Yang Gensi
Yang Gensi (Chinese: 楊根思; November 26, 1922 – November 29, 1950) was a Chinese soldier who fought in the Korean War. Per the Chinese and North Korean governments, Gensi is a war hero[1] A frequent topic of Communist Chinese propaganda, the people of the republic were taught to emulate his acts in their daily lives.[2]
Yang Gensi | |
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| Native name | 楊根思 |
| Birth name | Yang Gengxi (Chinese: 羊庚璽) |
| Born | November 26, 1922 Taixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Died | November 29, 1950 (aged 28) Hagaru-ri, Changjin County, North Korea |
| Allegiance |  China |
| Service/ | People's Volunteer Army |
| Years of service | 1944 - 1950 |
| Battles/wars | Korean War † |
Per the official Chinese narrative, Gensi was born in a poor peasant family in Taixing, Jiangsu Province.[1] He joined the New Fourth Army in 1944 and joined the Communist Party in 1945. In October 1950, he joined the Chinese People's Volunteers to fight in the Korean War.[1] In November, Yang was sent to protect a strategic position outside Hagaru-ri. On the 29th, the U.S. military attacked Yang's position. After withstanding eight waves of attacks, only he and two injured soldiers remained alive in the fortification, and they were out of ammunition. As his last stand, he threw himself into a group of more than 40 American soldiers while holding a satchel charge, sacrificing his life and killing the American soldiers.[1]
The Chinese People's Volunteers posthumously awarded Gensi the title of "Super Hero" by and named the company he was in during his lifetime as "Yang Gensilian".[1] The Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea awarded him the title of "Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea", the Gold Star Medal, and the First Class National Flag Medal.[1]