Inscription: In the Long March Memorial Hall of the Central Red Army in Yudu County, Jiangxi Province, a list of female soldiers who participated in the Long March of the Central Red Army 72 years ago is displayed. At the beginning of the Long March, 32 female Red Army soldiers went out with the troops, and 30 of them eventually arrived in Yan'an. In October 1934, the main force of the Red Army broke through the Central Soviet Area and prepared to move to western Hunan to create a new revolutionary base. When we set out, we brought several female Red Army soldiers with us to meet the needs of women's work in the new base area. Most of these lesbians work in central agencies and Soviet area government departments.
Many of these female Red Army members are the wives of leaders and leading cadres of organs directly under the central government, such as Deng, Kang Keqing, Cai Chang, He Zizhen, Liu Ying, Liu Qunxian, Xiao Yuehua, etc. Some of them are female Red Army members in the health department, such as Deng Liujin, Liu Caixiang, Li Guiying, Chen Huiqing, etc. There are also working group members and political warriors such as Li Bozhao, Wang Quanyuan and Wei Xiuying. Their mission is to investigate local tyrants, publicize the masses, and find migrant workers. Political warriors must march on stretchers and prepare stretcher platoons and transport squads.
Women in the Red Army were strictly selected to participate in the Long March. First, a member of the Communist Party must be a good political and ideological person; second, one must be able to work independently and do mass work. Third, be healthy and be able to move things, walk, and even lose weight. Lesbians participating in the Long March must undergo physical examinations, and only those who are in good health can move with the army. Wives of central leaders and lesbians who have held leadership positions in agencies directly under the central government do not need to undergo physical examinations, but whether to be mobilized with the military will be decided by the Secretariat of the Central Committee and the Organization Department. Initially, 34 female Red Army members were determined to participate in the Long March, including Peng Ru and He Yi. Since her husbands Chen Zhengren and Mao Zetan stayed in the Soviet area to persist in the struggle, they did not follow the main force of the Central Red Army during the Long March. Shortly after the end of the Long March, two female Red Army soldiers returned to the Soviet area due to illness. In the end, only 30 female Red Army soldiers arrived in Yan'an.
These female Red Army soldiers did not receive special treatment during the Long March, but they experienced many hardships that ordinary people could not imagine. They also carry more than 10 kilograms of luggage, including weapons, dry food, etc. Some of them took on the heavy responsibility of caring for the wounded, sometimes even carrying stretchers. During the Long March, Li Bozhao undertook the task of propaganda and agitation. Carrying the script of the Red Army Drama Club, she traveled between various units every day, twice as far as others. The book "32 Women Who Marched with the Central Red Army: Them" published by the Central Literature Publishing House tells the story of the hardships suffered by female Red Army soldiers during the Long March, especially the other kind of pain caused by gender.
During the Long March, when a huge army began to march in the Dayuling Mountains on the border of Fujian and Jiangxi, the road became increasingly rough and bumpy. In order not to alert the enemy, the troops still marched at night and took more paths that were not commonly used. As a result, these women who are not used to walking at night will inevitably stumble when walking.
After traveling hundreds or thousands of kilometers, women’s feet are swollen and exhausted, both physically and mentally. During the Long March, the Red Army did not have enough medicine, and even the sick and wounded were reluctant to use it. Fortunately, the convoy was not moving very fast. They had a lot of time and they were tortured in foot bindings. This long trip was even more painful.
Every time they go to the camp, the women will always set up the stove to boil a large pot of water. When the weather is hot, they will wash the basin, then soak their sore feet, and chat while soaking their feet. The warm water will open every pore on the soles of your feet, and the pain and fatigue will be blown away with the rolling heat waves. That was enjoyable and cool! People who have never experienced a long journey do not know the pain. Likewise, they cannot appreciate the joy that comes from the bitter experience. This is the happiest time for these female soldiers.
Liu Caixiang’s method of protecting her feet is unique. When marching, her steps were longer than those of her female companions. Once she arrived at the camp, the others were too tired to carry her luggage. Although she was tired, she was in no rush to lie down. Instead, he ran a few laps around the luggage and danced for a while. Just like an athlete who has just finished a game on the sports field, she did some finishing moves to slowly relax the tight muscles and let the whole blood flow, and then she went to rest. It was undoubtedly shallow sports science, but she didn't even realize it at the time. But this method laid a solid foundation for her to participate in sports competitions in Yan'an in the future. She was able to leave men far behind in long-distance running races and won three first prizes on her own.
Most of these women participated in the Long March for the first time. Those strong women, while taking care of three or four stretchers, also helped others carry luggage, dry food, and medical kits. Every time we go to the camp, the man falls to the ground like mud and doesn't want to move.
However, these women cannot fall. They had to settle the wounded first. During the emergency march, when the wounded were resting, they would go to the villages to persuade the common people to serve as porters and replenish those lost along the way. After all this is arranged, they can enjoy a good time soaking their feet.
From this perspective, their feet have traveled more than 25,000 miles. Of course there are exceptions. She never shows her feet in front of everyone, she always hides in the corner and soaks her feet, which is a daily lesson of great significance to everyone. She is Yang Houzhen. Sometimes, when marching at night, you can see a pair of small feet supporting a short and fat body, driven by the autumn wind like a top, swaying in the winding queue like a long dragon. Luo Binghui's wife, Yang Houzhen, used her "three-inch golden lotus" feet to trudge inch by inch on the way the Red Army moved.
I don’t know which dynasty started the bad custom of foot-binding, but the earliest poem about foot-binding can be found in "Bodhisattva Man" by Su Dongpo, a poet of the Song Dynasty. "The fragrance is breathed out without hesitation to step on the lotus, and the sorrowful stockings return to Lingbo; I see the dance and the returning wind, but they are nowhere to be found. Stealing the palace for stability, standing with double descending; it is difficult to say that it is exquisite, you have to look at it from the palm of your hand "This can also be called the first poem dedicated to foot binding in the history of Chinese poetry. It is not difficult to see from the poem that women bind their feet in order to please men.
In the feudal era, for wealthy people, women were vassals for men to play with and enjoy. In the fashionable era of small feet, women's small feet became the focus of men's pursuit and also became a victim of feudal ethics. Women who do not bind their feet are considered to be rough, disobedient, and uneducated. Respectable people will not marry a woman with big feet. The more knowledgeable and educated a family is, the more they are bound by feudal ethics. The more you love your daughter's mother, the tighter she will bind her daughter's feet. The theory of "three-inch golden lotus" was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and there was even a "hug lady" with feet less than three inches, who asked others to carry her in and out, and was highly sought after by the society at that time.
In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the rulers ordered a ban on women's foot binding, but the goal was never achieved. During the Revolution of 1911 and the May 4th Movement, people gradually opened their minds and the bad habit of foot binding was gradually abandoned.
Yang Houzhen grew up in a typical poor family in southern cities. A mother loves her daughter. When she was four or five years old, she used a long foot-wrapping cloth to wrap her daughter's tender little toes tightly toward the soles of her feet. When she first started to bind her feet, Yang Houzhen had quietly untied the cloth, but the short-term freedom brought endless scoldings and reprimands from her mother. Under the strict supervision of adults, she completed the entire foot-binding process until her feet no longer developed. . So her feet turned into "three-inch golden lotus" feet and became a typical Xiaojiabiyu.
If this girl with big eyes and small feet had not had family changes, she might have continued her life as a housewife. However, when she goes to Ganzhou to collect the remains of her dead father, the local warlord general Luo Binghui falls in love with her at first sight and helps her with her father's funeral. Soon, the two got married.
Yang Houzhen, who was born in a feudal family, has always followed her husband's path since marrying Luo Binghui. At the beginning of the revolution, she was not because of her understanding of communism, but because she supported her husband. After learning about some of Luo Binghui's pro-Japanese activities, she said to her husband: "I see that you have released all the 'red-faced' elements sent by various political parties recently, and some have also given food, travel expenses, etc. to people far away from home. Rags, clothes. You said, 'The poor in the world are all members of the same family. We must find a way to help the poor.' I was deeply impressed. What I can do for you. The words of this woman with small feet deeply touched this lifelong military wife. A man from Yunnan.
At first, Yang Houzhen secretly monitored the Chinese Communist Party's liaison officer in Luo Binghui. Later, she risked her life to act as a messenger between her husband and the Communist Party. Luo Binghui joined the Communist Party of China after the Ji'an uprising. She followed her husband's uprising troops to Jinggangshan. When Yang Houzhen arrived in the Soviet area and threw herself into the life in the liberated area, she really put down her little feet and embarked on the Chinese Communist Party. *The revolutionary road guided by the Communist Party
During this mass transfer of the entire army, women with small feet like Yang Houzhen were not suitable for marching, but perhaps she was adopted as the wife of Luo Binghui, the ninth commander of the Red Army. Approved to join the team. Husband, I am lucky to be able to move forward with the large army, but the difficulties and obstacles on the journey need to be overcome by myself. Such a pair of small feet has to walk a road full of thorns.
Yang Houzhen’s little feet could not recover even if they were released. Her feet were squeezed out of shape and turned into an authentic "three-inch golden lotus".
With such a pair of small feet, they can't even participate in productive labor. The most they can do is walk around the pot and deliver food and water to the ground, let alone march and fight.
When we first set out, we could not walk more than a few miles. Yang Houzhen couldn't walk anymore, so we had to ride on Luo Binghui's horse. Because she is short and fat, Luo Binghui's horse is tall and big. Every time she mounts a horse, she always needs help from others. In order to reduce trouble, Yang Houzhen never dismounted his horse as long as he got on it, unless he arrived at the camp at night. My little feet were walking on the road, afraid that I would be unable to walk and fall behind, but it was very uncomfortable to be on horseback all day long. Several times, as soon as she got off the horse, her legs became numb, and her heavy body fell to the ground with a "plop". She felt sad and hated her feet even more. She sat on the ground tapping her little feet, feeling sorry for herself. But she never said anything like staying or not leaving. She is a woman with traditional Chinese ideas. If she marries Luo Binghui, she will accompany him to the end, even in the flames. After following the Communist Party, she also closely followed the revolutionary ranks, and was not afraid of encountering numerous difficulties and obstacles. Of course, after the Long March, her separation from Luo Binghui can only be said to be the passage of time and the tragedy of an era.