Yan Long (soldier)

Yan Long
Native name
岩龙
BornJanuary 1960
Jinghong, Yunnan, China
Died25 February 1979(1979-02-25) (aged 19)
Lào Cai, Vietnam  †
Buried
Shuitou Martyrs' Cemetery
Hekou, Yunnan, China
AllegiancePeople's Republic of China
BranchPeople's Liberation Army Ground Force
Service years1978–1979
ConflictsSino-Vietnamese War †
AwardsMeritorious Service Medal, 1st class
Title 'Solitary Hero'

Yan Long (Chinese: 岩龙; pinyin: Yán Lóng; January 1960 – 25 February 1979) was a Chinese soldier in the People's Liberation Army. He was posthumously awarded for his actions during the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War.

Early life

Of Dai ethnicity, Yan was born on 1960 in Jinghong in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China.[1]

Military career

Yan enlisted in the People’s Liberation Army in March 1978 and joined the Communist Youth League of China in the same year. He served in Squad Four, Fifth Company, 120th Regiment, 40th Division of the 14th Army. During training and early service, he received four commendations for bravery and was named a model soldier in marksmanship, grenade throwing and physical fitness.[2]

Sino-Vietnamese war

In 1979, Yan Long took part in the Sino-Vietnamese War.[3] On 21 February 1979, after Chinese forces broke through Vietnamese forward defensive positions, the Fifth Company advanced along Route 7 in an area east of Lào Cai, Vietnam. Near Hill 78, the unit encountered Vietnamese troops equipped with anti-aircraft and machine guns. During the engagement, the platoon leader, Pan Kunhua, was killed, and the other members of Yan Long’s group were wounded.[4] After covering the evacuation of the wounded and fallen, he advanced alone into enemy positions, crawling to within 100 meters of Vietnamese fortifications. Over four hours of fighting, he destroyed three enemy fire points, including a heavy machine-gun position, eliminated an artillery site, repelled a surprise attack and killed more than twenty Vietnamese soldiers, resulting in the disruption of Vietnamese firepower and enabled Chinese forces to capture Hill 78.[5]

On the afternoon of 25 February 1979, while advancing toward a Vietnamese stronghold north of Lào Cai, Yan was shot dead by a Vietnamese sniper during a search and pursuit operation.[6] He was buried with military honors at Shuitou Martyrs' Cemetery in Hekou Yao Autonomous County, Yunnan, China.

Honors

In March 1979, the CCP committee of his division posthumously admitted him to the Party and awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal (first class). On 17 September 1979, the Central Military Commission awarded him the honorary title "Solitary Hero".[7][8] In 1984, he was one of the Chinese models and soldiers featured in a set of 1984 propaganda posters 'Register of Heroes'.[9]

References

  1. ^ Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau Life Guide (2022-05-05). "喜迎二十大 : 青春寻访 榜样引领（第五期）孤胆英雄——岩龙" [Celebrating the 20th CPC National Congress : Youth Search for Role Models (Fifth Episode): Lone Hero – Yan Long]. Sohu. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
  2. ^ Shi, Shanyu (1988). Zhōngguó jūnshì rénwù cídiǎn 中国军事人物辞典 [Dictionary of Chinese Military Figures] (in Chinese). Beijing: Kēxué jìshù wénxiàn chūbǎn shè. p. 491. ISBN 7-5023-0526-2.
  3. ^ Chen, Xiaobin (1987). Jiàoshī bǎikē cídiǎn 教师百科辞典 [Encyclopedia of Teachers] (in Chinese). Beijing: Shèhuì kēxué wénxiàn chūbǎn shè. p. 230.
  4. ^ Zheng, Fulin (1988). Zhōngguó gémìng hé jiànshè lìshǐ shíqī rénwù cídiǎn 1 中国革命和建设历史时期人物辞典 1 [Biographical Dictionary of Figures in the Historical Period of China’s Revolution and Construction, Vol. 1] (in Chinese). Changchun: Jílín rénmín chūbǎn shè. p. 438. ISBN 7-206-00083-5.
  5. ^ Mei, Dayong (2014). Zhàndòu yīngxióng 战斗英雄 [Combat Heroes] (in Chinese). Jinan: Huánghé chūbǎn shè. pp. 250–252. ISBN 7-5460-0491-8.
  6. ^ Li, Jingyu (2002). Yúnnán shěng zhì · juàn 80· rénwù zhì 云南省志 卷80 人物志 [Yunnan Provincial Gazetteer, Volume 80: Biographies] (in Chinese). Kunming: Yúnnán rénmín chūbǎn shè. p. 464. ISBN 7-222-03576-1.
  7. ^ Zhang, Haifu (1991). Zhōnghuá yīngliè cídiǎn 1840–1990 中华英烈词典 1840-1990 [Dictionary of Chinese Heroes and Martyrs, 1840–1990] (in Chinese). Beijing: Jūnshì yìwén chūbǎn shè. p. 564. ISBN 7-80027-131-5.
  8. ^ Luo, Zhengkai (1997). Zhōngguó rénmín jiěfàngjūn dàdiǎn 中国人民解放军大典 [Encyclopedia of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army] (in Chinese). Beijing: Guāngmíng rìbào chūbǎn shè. p. 1522. ISBN 7-80091-957-9.
  9. ^ "Register of heroes -- Yan Long". Chineseposters.net. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
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