Revolutionary Companion Song Qiyun Xu Linxia: Never Yielding in Prison for Eight Years

Revolutionary Companions Song Qiyun and Xu Linxia (left)

Song Zhenzhong, the youngest martyr of the Republic of China, song Zhenzhong and his parents song Qiyun and Xu Linxia, were "reunited" in the memorial hall at the foot of the mountain, eight Luzhen Town, Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province, in a special way.

Song Qiyun was born in 1904 in a peasant family in Ba Lu Town, Pi County, Jiangsu Province (now Pizhou City). In 1919, the storm of the May 4th Movement swept through Pi County. Song Qiyun responded first and actively promoted patriotism. In 1920, he was admitted to Jiangsu Provincial Sixth Normal School. In October 1926, he was admitted to the Wuhan Branch of the Central Military and Political School, the sixth phase of the Whampoa Military Academy. He joined the Communist Party of China in March 1927.

Xu Linxia was born in 1904 in a peasant family in Pi Town, Pi County, Jiangsu Province. In 1924, he was admitted to the third women's normal school in Jiangsu province. He joined the Communist Party of China in March 1927.

In 1928, Song Qiyun was appointed by the Party to return to Pi County and successively served as the organization secretary of the special branch of the CPC Pi County and the member and secretary of the CPC Pi County Committee. In the same year, Xu Linxia also returned to Pi County as a member of the CPC Pi County Committee and president of the Women's Association. In October 1928, Xu Linxia and Song Qiyun became revolutionary partners.

In 1929, Song Qiyun went to Donghai County to form a county party committee and served as secretary. In the autumn of the same year, he went to Beijing as an observer in the Department of Literature of Peking University. In December 1929, Song Qiyun went to the Yang Hucheng army in Nanyang, Henan, and served as the editor-in-chief of Wannan Daily.

In the summer of 1931, Song Qiyun was appointed deputy director and editor-in-chief of Northwest Culture Daily, the organ of the 17th Route Army. In October 1935, the Northwest Special Branch of the Communist Party of China was established in accordance with the instructions of the Party Central Committee. The main task was to do the work of General Yang Hucheng and the 17th Route Army. Song Qiyun was a member of the special branch.

On the eve of the Xi'an Incident, Song Qiyun participated in drafting documents such as Zhang and Yang's Eight Propositions for Anti-Japanese and National Salvation. Xu Linxia prepared for the Women's Salvation Association and assisted Song Qiyun in carrying out revolutionary activities. After the incident, Song Qiyun used the "Northwest Culture Daily" to comprehensively introduce the cause and process of the incident, positively evaluate the essence and significance of the incident, and widely publicize the idea of stopping the civil war and unanimously resisting Japan.

After the Xi'an Incident, Song Qiyun was in extreme danger. After studying in Yan'an, he returned to Xi'an to work. At the beginning of 1938, Song Qiyun was sent by the party to the Provisional Government of Hebei Province, where the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated. He served as the deputy director of the Political Department and the chief of the organization section, responsible for liaison with the Eighth Route Army headquarters. In November 1939, the party organization sent Song Qiyun to the headquarters of the Fourth Army of Sun Weiru in Zhongtiao Mountain in southwestern Shanxi as a major general counselor, and was also the deputy chief of education and political instructor of the headquarters's dry training class. He used his legal status to continue to engage in united front work and fought an arduous and special struggle against the Kuomintang die-hards.

At the end of 1941, Song Qiyun, Xu Linxia and their 8-month-old son Song Zhenzhong were arrested by Kuomintang military agents and imprisoned in Chongqing "Bai Mansion" prison, Zhazidong and Guizhou Xifeng concentration camp. During their eight years in prison, they suffered inhuman torture and all kinds of torture, but they never gave in and always maintained the firm belief and strong will of the Communist Party members. "I must not bend down and beg for mercy only if I am afraid of death. At the end of a hundred years of life, I will stay innocent".

On September 6, 1949, Song Qiyun, Xu Linxia and his wife, and their youngest son "Xiao Luotou" under the age of 9, together with General Yang Hucheng and his son, were brutally killed by Kuomintang military agents in Songlinpo, Chongqing.

In order to commemorate them, in 2003, the local government started construction in the town of eight Road, the birthplace of song Qiyun, to build a small turnip head memorial hall to show the story of his family's life. In 2005, the memorial hall was completed and opened. The local middle school in Pizhou often organizes students to visit here, and successively organizes activities such as "and" Little Radish Head Compared with Childhood "and" Young Pioneers Sworn in.

"Pizhou is rich in red cultural resources. Apart from the radish head family, the heroes associated with Pizhou include Wang Jie and Li overtime. During the Qingming Festival, many people will go to these memorial places to remember the heroes. "Li Pingnian, the person in charge of the Xiaorubtou Memorial Hall, said that he will make good use of red cultural resources and do a good job in patriotism education.

Source: Xinhua News Agency