Feng Baiju
Encyclopedia
Feng Baiju, 冯白驹, was the main leader of the Hainan Independent Column (Qiongya zongdui) of Chinese Communist fighters on Hainan
Island. Feng led the Column in resistance to both the Nationalists (Guomindang/Kuomintang
, GMD/KMT) and the Japanese. The Japanese occupation of Hainan
lasted from 1939 through 1945. The Communist takeover of Hainan did not occur until the spring of 1950 when mainland Communist forces joined with Feng's local Column of fighters. Feng maintained control of political leadership on Hainan for a short time after the Communist takeover, but soon he was removed in favor of leaders who were more palatable to mainland PRC leaders. He suffered greatly during the "anti-localism" campaigns of the 1950s, and again in struggle session
s during the Cultural Revolution
, and died in 1973. Today he is celebrated as one of Hainan's local heroes.
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
Island. Feng led the Column in resistance to both the Nationalists (Guomindang/Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, GMD/KMT) and the Japanese. The Japanese occupation of Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
lasted from 1939 through 1945. The Communist takeover of Hainan did not occur until the spring of 1950 when mainland Communist forces joined with Feng's local Column of fighters. Feng maintained control of political leadership on Hainan for a short time after the Communist takeover, but soon he was removed in favor of leaders who were more palatable to mainland PRC leaders. He suffered greatly during the "anti-localism" campaigns of the 1950s, and again in struggle session
Struggle Session
A struggle session was a form of public humiliation used by the Communist Party of China to enforce a reign of terror in the Mao Zedong era to shape public opinion and to humiliate, persecute, and/or execute political rivals, so-called class enemies...
s during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, and died in 1973. Today he is celebrated as one of Hainan's local heroes.