Gao Jiancheng

Gao Jiancheng (高建成) (October 1965 – 1998), was a political instructor of the Chinese Air Force known for fighting the 1998 Yangtze flood. Following his death in the flooding he became a Chinese propaganda icon.

Personal life

Gao Jiancheng was born in a peasant family in Xiangyin County in Hunan Province. After graduating from Xiangyin No.4 high school, he entered the Air Force Academy in 1984. After graduation, he served in Wuhan. He successively held posts of platoon lead, assistant engineer, deputy political instructor and political instructor.

Gao's mother is Yang Youxiu(杨友秀). He married Lu Bei (鲁蓓), with whom he had a daughter, Gao Jieyuan(高洁缘). After his death, his mother sent his brother Gao Jianmin to inherit Gao's career.[1]

Death

During the summer of 1998, the Yangtze River Basin flooded. On July 27, Gao's unit was ordered to carry out disaster relief efforts. In spite of running fever for several days, he led his men in the first line of rescue work.

According to Chinese state media, on August 1, Gao led his men in jeeps to a breached dike in Jiayu County upstream from Wuhan. Gao was reported to have told his men "Everyone should keep calm... The company commander and I are here. There are party members and cadres here too. Even if we are sacrificed we shall ensure your safety."[2] The unit was overwhelmed by the floodwaters and the men clung to tree branches. Gao gave his own lifejacket to Zhao Wenyuan who could not swim. After 21:00, the situation worsened. He pushed Liu Nan, a struggling soldier to a big tree. Gao was then swept away.[3][4][5]

On 12 August 1998, Jiang Zemin, as chairman of the Central Military Commission, conferred on him the honorary title of "flood-fighting hero".[6] He also received the Heroic Exemplar, First Class medal.[7]

The Guardian reported that Gao had "become a posthumous propaganda icon". The South China Morning Post reported that "A new national hero has been created as part of the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to transform the most devastating natural disasters of the decade into a patriotic campaign to unite the nation."[8]

See also

Notes
  1. "腾讯首页". www.qq.com. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  2. Gittings, John (September 1, 1998). "The amazingly good soldier of Yangtze: John Gittings in Beijing on the rise of a hero from China's floods". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "壮士高建成(组图)_网易新闻". news.163.com. August 10, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  4. "高建成". 浙江省教育厅. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  5. "抗洪英雄高建成之女上大学了(图)". 长江日报(武汉). September 6, 2012. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  6. "高建成". 浙江省教育厅. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
  7. ""抗洪英雄"高建成命名大会在京举行". 光明网. September 4, 1998.
  8. Ho, Andy (August 18, 1998). "Rescue lessons lost in party line". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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