He Chang

Name: He Chang
ISBN: 9787514711080

PLA Party History and Military History Research Center, Academy of Military SciencesXuexi Publishing House · ChinaSep 2025

Rating 3.9

Word count: 53K words
Chapters: 35
ISBN: 9787514711080

Summary

This book vividly recounts in narrative form the brilliant life of He Chang, an outstanding early proletarian revolutionary of the Communist Party of China, a pioneer of the early youth and workers' movements in Shanxi Province, a senior party affairs worker in the early CPC, a senior commander of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and an outstanding leader of our army's political work. Firm in his Marxist-Leninist convictions, He Chang actively took part in revolutionary struggles. At 16 he served as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Socialist Youth League of China, and at 21 he became a member of the CPC Central Committee. Through countless battles, he moved successively to Shanghai, Hunan, Hong Kong, Guangxi, Tianjin, Hebei, and Jiangxi, joined the August 1 Nanchang Uprising, helped organize the Guangzhou Uprising, and planned the Baise Uprising. In the end, while defending the Central Soviet Area, he was surrounded by enemy forces and, refusing to be taken prisoner, shouted "Long live the Red Army!" and shot himself, dying a heroic death at only 29. In accessible language and through highly representative heroic deeds, the book presents He Chang's ordinary yet great life. Fully respecting historical facts, it integrates the course of the Chinese revolution and Martyr He Chang's glorious life experience, using representative stories to illustrate a Communist's dream of strengthening the nation and serving the people. It will inspire Party members, cadres, and the masses to study the Party's history in depth, stay true to the original aspiration, forge ahead, and strive tirelessly for the Chinese Dream of great national rejuvenation.

Editor's review

He Chang, compiled by the PLA Party History and Military History Research Center of the Academy of Military Sciences and published by Xuexi Publishing House, is a biography focused on the brief yet heroic life of Comrade He Chang, a senior commander of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and a proletarian revolutionary. He Chang was one of the important early leaders of the Communist Party of China, participating in major historical events including the Anyuan railway and mining workers' movement, the Nanchang Uprising, and the Guangzhou Uprising. He held key posts such as Secretary of the Northern Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the Red Army, and sacrificed his life in Huichang, Jiangxi, in 1935 at the age of only 29. Drawing on an authoritative Party and military history research institution, the book adopts a rigorous historiographical approach, extensively collecting and verifying historical materials in an effort to comprehensively and objectively reconstruct He Chang's revolutionary career, military contributions, and intellectual development. It is not merely an individual biography but a window into how early Chinese Communists explored revolutionary paths and waged armed struggle under extremely difficult conditions. The book's textual research into historical details and its portrayal of character and circumstance transcend the simple model of heroic eulogy, presenting the true texture and historical limitations of historical figures within grand narratives. For readers seeking a deeper understanding of the early history of the Red Army, details of Party and military history, or the spiritual legacy of revolutionary heroism, this book provides a solid textual foundation. Its narrative style emphasizes factual exposition, is relatively academic, and contains little literary embellishment; its core value lies in the credibility of its historical sources and the systematic nature of its research.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers or enthusiasts with a strong interest in modern Chinese history, CPC history, and military history.
Readers who wish to understand the specific life and revolutionary practice of early Red Army leaders.
University students in history, political science, and related fields, as supplementary reading material.
Writers or content creators seeking authoritative, detailed biographical reference materials.

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers seeking strong storytelling, literary embellishment, or light reading.
Readers completely unfamiliar with modern Chinese revolutionary history and lacking basic background knowledge.

Reading tips

Before reading, it is advisable to have some understanding of the basic historical context of the Great Revolution and the early period of the Agrarian Revolutionary War, which helps in better understanding the era in which the figure lived.
The book can be read alongside biographies of other leaders from the same period or related historical works to gain a more three-dimensional historical understanding.
Pay attention to the original documents and historical sources cited in the book; this is both the source of its academic value and a clue for further research.

About the publisher

Xuexi Publishing House China · Founded in 1993

Xuexi Publishing House is a book, audio, and electronic publishing unit under the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, with its publishing focus on promoting and explaining the Party's innovative theories. It has 171 books in the database, commonly classified under law, politics, general biography, and documentary literature. Representative titles include the Study Outline of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, the Study Outline of Xi Jinping Thought on Economics, the One Hundred Questions for Studying the Report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Study Questions and Answers on Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, and biographies of Tan Sitong, Qiu Jin, Ye Ting, and Peng Xuefeng. Its author resources include the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Office of the Commission for Overall Law-Based Governance of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, as well as Zhang Haipeng, Zhao Xingsheng, and Cui Huajie — mostly institutions and researchers in relevant fields, reflecting a publishing profile that gives equal weight to theoretical works and biographies.

版权信息
中华先烈人物故事汇《贺昌》编委会
引子
01 少年壮志当自强
书香世家
敏而好学
革命启蒙
02 信仰支撑奔革命
追求救国理想
结识进步学生
创建太原团组织
领导太原团工作
驱赶反动坏校长
03 好男儿志在四方
为革命以笔作刀枪
领导山西工人运动
上海求学再度深造
大刀阔斧安源之行
04 经文纬武干一场
到上海团中央工作
组织上海武装起义
参加八一南昌起义
重建湖南党的组织
革命伴侣牵手成功
“寄子离任”应突变
艰辛求索寻到光明
05 倾尽全力报家国
兴国经验受称赞
赋予重任战时艰
召开红军政工会
艰苦卓绝守苏区
九死一生突重围
一腔热血为国洒
06 尾声
后记

FAQ

What is the book's Douban rating?

A search shows that rating information for this book on the Douban platform has not been widely collected or displayed, which may be related to its highly specialized nature and relatively specific readership. As a biography published by an authoritative party-history and military-history research institution, its value lies primarily in the authority of its historical sources and research.

What kind of institution is the author, the "PLA Party History and Military History Research Center of the Academy of Military Sciences"?

The center is an important research institution under the Chinese People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, specializing in the research, compilation, and dissemination of the history of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Its research findings carry high authority and an official background.

Is this book suitable as an introductory read?

It is not particularly suitable as a fully introductory read. The content is specialized, the historical sources detailed, and the narrative emphasizes historical facts, assuming that readers have some background knowledge of history. It is recommended to read it after gaining a preliminary understanding of this period of history, which will make the reading more rewarding.

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About the author

PLA Party History and Military History Research Center, Academy of Military Sciences Author

The PLA Party History and Military History Research Center of the Academy of Military Sciences is a specialized research institution under the Academy of Military Sciences. Its full name is the PLA Party History and Military History Research Center, and it is affiliated with the Academy of Military Political Work. It mainly performs official duties in compiling history, writing biographies, and editing chronicles, and undertakes major compilation projects such as the Military History of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It is regarded as one of the "national teams" in Party and military history research. The center has 31 works in the database, focused on documentary literature and comprehensive biography. Its representative works cover figures such as Ye Ting, Peng Xuefeng, Mao Anying, Xiang Ying, Zhao Shangzhi, Zhu Rui, Xie Zichang, and Luo Binghui. Due to limited public information, details of its institutional evolution and staffing are unknown, but based on its existing works, the center emphasizes rigorous historical source organization in presenting the lives of revolutionary figures. Its writing style leans toward documentary and biography, and it has a certain influence in popularizing Party and military history.