Qiu Shaoyun

Qiu Shaoyun (Chinese: 邱少云; pinyin: Qiū Shàoyún; June 1, 1926 – October 12, 1952) was born in a small village named Qiūjiāgōu (邱家沟) in Guānjiàn township (关溅乡) (now called Shàoyún town, 少云镇) of Tongliang county, Sichuan province (after 1997 Tongliang became part of Chongqing). He joined the People's Liberation Army in 1949 and earned recognition in the campaigns that were waged to exterminate bandits. Early 1951, Qiu signed up with the People's Volunteer Army taking part in the Korean War. In October 1952, Qiu died as a martyr in the Korean War, and is considered by the Chinese government to be a war hero. In the struggle for Hill 391, Qiu and his squad mates crawled closer to the enemy position, using hay and twigs as natural camouflage. The UN troops used incendiary bombs, dropped by airplanes, to try and smoke out the Chinese units. It is claimed Qiu got trapped in the ensuing brush fire and in order to not betray the 500 other Chinese soldiers taking part in the assault, he did not move and burned to death.

He was born in a poor peasant family in 1931. When he was 9 years old, his father died. And two years later, he lost his mother. He had to be a farm laborer when he was 14. During the time, the landlord used him to work a number of menial and exploitative jobs.

During a counterattack on United Nations forces that occupied No. 391 highland, west to Kimhua, on October 11, 1952. Qiu and other comrades of the platoon were ordered to set up an ambush at the mountain's foot that is 60 m away from the enemy. They were in position at night and were to assist the main force to assault the enemy. At noon the next day, the enemy threw a firebomb and lit a thick growth of grass beside him. He was positioned beside a stream, which he could have rolled into to avoid being burned. Instead, he adhered to ambush discipline in order to veil the position of the platoon, he did not move or make a noise and burned to death. This masked the position of the platoon and led to the victory of the entire battle.

On November 6, 1952 Qiu Shaoyun was posthumously awarded a Special-Class Merit citation. His body was buried in the Cemetery of the Volunteers in Shenyang in March 1953. On June 1, 1953 Qiu was further honored as a "First-Class Hero of the Chinese People's Volunteers Army". He was posthumously awarded the title of "First-Class Hero of the Chinese People's Volunteers" on June 1, 1953. Besides, he was awarded the title of "Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea", won a Gold-Star Medal and a First-Class Medal of National Flag on June 25. Afterwards, people in Tongliang County, Sichuan Province established a memorial and a cenotaph for Qiu Shaoyun.

The Qiu Shaoyun Memorial Hall, located at Tongliang County of Sichuan Province and opened to the public in October 1962, is a museum of Chinese revolutionary figures. It was established in memory of Martyr Qiu Shaoyun, a volunteer army man winning the titles of Special Meritorious Fighter and Class One Hero in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. The monument to Martyr Qiu Shaoyun stands in front of the memorial. It is 10 meters tall with the characters of Monument to Martyr Qiu Shanyun engraved in the front of the monument and the martyr's biography on the back. On the top of the monument stands a 5-meter-tall sculpture of Qiu Shaoyun and in the front of the pedestal is a relief pattern composed of a golden star medal, an olive branch and a submachine gun. The exhibition hall of Qiu Shaoyun's deeds takes up an area of 1,700 square meters, consisting of the vestibule, a showroom of paintings and calligraphies, and four exhibition rooms of the martyr's heroic deeds. On display are more than 190 historical relics showing the brilliant life of Martyr Qiu Shaoyun, such as the things left behind by the martyr, pictures, the inscriptions of leaders of the central authorities, the certificate and medal bestowed by Chairman Kim-il Sung of the Korean Government as well as the gifts presented to the martyr's dependents.

On October 25, 2010, a ceremony has been held in southwest Chongqing Municipality to commemorateQiu Shaoyun, who died in the Korean War. 500 people paid tribute at the Monument toQiu Shaoyun in Tongliang County, his hometown.