He was born in Japan and, on his way home, overwhelmed by indignation at the nation’s peril, threw himself into the sea and died. Upon receiving the news, Hunan students petitioned the government to have his remains brought back up the Xiang River and buried on Yuelu Mountain. However, the callous Hunan Governor Yu Liansan[1] and a certain Inspector of Education, eager to further enhance their own positions by profiting from the blood of revolutionaries and students, stubbornly refused permission. Failing to secure official approval, the students resorted to “self-reliance.” On April 1, 1906, all primary and secondary school students in Changsha rose up en masse, crossing the river at two points—the Zhuzhang Ferry and the Small West Gate—bearing bright banners and clad in pure white garments. Against the blazing sunlight, they sang mournful songs that stretched for over ten li one after another. Soldiers and police stood dumbfounded by the roadside, too afraid to intervene. Ultimately, Chen Yao was successfully interred. The authorities swallowed their anger in silence, daring not to object. At that moment, morale throughout Hunan seemed to reach a frenzied, almost maniacal pitch, soaring to an unprecedented height. Yet, once some time had passed and resentment had festered, the officials seized upon a pretext to execute Yu Zhimo; soon after, they even exhumed Chen Yao!
In the wake of the “righteous burial of Chen Yao,” another noteworthy event among Hunan’s student community occurred in May 1910: a grand sports meet involving students from every school in the provincial capital—
One might ask, since holding sports meets is nothing unusual, what could possibly be so remarkable about it? Yet this particular meet of 1910 was different. It carried a clear undertone of “demonstration” and bore the coloration of “revolution.” Even the local authorities were deeply alarmed, especially the Inspector of Education, Mr. Wu, who was particularly apprehensive. The organizers, leveraging the dire situation of the country under external threat, tirelessly promoted the idea until it finally came to fruition. The venue was a vast parade ground outside Little Wu Gate in Changsha, where the New Army conducted its drills. All the students assembled in strict formation. As the morning breeze cooled the air and the rising sun cast a radiant glow, they engaged in a variety of athletic events. Most memorable, however, was the stirring, soaring lament sung as the students’ anthem—a piece composed by an unknown author nearly ten years earlier, yet still cherished by Hunan’s young people today.

[1] Yu Liansan should be Yu Liansan, courtesy name Xiaxuan, native of Shanyin County, Zhejiang (now Shaoxing). He served as Censor-in-Chief of Hunan in 1894, then as Provincial Administrator of Shanxi in 1896, and as Provincial Administrator of Hunan in February 1898. In October of the same year, he succeeded Chen Baozhen as Governor of Hunan, holding the post until February 1902. During his tenure in Hunan, he obstructed Chen Baozhen’s Reform Movement and brutally suppressed anti-Qing armed uprisings across the province.