China last female Red Army veteran who enlisted at 14 celebrates 105th birthday in uniform

China’s last surviving female Red Army veteran has marked her 105th birthday, as her extraordinary wartime story stirred admiration across mainland social media.On June 27, Wang Quanying, from Sichuan province in southwestern China, sat in a wheelchair in military uniform, her chest adorned with medals, as relatives, volunteers and well-wishers gathered to celebrate the milestone.Although Wang never learned to read or write, local media said she could still sing Red Army songs from memory, had sharp eyesight and continued to do needlework.She has attributed her longevity to “a positive mindset, a largely vegetarian diet, compassion and a willingness to do good”.Red Army veteran Wang Quanying, adorned with medals, is surrounded by relatives, volunteers, and well-wishers on June 27 during her 105th birthday celebration. Photo: QQ.comAccording to the national state broadcaster CCTV, Wang was born into a poor rural family, was orphaned at the age of one and raised by her uncle.At five, she was sent to work for a local official’s family, herding cattle, grinding grain and doing other manual labour.In 1935, a Red Army unit stopped in her village. Wang later recalled that the soldiers did not mistreat the poor and even shared food with villagers.Inspired by their mission to help ordinary people, she joined the Red Army at 14, serving as a guide, cook, nurse and grain porter.A well-preserved official document verifying Wang’s historical enlistment and membership in her Red Army unit. Photo: QQ.comShe was also able to identify medicinal herbs and used folk remedies to treat wounded soldiers when medical supplies were scarce.The Red Army was a Communist-led force made up largely of peasants and workers.In October 1934, besieged by Kuomintang troops, it began a two-year strategic retreat from Ruijin in Jiangxi province that became known as the Long March.The campaign covered about 12,500km and more than 600 battles before the forces eventually regrouped in Gansu province in northwestern China.Further ReadingWang recalled that she was the only survivor among the 12 young Red Army soldiers who had set out with her.During a battle in 1936, she and several companions became separated from the main force. In an attempt to rejoin it, they crossed snowbound mountains, surviving on grass roots and melted snow. With no shoes, Wang lost a toe to frostbite.Wang points to her foot, where she lost a toe to severe frostbite while crossing snowbound mountains barefoot to rejoin the main Red Army force in 1936. Photo: QQ.comAfter more than a month of gruelling travel, she was stranded in Sichuan, where she concealed her identity, married a local villager and had five children. Only two daughters survived the hardship.After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, she changed her first name to Quanying, meaning “all heroes,” in tribute to fallen Red Army soldiers.Mainland reports said Wang’s lifelong regret was not being able to complete the Long March. Yet she has remained grateful, never boasting of her service, and has continued to honour the comrades who did not return.Wang now has a large family, including 10 university graduates across four generations. Her elder daughter retired from a government post, and her younger daughter was a doctor.Relatives and volunteers from across China attended her birthday banquet, where she also received two digitally restored portraits of her younger self.Wang’s extended family and volunteers from across China gather for a banquet to honour the veteran’s 105th birthday. Photo: QQ.com“Happy birthday to Grandma Wang,” one online observer wrote. “She endured unimaginable hardship and lived to see the country prosper on behalf of her fallen comrades.”“She is a woman who can hold up half the sky,” another netizen remarked.