Inscription for Liu Hulan[1]

(March 25, 1947)

A great life, a glorious death.

[1] On January 12, 1947, Liu Hulan was arrested due to betrayal by a traitor during a surprise attack by the troops of Shanxi warlord Yan Xishan on Yunzhouxi Village, Wenshui County. In the face of threats from the enemy, she remained steadfast and unyielding, calmly lying down beneath the straw cutter that had just beheaded six cadres' family members and returning Eighth Route Army soldiers, and died a heroic martyr's death. She was only 15 years old at the time. This is the inscription written by Mao Zedong for Liu Hulan on March 25, 1947, after hearing Ren Bishi's report on Liu Hulan's deeds. After liberation, in memory of Liu Hulan, the Liu Hulan Martyrs' Cemetery was built in her hometown, Yunzhouxi Village, Wenshui County, Shanxi Province. In January 1957, upon learning that his original inscription had been lost during the war, Mao Zedong rewrote this inscription for the Liu Hulan Cemetery. Liu Hulan (1932–1947), a native of Yunzhouxi Village, Wenshui County, Shanxi Province, joined the Communist Party in June 1946 as a probationary member, and served as secretary of the village Women's National Salvation Association and as an officer of the district Women's National Salvation Association. On January 12, 1947, she was arrested due to betrayal by a traitor and killed by the enemy. On August 1 of the same year, the Jin-Sui Sub-bureau of the CPC Central Committee posthumously recognized her as a full member of the Communist Party of China.

Inscription for Liu Hulan

A great life, a glorious death.
Mao Zedong