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Zhang Side () (April 19, 1915 – September 5, 1944) was a
Chinese Communist
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
soldier killed during the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
.
Life
Zhang Side was born in a poor tenant-peasant family of Hanjiawan, Liuhechang,
Yilong County
Yilong () is a county in the northeast of Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Nanchong. Zhu De's Former Residence is located here. Zhu De was general and one of the pioneers of the Chinese Commun ...
,
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
Province on April 19 (the sixth day of third lunar month), 1915. Before he was one year old, his mother died. He was brought up by his aunt. When he was 12 years old, he began to feed the cattle and mow grasses for the landlord. In September 1933, the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
came to his hometown and established the revolutionary regime. He actively joined the
Young Pioneers of China
The Young Pioneers of China (), often shortened to the Young Pioneers (), is a mass youth organization for children aged six to fourteen in the People's Republic of China. The Young Pioneers of China is run by the Communist Youth League, an org ...
and was elected a team leader. He was conscientious in assisting the Red Army and militia in standing guard, then searching suspected people. He joined the Red Army in December 1933 and before long the
Communist Youth League of China
The Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), also known as the Young Communist League of China or simply the Communist Youth League (CYL), is a youth movement of the People's Republic of China for youth between the ages of 14 and 28, run by the ...
.
In October 1937, he joined the
Communist Party of China
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
(CPC). In a fight against the six-side siege, his legs were injured twice but he still rushed into the enemy's position to capture two machine guns. In June 1935, the 4th Front Red Army joined force with the Central Red Army in Maogong of Sichuan and continued to march north. During the
Long March
The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Chinese Red Army, Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Revolut ...
, he had crossed the snow mountains and grasslands two times.
After he arrived in the
Northern Shaanxi
Shaanbei () or Northern Shaanxi is the portion of China's Shaanxi province north of the Huanglong Mountain and the Meridian Ridge (the so-called " Guanzhong north mountains"), and is both a geographic as well as a cultural area.
It makes up the ...
, he was selected as leader of the Communication squad of the Guard Battalion of the
Central Military Commission. For several years, he worked hard and outstandingly fulfilled his duties.
In the early summer of 1940, the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
carried out the military "encirclements" and economic blockade in the border areas. To resolve the heating problem of the central organs in winter, he led his squad to burn charcoals in Tuhuanggou north to
Yan'an
Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...
. After three months of hard work, he successfully delivered 40 tons of charcoals to Yan'an.
In 1941, the
Anti-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...
came into the hardest period. In order to get over the economic difficulty of enemy's blockade, he opened up a wasteland in
Nanniwan
"Nanniwan" () is a revolutionary song written in 1943 with lyrics by communist playwright and poet He Jingzhi and music by Ma Ke. It was made popular by the Chinese Communist Party and continues to be one of the most recognisable songs in the Peo ...
along with the guard battalion. He led the squad to overcome many difficulties during that period and complete production tasks given by the superior. Meanwhile, he also shouldered the communication work as usual, working hard at day and sending message on foot at night regardless of fatigue for the sake of fulfilling the task of communication.
In the winter of 1942, he returned to Yan'an from Nanniwan. Later a leader transferred him, as head of a squad, to another squad as a common serviceman due to the change of staffing of the troops. But he served the needs of revolution without any complaint and thought of individual success and failure.
In early summer of 1943, he was transferred to Zaoyuan Internal Guard Squad and worked as one of the guards for Chairman
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
.
In 1944, the Party organization assigned him to burn charcoal in
Ansai County. On September 5, when he was working in the kiln, the kiln suddenly collapsed and he was killed.
Use in propaganda
In the afternoon of September 8, 1944, the organs directly under the CPC Central Committee held a grand funeral ceremony, at which Chairman Mao Zedong inscribed the elegiac words of "salute to Comrade Zhang Side who sacrifices his life for the benefit of people" and attended the funeral ceremony in person. At the ceremony, Mao Zedong made the important speech of Serve the People, highly praising his lofty morality of serving the people wholeheartedly that he "died for the benefit of people, and his death is indeed heavier than
Mount Tai
Mount Tai () is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an. It is the highest point in Shandong province, China. The tallest peak is the '' Jade Emperor Peak'' (), which is commonly reported as being t ...
".
In others books, it was written that Mao Zedong said in his eulogy "
Serve the people
"Serve the People" () is a political slogan which first appeared in Mao-era China, and the motto of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It originates from the title of a speech by Mao Zedong, delivered on 8 September 1944. The slogan also becam ...
":
"''All men must die, but death can vary in its significance. The ancient Chinese writer Szuma Ch'ien (
Sima Qian
Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...
) said, "Though death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather."
..From now on, when anyone in our ranks who has done some useful work dies, be he soldier or cook, we should have a funeral ceremony and a memorial meeting in his honor. This should become the rule. And it should be introduced among the people as well. When someone dies in a village, let a memorial meeting be held. In this way we express our mourning for the dead and unite all the people"''.
This speech later became the focal point of a propaganda campaign that in some forms is still actually in use.
[Hung, Chang-Tai "The Cult of the Red Martyr: Politics of Commemoration in China", ''Journal of Contemporary History'', Vol.43(2), pp.279-304.]
See also
*
Lei Feng
Lei Feng (18 December 194015 August 1962) was allegedly a soldier in the People's Liberation Army who was the object of several major Propaganda in China, propaganda campaigns in China. The most well-known of these campaigns in 1963 promoted ...
*
Dong Cunrui
Dong Cunrui (; 1929 - May 25, 1948) was a Chinese Communist soldier in the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War who blew himself up in order to destroy a Kuomintang bunker guarding an approach to an important bridge in Longhua ...
*
Statue of Zhang Side
References
External links
Posters depicting Zhang Side* Mao Zedong's speec
venerating Zhang Side
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang, Side
1915 births
1944 deaths
Military history of the People's Republic of China
Accidental deaths in China
People from Nanchong
Military personnel of the Second Sino-Japanese War