Family pays tribute to hero's tomb for 89 years

For the past 89 years, Zhang Yuhua's family has paid tribute to a tomb on his family burial site during traditional Chinese festivals and memorial days for revolutionaries. However, the person the family remembers does not bear the surname Zhang.

Liu Chisheng, a man who joined the Communist Party of China in 1924 and helped organize peasants' movements, along with raised money for the Party in the central province of Hubei after graduating from Peking University, resides at the tomb.

The 27-year-old was arrested and murdered by the armed forces of the local landlords as he attempted to cover and relocate CPC supporters, on Feb 15, 1928.

Zhang Jinhuan, Zhang Yuhua's father, was deeply moved and secretly buried Liu's remains at a family burial site on a low-lying ground in Longwan town, Hubei's Qianjiang city.

However, the landlords noticed the father's sympathy for the CPC and threatened to kill Zhang's family. Thus, the father fled the region with his family and did not return until 1947, when Longwan town was liberated.

"We should treasure our hard-earned life, and never forget those who died for the national independence and prosperity," Zhang Yuhua was quoted as saying by Wuhan Daily.

Li Lei contributed to the story.