Medal of Republic recipient Zhang Fuqing dies at 97

Zhang Fuqing, a former combat hero who made meritorious achievements during the War of Liberation (1946-49) and received China's highest State honor, died on Tuesday night, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The recipient of the Medal of the Republic passed away in Wuhan, Hubei province, at the age of 97 after medical treatment failed, it said.

Zhang was born in Yangxian county, Shaanxi province in 1924.He joined the People's Liberation Army and the Communist Party of China in 1948.

When serving in the Northwest Field Army, one of the main forces of the PLA during the Liberation War, he had made numerous contributions to the victories of key battles, especially those in Northwest China, and was awarded plenty of honors by the Army, including the distinguished-class merit, first-class merit and the honorary title of "Combat Hero" twice.

In 1955, he retired from the army and chose to work as a grassroots official in remote and mountainous Laifeng county, in Hubei province, even though it is more than 400 kilometers from his hometown in Shaanxi province.

In Laifeng, Zhang successively served in various jobs in the county until his retirement in 1984, including the departments of grain management and foreign trade, and the Laifeng branch of China Construction Bank.

However, for more than 60 years, the outstanding former soldier kept all of his previous achievements in the military a secret, even from his family.

It wasn't until the local veterans' affairs bureau began collecting ex-servicemen's information in 2018 that Zhang's certificates and medals of honor were revealed.

In 2019, Zhang was awarded the Medal of the Republic, the country's top State honor, by President Xi Jinping in a commemoration marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In the past over six decades, he wrapped the medals and certificates he had received in the military in cloth and kept them in a leather box.

"Many of my comrades sacrificed their lives in the war. Compared to them, how could I take out any of the medals and show off my achievements?" Zhang said.

"One by one, they fell. I think about them all the time. I cannot forget."