Dong Cunrui

Sacrificing oneself while blowing up a pillbox, 1963

Sacrificing oneself while blowing up a pillbox, 1963

Dong Cunrui (董存瑞, 1929-1948), a Party member, was made a Hero of the People’s Liberation Army in 1963. During a campaign in the civil war between Communist and Nationalist forces (1946-1949), the advance of the PLA was blocked by a last enemy stronghold, in the form of a pill-box built on a bridge; this was in Longhua County (隆化县), Hebei Province. Dong pressed a pack of explosives against the bridge with his hand and blew the pill-box off. He was killed in the explosion.

The story of Dong Cunrui, 1974

The story of Dong Cunrui, 1974

Dong Cunrui was made a model for the PLA in 1963, together with An Yemin, Huang Jiguang, Lei Feng, Zhang Side and Norman Bethune. These models were later also to be emulated by the population at large; Dong's pose, with his left arm stretched above his head, has become iconic. Even in the 1990s, Dong continued to be seen as an emulatable example.

Young heroes’ scrolls - Dong Cunrui, 1961

Young heroes’ scrolls - Dong Cunrui, 1961

Dong Cunrui, 1992

Dong Cunrui, 1992

Ding Hong a.o., 真正的战士 - 董存瑞的故事 [A true warrior - The story of Dong Cunrui] (Beijing: Zhongguo qingnian chubanshe, 1954)

Jin Ge & Chen Qiu, 董存瑞的故事 [The Story of Dong Cunrui] (Beijing: Jiefangjun wenyishe, 1975) 

Shao Wu et al. (eds), 共和国群英谱 [Gongheguo qunyingpu - Register of heroes of the Republic] (Beijing: Zhongguo shaonian ertong chubanshe, 2003)

Xu Yan, 80 位 共产党人的故事 [The stories of 80 Communist Party personages] (Beijing: Jiefangjun wenyi chubanshe, 2001)