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Liu Yingjun (1945-1966), a native from Changchun, Jilin Province, was from a poor peasant background. In 1962, he joined the People's Liberation Army.
On 15 March 1966, during training manoeuvres, he was riding the lead
horse of a team pulling a cannon. The horse was frightened by the
claxon of a passing long-distance bus, and threatened to run over six
playing children. Liu managed to reign in the horse and save the
children, but sustained lethal injuries and died a martyr's death.
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Liu, who was nicknamed 'The Locomotive' by his
buddies for his boundless energy, was not only made a hero because of
his sacrifice, but also because he was known as a tireless student of Lei Feng,
whose behavior he tried to emulate (or imitate) in every possible way.
In the poster above right, we see Liu actually engaged in the study of
Lei's example, thus giving heed to the 'highest instruction'
promulgated by Mao Zedong to do so. His sacrifice, moreover, repeated
and amplified the heroic behavior of another martyr, Ouyang Hai, who died in a horse-related accident in 1963.
Source:
Shao Wu et al. (eds), Gongheguo qunyingpu [Register of heroes of the Republic] (Beijing: Zhongguo shaonian ertong chubanshe, 2003) [in Chinese]
Return to the Register of Heroes and Villains
s.r.landsberger@let.leidenuniv.nl
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International Institute of Social History