Brave soldier with a kind heart

When Xiao Wanshi died at the ripe old age of 104 earlier this month, his family and friends were astonished to discover the old man had been quite a hero.

Since 1937, Xiao had won First-class Merit Citation ten times in the army, besides numerous other honors, a rare achievement in modern Chinese military history.

Though Xiao never bragged about his honors, the man impressed acquaintances with his strong character.