Hero on the Gallows
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| A photo of Ling Fushun before his execution (provided by the Zhouning County Party History Research Office |
Source: China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Daily
The Fujian Provincial Revolutionary History Memorial Hall displays a photograph depicting a grown man with a righteous expression and his head held high, but whose limbs are mercilessly bound to a wooden frame. This is a true moment of a revolutionary martyr before his heroic sacrifice.
The photo was taken 82 years ago. The person in the photo is named Ling Fushun, and the incident occurred in Zhou Dun Special Zone, Fujian (now Zhouning County). What little-known stories lie behind this photo? What kind of person was Ling Fushun?
Zhouning, located on the eastern foothills of the Jiufeng Mountains in eastern Fujian, was originally the Zhoudun Special Zone and was established as a county in 1945. In 1912, Ling Fushun was born into a poor peasant family in Duanyuan Village, Zhoudun.
Ling Fushun came from a poor family and spent his childhood in hunger and humiliation. He begged for food and did odd jobs. His life of hardship and humiliation shaped his rebellious and strong-willed personality, and his love for fighting injustice. Later, forced by the need to make a living, he joined the Zhou Dun Special Zone's regular army. This was Ling Fushun's first time entering the town, and from then on, he embarked on an extraordinary path.
In the 1920s and 30s, a small number of intellectuals from eastern Fujian who had joined the Communist Party elsewhere began returning to their hometowns to spread revolutionary ideas, develop organizations, and launch peasant movements. Zhou Dun's West Gate Street, with its dense population, was conducive to spreading new ideas and expanding its ranks; the seeds of revolution were quickly sown there. Subsequently, under the leadership of the Party, a group of revolutionaries in Zhou Dun persisted in underground struggle, secretly developing their organization, establishing and strengthening the people's armed forces, and waging a long and arduous struggle against the reactionaries.
In 1932, 20-year-old Ling Fushun secretly joined the underground revolutionary organization in Zhoudun.
Ling Fushun was a strong fighter and dared to act. He often went alone to villages such as Puyuan and Wushandi near Zhoudun City to mobilize the masses and quickly grew into a revolutionary backbone.
In July 1934, Zhan Rubai, a member of the Provisional Special Committee of the Communist Party of China in Eastern Fujian, arrived in Zhou Dun and convened a meeting of the core members of the revolutionary group. They made three decisions: "establish armed forces, plan finances, and instigate a mutiny." Ling Fushun and his comrade Wang Dayao were appointed to instigate the mutiny. Through Wang Dayao's introduction, Ling Fushun honorably joined the Communist Party of China. In August of the same year, the 11th Detachment of the Eastern Fujian Workers' and Peasants' Guerrilla Force was established in Bantou Village on the outskirts of Zhouning City, with Ling Fushun serving as its captain.
In Mengyuan Village, Puyuan Town, 5 kilometers from Zhouning County, Ling Fushun's guerrilla team was very active, with two to three hundred villagers participating in the revolution. Mengyuan Village also established an underground communication station, becoming a secret liaison hub between Zhouning, Fu'an, Shouning, and Pingnan, from which much revolutionary information was transmitted to the next communication station.
In October 1934, Ye Fei and Ruan Yingping led a part of the Fujian-Eastern Red Army Independent Division to capture Xianshan Township (now Xiancun Town), located at the border of Ningde (now Jiaocheng District) and Zhou Dun, executing local tyrants and boosting revolutionary morale. On October 30, Ling Fushun led the 11th Detachment to cooperate with a part of the Fujian-Eastern Red Army Independent Division in advancing into the Zhou Dun Special Zone, achieving victory in the Zhou Dun Uprising. On November 1, under Ye Fei's leadership, the Zhou Dun Soviet Government was formally established, and Ling Fushun was elected as the military commissioner.
In October 1934, the Central Soviet Area suffered a defeat in its fifth counter-encirclement campaign. While pursuing and intercepting the main force of the Red Army, the Kuomintang launched a large-scale "mopping-up" operation against the Red base areas in eastern Fujian. Ling Fushun remained steadfast and fearless in the face of sacrifice. In August 1935, the Zhou Dun Independent Battalion was established, with Ling Fushun as its commander, and he persisted in carrying out guerrilla warfare.
The newly established Zhou Dun Independent Battalion fought a brilliant battle in the counter-"suppression" campaign—the Xiaojialing Ambush. Xiaojialing, located about 3 kilometers northwest of Zhou Dun town, was a crucial pass connecting the town to Mengyuan and Chunchi. In August 1935, Ye Fei and Ruan Yingping led the First and Third Columns of the Fujian-Eastern Red Army Independent Division towards Ziyun in Zhou Dun. More than 300 men from Chen Kun's Eighth Regiment of the Kuomintang Fujian Provincial Security Forces relentlessly pursued them. Ling Fushun led his troops in coordination with Ye Fei and Ruan Yingping's Fujian-Eastern Red Army Independent Division, setting up an ambush here, opening the way, and catching the enemy off guard like turtles in a jar. In the end, the security regiment was routed and retreated back to the town.
After the Battle of Xiaojialing, the brave and decisive Ling Fushun became famous and a thorn in the side of the enemy. The security regiment wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, so they sent out secret agents everywhere to lay an invisible net to hunt him down.
In April 1936, Ling Fushun traveled to Jian'ou in northern Fujian to raise funds for the revolution and was returning to Zhoudun. When he stopped at Puyuan Village, his whereabouts were discovered by the enemy. A company of the 5th Security Regiment of the Kuomintang in Zhoudun rushed towards Puyuan Village. Ling Fushun was unfortunately arrested.
Upon capturing Ling Fushun, the enemy was overjoyed, hoping to extract secrets about the Min-Dong Party organization and the Red Army guerrillas. For the next 20 days, the enemy used every trick in the book—coercion, bribery, offering promises of official positions, torture—but Ling Fushun remained tight-lipped. The enemy was exasperated and at their wits' end.
On April 25, 1936, outside the west gate of Zhou Dun, the late spring weather was still very cold, and the mountain wind howled. Ling Fushun, covered in wounds, was bound by the enemy to the execution ground outside the west gate. On a barren beach, Ling Fushun, shirtless, was firmly bound to a wooden frame with thick ropes and iron chains. His body leaned slightly forward, his expression calm, his gaze firm, and his whole being exuded an indomitable and awe-inspiring righteousness and a heroic spirit that faced death without fear.
The executioner stabbed him repeatedly with an awl and cruelly cut his flesh with a knife. The atrocities were inhuman and utterly cruel, lasting for over two hours. Ling Fushun was covered in blood and fell unconscious. When he awoke, he mustered all his strength to shout, "Fellow villagers, death is nothing to fear! I, Ling Fushun, will perish, but the revolution will never perish! Always follow the red, never the white..." The enemy hastily plunged a dagger into his heart, and Ling Fushun died a heroic death at the young age of 24.
This photograph of Ling Fushun's heroic sacrifice has left invaluable material for future generations. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Zhouning County Committee organized the creation of the drama "Ling Fushun" to ensure that history was passed down to posterity. The Mindong Revolutionary Memorial Hall permanently exhibits his revolutionary deeds. In the 1990s, the newly completed Fujian Provincial Revolutionary History Memorial Hall displayed Ling Fushun's photo in the large-scale shadow sculpture "The Soul of Fujian" in its entrance hall. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Museum of the Chinese Revolution (now the National Museum of China) launched the "For the Birth of the Republic—Exhibition of the Deeds of Revolutionary Martyrs Nationwide." Many visitors lingered before this classic photograph, and some veteran generals said, "After seeing this photograph, we know what heroic sacrifice truly means." On July 3 of that year, CCTV's "Focus Interview" broadcast a special interview program titled "Remembering the Martyrs and Creating the Future," which featured a close-up shot highlighting Ling Fushun's heroic sacrifice. Shortly afterward, CCTV again reported on the exhibition in its "News Broadcast," and Ling Fushun's heroic deeds spread far and wide, both at home and abroad.
"The revolution will never end." Ling Fushun's dying words expressed the unwavering belief and steadfast commitment of the Chinese Communists. "Beheading is nothing, as long as the cause is true; even if one of me is killed, others will follow." In the 1990s, Ye Fei, then Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said with deep emotion to the leaders of Zhouning County: "Ling Fushun is a man worthy of remembrance; you, Zhouning, should commemorate him properly."
Ling Fushun's resounding last words shook heaven and earth. This flesh-and-blood body, bound to a wooden frame, held high the unyielding head of the revolutionaries of eastern Fujian, carrying the heroic spirit of the sons and daughters of eastern Fujian who faced death without fear, and will forever be etched in the glorious annals of the Chinese Communist Party.
(Author Chen Qixi's affiliation: Ningde Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Fujian Province)
(Editors: Cao Miao, Xie Lei)
