Communist Heroine Liu Hu-lan

(Ruben Sanchez, China Reconstructs, Vol. XXI No. 3, March 1972)

A few months ago I joined a group travelling to important places in China. At one stage we arrived in Taiyuan, capital of Shansi province. Our program of visits in the city included the Liu Hu-lan museum-park in Yun-chouhsi village, Wenshui county. 

The grand museum-park in honor of the revolutionary heroine is on a beautifully green, rich plain, with the Luliang Mountains to the west. We were received by Chao Fa-tao, a responsible comrade from the park, and other responsible comrades from the county revolutionary committee. Liu Hu-lan's mother, Comrade Hu Wen-hsiu, joined us later. They began an in­troduction to the heroine's fascinating life. "Liu Hu-lan was born on the eighth of October, 1932," Comrade Chao began, leading us into the tale. That year was a dark epoch in China, we thought at once.  A year before, on the 18th of September, 1931, Japanese   imperialism had unleashed a large-scale war against China. Offering no resistance, the reactionary Kuomintang government let them take over the three northeastern provinces    of the country, do as they please and plunder at will. The following year the Japanese stretched their claws toward north China.

Liu Hu-lan was born into a family of fairly poor peasants. Here as in the rest of the country, hunger threatened every day. Although on a fertile, beautiful plain in the center of the province, the peasants groaned under oppression and exploitation, suffering indescribably. Harvests won at the cost of sweat and blood were abundant, but never remain­ed in their hands. Instead, they went to Taiyuan, where they filled the granaries of the bandits under Yen Hsi-shan, military chief of the zone. Only drops of sweat and suffering fell into the peasants' bowls. This was where Liu Hu-lan grew up. 

In 1936, when Hu-lan was four, the Kuomintang government continued to sell out the country. The imperialist armies had already crossed the Great Wall and invaded north China. At this crucial moment, a light of hope appeared on the horizon —the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Led by the Communist Party of China with Comrade Mao Tsetung as Chairman of the Central Committee, it had completed its glorious Long March and headed north to resist Japan. In March of that year the Red Army occupied Fenyang, a few dozen kilometers from Wenshui county. This made Yen Hsi-shan's bandits tremble in their fortress at Taiyuan. Wenshui soon entered the sphere of action of Red Army guerrilla detachments. Because of their good deeds for the people and their battle exploits, their prestige grew rapidly among" the local people. The villagers of Yunchouhsi impatiently awaited their arrival in the locality.

At this time the Communist Party of China guided by Comrade Mao Tsetung made a correct analysis of the situation and stated the principal task of the moment in crystal-clear terms: form an anti-Japanese national united front and engage in a war of re­sistance against imperialism. After compelling the Kuomintang to stop the civil war and the start of the War of Resistance against Ja­pan, the Red Army was reorgan­ized into the Eighth Route Army (predecessor of the People's Liber­ation Army), after which it fought continuously in the front lines, grew and developed

Liu Hu-lan passed her infancy during the anti-Japanese war (1937-45). She was a restless spir­it. "She wanted to know every­thing," her mother told us, "and she never tired of asking questions: Why do we peasants suffer so? Why have the Japanese invaded our country? She observed everything attentively and made com­parisons. She distinguished clear­ly between those who loved the people and those who were their enemies. She was raised in the spirit of sacrifice of the anti-Japanese guerrillas led by the Communist Party. That's how she learned to love the Party and the Eighth Route Army."

When she was ten she joined the village Anti-Japanese Children's League, in which she helped the resistance soldiers stand guard, execute despots, transport food and clothing and care for the wounded. In cooperation with the members of the Party-led armed work team she went to enemy camps where she distributed leaflets and made anti-Japanese propaganda. Her level of political consciousness was rising.

In August 1945, Japanese im­perialism surrendered. On the 1st of September, the Eighth Route Army liberated the county town of Wenshui. But in alliance with the troops of Yen Hsi-shan and the Japanese remnants, the traitor Chiang Kai-shek launched a fu­rious attack on the liberated areas led by the Communist Party. The people were plunged into suffering again. At this critical moment for the country and the people, Comrade Mao analyzed the situation dialectically and put forth the slogan: Heighten vigilance to face a possi­ble civil war. The Wenshui county Party committee organized courses to study this call, other works of Comrade Mao and important Com­munist Party documents on the situation, and to prepare the masses to struggle against the enemy. Liu Hu-lan enthusiastical­ly attended a women's study course organized in Kuanchiapao, a village five kilometers from Yunchouhsi. She was only 13 years old then, but she looked 17 or 18. Her enthusiasm for study, love of work and revolutionary spirit caught everybody's atten­tion, especially that of the Party cadres. 

At the end of the 40-day course, Hu-lan understood more of the reactionary nature of the Kuomintang, in addition to many fundamentals of Marxism - Leninism -Mao Tsetung Thought. She learned the truth that power grows out of the barrel of a gun and the importance of armed struggle for op­pressed peoples. On her return she was elected secretary of the village Women's Association for Na­tional Salvation be­cause of her conscien­tiousness, activity and enthusiasm. She was just 14. In the summer of 1946 the re­gional Party committee gave her an important job. Hu-lan had a profound love for the Communist Party. She enthusiastically accept­ed the task - and shortly after applied to join the Party. Since she was only 14, the Party com­mittee discussed the question thoroughly. But in view of her relatively high proletarian con­sciousness and her spirit of selflessly serving the people, they finally decided to accept her as a probationary member. Liu Hu-lan had the honor of joining the Party. "I can't tell you how happy she was," her mother told us. Now she worked with even greater enthusiasm. A year later, when she returned to the village after completing her assigned task, she led the people in carrying out land reform. She struggled against the Rightist Shih Wu-tse, who had sneaked into the Peasants' Association and the Party. The masses were mobilized and overthrew the landlord Shih Ting-fu. Liberated politically, the peasants wanted to join the army and take part in the revolutionary war.

In June 1946 the Kuomintang reactionaries unleashed their of­fensive against the liberated areas. The situation became aggravated * Before the new Party Constitution was adopted by the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China on April 14, 1969, the old Party Constitution stipulated that after joining the Party there was a probationary period of six months to a year. 

in September and October because Yen Hsi-shan mobilized almost 10.000 troops to surround the county. The county Party com­mittee decided that the cadres go to the Luliang Mountains to work. But Liu Hu-lan asked to stay in the village since, she said, she knew the place well and could easily carry on the struggle with the enemy. She knew how neces­sary mass work in the village was to the Party, and the importance of keeping in contact with this and many other things connected with the place. The Party agreed to her request.

The struggle was much more intense after that. Her life became ever more difficult. But she was able to obtain much valuable in­formation on enemy movements and get it to the county Party committee. There in the heart of the enemy she was arrested on the 12th of January 1947, betrayed by the traitor Shih Wu-tse. The situation had already worsened to the point that it was impossible to do any work in the village. On orders from the Party, she was ready to leave for the mountains that day, but at dawn when she got up to prepare her things and leave, Yen Hsi-shan's troops launched a new attack. They surrounded the village and ordered the whole population to assemble on an open ground to the south beside a temple.

"They ordered that only one person remain in each house," her mother told us. "If two or more were found in a house, they would be considered accomplices of the Eighth Route Army." At first Liu Hu-lan tried to hide, but she couldn't find a suitable place. Her mother had already left for the temple and she decided to go too so as not to endanger anyone else. On her arrival at the temple beside her mother, one of the bandits spotted her and approached her. Hu-lan was arrested on the spot. They took her before a reactionary officer in the temple. "You're Liu Hu-lan?" asked the officer. 

"Yes. what of it?" she answered with determination.  

"Someone has already confessed and said that you're a Communist." 

"If you say so, fine, I'm a Communist!". 

"Who else in the village is a Communist?" 

"Just me, I'm the only one," Hu-lan answered sharply.

"Who's in the Eighth Route Army?"

"I don't know anyone," Hu-lan said dryly.

The officer became exasperated and continued the interrogation for a long time, making all kinds of threats. Hu-lan remained staunch and calm. Stalin said that "We Communists are people of a special mold. We are made of a special stuff.... It is not given to everyone to withstand the stresses and storms that accompany mem­bership in such a party." Hu-lan was showing this communist mold in the face of fascist threats. 

Furious, the officer shouted, "Aren't you afraid of death? You're still very young!"

Hu-lan answered resolutely, "No, I'm not afraid of death. If I were I wouldn't have joined the Communist Party."

Then, to try to frighten her, the officer ordered her decapitated. But on seeing her walk resolutely and without any sign of fear, he changed his tactics. He called her and offered to let her live if she would give up working with the Eighth Route Army. Hu-lan answered without hesitation, "No! I won't surrender even if you give me a sack of gold!"

The officer called the soldiers standing guard outside and order­ed them to tie her hands. They carried out the order. Furious, Hu-lan looked at them from eyes filled with hatred. Then she strode out.

There were six other detainees on the execution ground, revolu­tionary peasants, two of whom had been arrested that day.

The hysterical officer shouted threats at the population. "Now you'll learn," he yelled. "Whoever has relations with the Eighth Route Army will meet the same fate!" The soldiers brought two fodder cutters and some sticks.

The officer shouted at the crowd, "Are these seven people good or bad?"

But contrary to the fascist's ex­pectation, the crowd answered with one voice, "They're good! They're all good!"

Filled with rage, the officer ordered the first two beaten and then decapitated. Hatred for the enemy reflected in their eyes, the two revolutionary peasants brave­ly denounced the enemy and shouted many slogans before they died for their fatherland. 

The murderous officer turned toward Hu-lan and asked her, "Do you still want to die? Will you confess?"

Hu-lan answered firmly, "No! I won't surrender even in death!"

Then they killed the other four, after beating them until they were tired. After each murder the offi­cer asked Hu-lan the same thing, "Are you afraid? Will you con­fess?"

And Hu-lan remained staunch and resolute. "What have I to fear? I won't give up even if I die."

The guillotines dripped blood. Liu Hu-lan's turn came. "What," she said, "am I to die this way too?"

"The same as the others," the fascist officer replied cruelly.

Liu Hu-lan looked defiantly at the murderer. Then she turned eyes filled with love to the deter­mined gathering of the population. She advanced with firm steps toward the guillotine.

Wenshui was liberated the 2nd of February. The Eighth Route Army entered the county town.Yen Hsi-shan's troops surrendered moments after the triumphant entry of the Eighth Route Army. The people sang and danced with joy. The Party organization post­humously conferred on Liu Hu-lan the title of full Party member.

"In 1951 the betrayer and mur­derers of Liu Hu-lan were arrested and judged according to the revo­lutionary law. The Chinese people took their vengeance for this cruel murder, as well as the others committed by the fascists," Com­rade Chao concluded.

Liu Hu-lan was a great, worthy daughter of the proletariat. Although this heroine's life was short, she did not hesitate to sacrifice it at the altar of the revo­lution and communism.

The renowned leader of the Chinese people Comrade Mao Tsetung gave the best summary of Liu Hu-lan's life: "A great life, a glorious death."