China Yuhuatai Revolutionary Martyr Memorial in Nanjing.
Was a revolutionary martyr’s name written incorrectly when a memorial was replaced? His relatives toil for 30 years without result.
June 25, 2009
Source: Yanzhao Metro Post (Hebei)
When elder brother Song Fu (宋富）was martyred during the revolution (1945-1949), his name was carved into a martyr’s memorial, but thirty years ago when the memorial was replaced, Song Fu’s name is suspected to have been incorrectly written as “Zhu Fu (朱富).” To correct his elder brother’s name, Song You has toiled for a full thirty years, but has yet to succeed in having the carving corrected.
Sacrificing his life at Changyi, Elder brother was named a martyr
59-year-old Song You lives in Funing county’s Taiying Town, Village 5. When his brother Song Fu was killed, he had not yet been born, however he has learned of his brother’s life from the remembrances of his fellow soldiers and from the book published by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, “Certificate of Revolutionary Martyrs.”
Song You says that his brother Song Fu joined the Funning county detachment of the revolutionary army in 1945. In early 1947 he left for battle in Changyi county with his unit. He was killed by a Guomindang air raid near Zhangge village. He was 18 years old.
Afterwards, Funing’s detachment entered the 12th military area. In the summer of 1947, Song You’s family received the “Notice Book of Martyrs Killed in Action” published by the 12th military area. Late that year, the relevant departments constructed a revolutionary martyr’s tower at the former site of Yingzhen. The names of Song Fu and 298 fellow martyrs were carved into the stone.
Longhua Cemetary in Shanghai. Source: Marc van der Chijs.
Family name miswritten? Relatives toil for 30 years without result
Around 1971, Funing county decided to construct the Yanghe reservoir and requisitioned the land on which the memorial tower was built. Afterwards, the county rebuilt the revolutionary martyr’s monument.
In 1978, the Shiren village people’s militia accompanied their commander, Song You, in conducting a memorial ceremony at the revolutionary martyr’s monument. At that time he discovered that his brother Song Fu’s name was nowhere to be found. Furthermore, within the original 299 names of martyrs there had without reason appeared one “Zhu Fu 朱富.”
“Was my brother’s name incorrectly written as “Zhu Fu 朱富”? Filled with suspicion, Song You began to address this concern to the appropriate departments. Even so, this issue has been procrastinated now for 30 years.
Ministry of Civil Affairs has yet to reach a final decision
After this reporter contacted the Taiying Town Municipal Government head, Chen Suzhen, Mr. Chen began to explain that the monument erected in Taiying county was first built in 1947, but according to the “Certificate of Revolutionary Martyr’s” Song You’s brother, Song Fu was killed in 1948. Whether the name has been miswritten or there actually was a person named Zhu Fu, remained impossible to say in his view.
Later, this reporter contacted the section of the Fuying County Municipal Government. A worker there said on the phone that this question would need to be directed to the city Bureau of Municipal Affairs and further stated that a written notice had already been sent out. He would not give any other explanation aside from the notice.
This reporter called the phone number for the city department given to him by the worker many times without result. When this reporter contacted Song You he expressed that he had never received any sort of written answer regarding his brother.
Just for comparison: A North Korean Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetary.
