanan Rebellion. That October, as the representative of the GXX (Ganxi West) Special Committee, he went to Wanan to plan the uprising. In December 1927, he was appointed secretary of the Gannan Special Committee, conducting deep outreach to the masses for revolutionary planning. In March 1928, he and his wife, Jiang Jingying, were transferred to Ganzhou to continue organizing peasant armed uprisings. However, on March 23, they were surrounded by enemies; he was captured and, refusing to submit during interrogation, was executed on April 4.

Throughout his revolutionary career, Zeng Yansheng exhibited firm revolutionary resolve. His deeds are recorded in the annals of history as representatives of early grassroots cadres of the Chinese Communist Party.