Yun Daiying (1895-1931)

Chinese proletarian revolutionary; one of the leaders of the early youth movement of the Communist Party of China. Originally from Wujin, Jiangsu Province, he was born in Wuchang, Hubei Province. In 1915, he participated in the New Culture Movement and wrote articles in Oriental Magazine and New Youth, advocating science and democracy and criticizing feudal culture. Actively participating in revolutionary activities he was one of the main leaders of the May Fourth Movement in the Wuhan region. In 1920, he founded Beneficent Group Bookstore and later established the Co-existence Society to disseminate new ideas, new culture and Marxism.

In 1921, he joined the CPC. In 1923, he became an instructor at Shanghai University. In August of the same year, he was elected an alternate member of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Socialist Youth League and director of its publicity department. He founded and was editor-in-chief of Chinese Youth. After the establishment of the first cooperation between the KMT and the Communist Party of China, he, Mao Zedong, Deng Zhongxia and Xiang Jingyu participated in the leadership work of Shanghai Executive Department of the KMT, edited the monthly New Construction and propagated the principles and policies of the Communist Party of China. In 1925, he participated in leading the May Thirtieth Movement. In May 1926, he was sent to Huangpu Military Academy by the Party and served as chief political instructor and secretary of the Communist Youth League.

In January 1927, he came to Wuhan and presided over the work of Wuhan Branch of the Central Military and Political School, served as the chief political instructor and fought resolutely against Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei's betrayal of the revolution. In July, he went to Jiujiang on the order of the Central Committee, served as a member of the Front Committee of the CPC Central Committee, and participated in the organization of the Nanchang Uprising and launched it. In December, he participated in leading the Guangzhou Uprising and served as secretary general of the Guangzhou Soviet Government. In June 1928, he came to Shanghai to serve as secretary of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, in 1929; he served as secretary general of the Organization Department. He was editor-in-chief of Red Flag, organ of the Central Committee. In June 1929, he was elected member of the Central Committee at the Second Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the CPC.

Yun Daiying was a communist hated by the enemy. As early as the Huangpu Military Academy, Chiang Kai-shek regarded him as one of the "Four Villains of Huangpu". Therefore, he should be the key target of search and arrest. On May 6, 1930, he was arrested by the KMT authorities in Shanghai and detained in the "Central Military Prison" outside the east gate of the Nanjing River. In prison, he faced the threat and temptation of the enemy and he was unyielding. He was killed by the KMT reactionaries on April 29, 1931, aged 36. His main works are included in the Complete Works of Yun Daiying.