Zhao, who married her late husband’s cousin, has five children but never stops mourning the man she lost
Zhao Cuifen, from Liuyang in Hunan province, reportedly married Zhang Zhixin in the 1950s. Soon afterwards, Zhang enlisted in the army.
In July 1953, as Korean war armistice talks were deadlocked, Kuomintang forces launched a major assault on Dongshan Island off southeastern China. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops training in nearby cities were rushed in as reinforcements. Among them were 60 soldiers from Liuyang, including Zhang.
After 36 hours of fierce fighting, the PLA claimed victory, but more than 1,200 soldiers were killed or wounded. Zhang died in the battle at the age of 20, leaving behind no children and no photographs.
Zhao cried every day but continued to care for Zhang’s parents. Worried that she could not bear the family burden alone, the elderly couple later arranged for her to marry Zhang’s cousin, according to Liuyang Daily.
Zhao went on to have five children but never stopped mourning the man she lost as a young woman.
For decades, the martyrs of the Dongshan Island battle existed only as names carved into stone. Although a cemetery was built on the island, many families found it difficult to travel there to pay tribute.
