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Cheng Benhua (成本華)

  • Writer: chanfebe04
    chanfebe04
  • Jul 8
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jul 14

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Cheng Benhua was only a teenager when she became a symbol of youth martyrdom in China’s resistance against Japanese invasion. As a member of the student underground movement, she was arrested and brutally tortured — yet refused to betray her comrades. Her death became a rallying cry in Chinese memorial culture, representing moral conviction, loyalty, and the power of young people in political transformation.

 🕊️ LIFE BEFORE THE WAR

  • Birthplace: Born in 1914 in Gaoxiang Village, Hexian County, Anhui Province, China. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Nationalist Values: Raised with strong anti-occupation sentiment in a community deeply affected by Japanese encroachment. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Political Awareness: Participated in grassroots protests and anti-Japanese education programs in her teens. [1] [2] [3] [4] [6]

  • Engagement & Partnership: Became engaged in 1937 to Liu Zhiyi, a fellow resistance organizer. Liu’s death in early 1938 during a resistance clash profoundly strengthened her resolve. [1] [2] [3] [4] [6]

🕊️ CONTRIBUTIONS TO WWII RESISTANCE IN ASIA

  • Psychological Warfare: Created and distributed anti-Japanese pamphlets and wall posters calling for defiance. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Local Mobilization: Recruited young rural women to participate in support roles for guerrilla units. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Courier Intelligence: Relayed information, maps, and supplies across occupied zones, often under cover of night. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Command Networking: Acted as a messenger between guerrilla leaders in Anhui’s fragmented hill campaigns. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Capture: Apprehended in April 1938 during a courier run by Japanese troops under Koichi Yamashita. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Imprisonment: Subjected to extreme torture and sexual assault, yet never provided intelligence. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Final Defiance: Witnessed execution of comrades, then smiled defiantly before her own death by bayonet—photographed moments before. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

🕊️ LIFE AFTER THE WAR

  • Photo Rediscovery: The execution image was kept by Yamashita and rediscovered decades later. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Veteran’s Testimony: In 1992, Japanese veteran Isamu Kobayashi identified Cheng’s bravery during that final day. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Chinese-Supported Identification: Chinese scholar Fang Jun worked with Japanese sources to confirm the image. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

  • Family Confirmation: Her sister-in-law, Xu Renzhen, confirmed the photograph’s authenticity in 2009. [1] [2] [3] [5] [8]

  • Symbolic Burial: In 2012, the photo was placed in the Cheng family ancestral hall in a symbolic ceremony. [1] [2] [3] [5] [8]

  • Legacy Recognition: Her statue in Nanjing honors her resistance, and she is widely commemorated in museum exhibits. [1] [2] [3] [6] [7]

References

[1] WWII Database – Cheng Benhua. https://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=1145

[2] History Defined – The Haunting Smile of Cheng Benhua. https://www.historydefined.net/cheng-benhua/

[3] Valor Gear – Cheng Benhua: Her Defiance, Resistance, and Valor in One Photograph. https://shopvalorgear.com/blogs/blog/cheng-benhua-her-defiance-resistance-and-valor-in-one-photograph

[4] Sohu – 被日军虐杀的中国女英雄成本华，牺牲前一笑成经典. https://www.sohu.com/a/471949866_121124044

[5] Sina News – 日军拍下一个女孩临刑前的一笑，几十年后被认出身份. https://k.sina.cn/article_6995117639_p1a0f1064700100juii.html

[6] BBC – The Haunting Last Smiles of Eight Women of WWII. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52574750

[7] YouTube – The Execution of the Female Fighter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYB2vRdT3X4

[8] Toutiao – 成本华：一张照片里的民族气节. https://www.toutiao.com/w/1794561716093962/?wid=1750101859191



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