Memorial service to be held for China's last surviving female Red Army soldier

A memorial service for Wang Quanying, China's last surviving female Red Army soldier who took part in the legendary Long March, is expected to be held on Thursday in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Wang passed away peacefully at a hospital at 12:30 am on Wednesday at the age of 105.

The county has set up a funeral preparatory committee to handle her funeral arrangements, and the service will take place in accordance with her family's wishes.

Born in June 1921 into a Tibetan family, Wang lost both parents early and endured a harsh childhood. In June 1935, at the age of 14, she joined the Red Army in her hometown, embarking on her revolutionary journey, according to the county's veterans affairs bureau.

After joining the Red Army, Wang was assigned a variety of tasks, including guiding, cooking and boiling water, nursing the wounded, and gathering and transporting grain.

In March 1936, while her unit was fighting in Danba county, they came under siege by Kuomintang troops. In the fierce battle that followed, she became separated from her comrades. To rejoin the main force, she trudged through deep snow wearing straw sandals, which caused the loss of a toe on her left foot due to frostbite.

After wandering for more than a month, she settled anonymously in Wenchuan county in May 1936.

Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, she changed her given name from Guixiang to Quanying, expressing her belief that "all Red Army soldiers across the nation are heroes". In 1984, the local government verified her status as a Red Army soldier and issued the relevant certification documents.