人物报道：华侨抗日英烈杨志民家三代

华侨抗日英烈杨志民家三代人寻亲记 

The story of three generations of Yang Zhimin's family, an overseas Chinese martyr who fought against Japanese aggression, searching for their relatives 

中华卫视据《炎黄春秋杂志社》报道  (杨正红口述）这是一段跨越80余年的寻归之路，承载着我们杨家三代人的执念与期盼。我的爷爷杨志民是菲律宾华侨，为救家国于危亡，他放弃优渥生活，万里归国投身抗日洪流，最终将24岁的生命永远定格在晋东南的抗日战场上。战火模糊了他的安葬之地，却从未磨灭亲人的牵挂—奶奶黄速治婚后14天送别丈夫，从青丝等到白发，用余生追寻英雄足迹；父亲杨棋龙接过接力棒，耄耋之年仍未停歇；接着，我捧起沉甸甸的嘱托，踏遍陕北、晋东南的热土，寻找爷爷杨志民的遗骸。   

China Satellite TV reports (Oral history by Yang Zhenghong): This is a journey of returning home spanning over 80 years, carrying the obsession and of three generations of the Yang family. My grandfather, Yang Zhimin, was a Chinese overseas Filipino. To save his family and country in a time of crisis, he gave up a life, traveled thousands of miles back to China to join the torrent of the anti-Japanese war, and ultimately left his 24-year-old life forever on the anti- battlefield in southeastern Shanxi. The flames of war blurred the location of his burial, but never erased the longing of his loved ones—my grandmother, Huang Suzhi, bid farewell her husband just 14 days after their marriage, waiting from her youth until her hair turned white, spending the rest of her life tracing the hero's footsteps; my father, Yangilong, took up the baton and did not stop even in his eighties; then, I took up this heavy entrustment, traveling across the lands of northern Shaanxi and Shanxi to search for the remains of my grandfather, Yang Zhimin.     

杨志民Yang Zhimin   

爷爷的抉择 

Grandfather's choice  

爷爷牺牲的时候仅24岁，他的故事，都是奶奶和父亲一点点告诉我的。爷爷1915年生在菲律宾宿务，祖籍是晋江县南门外亭店村（今属泉州市鲤城区江南街道）。奶奶说，爷爷家在宿务是响当当的富裕人家，吃穿不愁，可他打小就“不安分”。学生时代总爱找进步书看，别人忙着学经商、享清福，他却天天琢磨着“回到祖国”“如何救国”这些事。奶奶说，爷爷常跟她说“我是中国人，根在泉州，祖国有难，我不能不管”，那时候她还不懂，直到1937年抗日战争全面爆发。  

Grandfather was only 24 years old when he sacrificed his life; his story was told to me bit by bit by my grandmother and father. Grandfather was in Cebu, Philippines, in 1915, and his ancestral home was Tingdian Village, Nanmenwai, Jinjiang County (now part of Jiangnan Subdistrict,heng District, Quanzhou City). Grandmother said that Grandfather's family in Cebu was a prominent and wealthy one, with no worries about food or clothing, but he wasrestless" from a young age. During his student days, he always loved reading progressive books; while others were busy learning business or enjoying a comfortable life, he spent every day pondering like "returning to the motherland" and "how to save the country." Grandmother said Grandfather often told her, "I am Chinese, my roots are in Quanzhou and when the motherland is in trouble, I cannot just stand by." At that time, she didn't understand, until the full-scale outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War 1937.   

爷爷在菲律宾听说，祖国大地到处是战火，老百姓流离失所。他急得满嘴起泡，决定要回国抗战，家里人怎么劝都没用——太爷爷太奶奶舍不得爷爷孤身一人回国参加抗日，亲戚们说：“你在这边有产业、有安稳日子，犯不着去战场上拼命。”可爷爷铁了心。1937年11月，他约上四个福建泉州籍老乡华侨：张极生、蔡振声、黄再成、孙权裕，五个人组成了“旅菲华侨青年开路五先锋”，从宿务出发，踏上了回国的路。   

Grandfather heard in the Philippines that the motherland was engulfed in war everywhere, and the common people were displaced. He was so anxious that he developed all over his mouth, and decided to return home to fight the war. No matter how his family tried to persuade him, it was useless—his great-grandparents couldn't bear see him return alone to join the anti-Japanese war, and his relatives said, "You have a business and a stable life here, there is no need to risk your life the battlefield." But Grandfather was determined. In November 1937, he gathered four fellow overseas Chinese from Quanzhou, Fujian: Zhang Jisheng, Caihensheng, Huang Zaicheng, and Sun Quanyu. The five of them formed the "Five Pioneers of the Overseas Chinese Youth Road-Opening Group in the Philippines," set off Cebu, and embarked on their journey back home.  

如今，我们从菲律宾坐飞机回国只需要几个小时，可在当时，这一路就是闯鬼门关。战火纷飞，海上有日军封锁，陆路有关卡盘查，他们只能昼伏夜出，躲躲藏藏，饿了啃口干粮，渴了喝口溪水，好几次都差点被敌人发现。可就凭着一股“一定要回到祖国，一定要上前线”的信念，他们硬是穿越了千难万险，最终抵达了革命圣地延安。到了延安，爷爷他们被安排进陕北公学学习，整整4个月，爷爷像饿坏了的孩子一样拼命吸收知识——马列主义、中国革命理论，只要是有助于抗日的，他都学。1938年3月，爷爷光荣地加入了中国共产党，还被选为陕北公学第二十二队第一区队的党小组组长。他带着战友们一起学习、一起进步。那时陕北公学有100多名华侨学员，来自菲律宾、马来西亚、印尼等国家，还成立了陕甘宁边区最早的华侨组织——陕北公学华侨联谊会。爷爷能在里面当党小组组长，肯定是表现特别突出。

Nowadays, it only takes a few hours to fly back home from the Philippines, but at that time, the journey was like passing through the of hell. Amidst the raging war, the sea was blockaded by the Japanese army and the land routes were riddled with checkpoints. They could only move by night and hide by day sneaking around, gnawing on dry rations when hungry, and drinking stream water when thirsty, nearly being discovered by the enemy several times. Yet, driven by the firm belief that "must return to the motherland and must go to the front lines," they braved countless perils and finally arrived at the revolutionary holy land of Yan'an. Upon arriving in Yanan, my grandfather and his comrades were arranged to study at the Shaanbei Public School. For four full months, like a starving child, my grandfather desperately absorbed knowledge—MarxismLeninism, Chinese revolutionary theories, and anything that could help resist the Japanese invasion. In March 1938, my grandfather honorably joined the Chinese Communist Party and elected as the leader of the Party cell for the first squad of the twenty-second team at the Shaanbei Public School. He led his comrades in studying and progressing together. that time, the Shaanbei Public School had over 100 overseas Chinese students from countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and it also established the earliest overseas Chinese organization in Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region—the Overseas Chinese Association of Shaanbei Public School. That my grandfather could serve as a Party cell leader there certainly means performance was exceptionally outstanding.     

陕北公学开学典礼的校门 

The school gate of the opening ceremony of the Shaanbei Public School   

7月，爷爷从陕北公学毕业。前方战事吃紧，他听从组织安排，奔赴晋东南抗日前线，加入了山西青年抗敌决死队。这支部队是阎锡山接受共产党提议组建的，政工干部大多是共产党员。爷爷到了部队后，把在陕北公学学到的东西全用在了工作上。他对战友亲如兄弟，政治上引导、思想上鼓励、生活上照顾，战友们都喜欢他。奶奶说，爷爷常跟战友们说，“我希望能在祖国的土地上战斗一辈子，把我的全部力量贡献给祖国”，这话他真的做到了。1939年，在一次反“扫荡”战斗中，爷爷不幸中弹牺牲，年仅24岁。他把自己年轻炽热的生命，永远留在了抗日前线的土地上。   

In July, Grandpa graduated from the Shaanbei Public School. With the war on the front lines intensifying, he followed the organization's arrangements rushed to the anti-Japanese front in southeastern Shanxi, joining the Shanxi Youth Anti-Japanese Death Squad. This unit was formed at the suggestion of the Communist Party and accepted by Xishan, and most of its political officers were Communist Party members. After joining the unit, Grandpa applied everything he had learned at the Shaanbei Public School to his work. treated his comrades-in-arms like brothers, guiding them politically, encouraging them ideologically, and taking care of them in their daily lives, so they all liked him. Grandma said that often told his comrades, "I hope to fight on the soil of my motherland for the rest of my life and devote all my strength to the country," and he truly fulfilled promise. In 1939, during an anti-"encirclement and suppression" battle, Grandpa was unfortunately shot and killed, at the age of only 24. He left his and passionate life forever on the soil of the anti-Japanese front.   

奶奶的等待 

Grandmother's waiting   

爷爷牺牲后，因为战事紧张，部队一直在转移，他的具体牺牲地点、安葬位置，被历史的尘埃盖住了。这一盖，就是40多年。奶奶是爷爷的结发妻子，1937年，爷爷从宿务先回亭店村结婚，婚后才14天，就告别了奶奶，踏上了抗战的路。奶奶说，那天送爷爷到村口，爷爷拉着她的手说：“速治，等抗战胜利了，我一定回来找你，咱们好好过日子。”就这一句话，奶奶等了一辈子。爷爷走后，奶奶守着泉州亭店村的祖宅，守着对爷爷的念想，等了一天又一天，一年又一年。她拒绝了所有说媒的人，一个人过日子，每天都要朝着北方望一望，盼着能有爷爷的消息。可战火纷飞，书信不通，爷爷的消息石沉大海。她从结婚时才16岁的小姑娘，熬成了头发花白、满脸皱纹的老人，村里的人都劝她“别等了，杨志民多半是不在了”，可奶奶从来不听，她说：“我男人是英雄，他一定会回来的。”1951年，为了延续杨家的香火，也为了让这份牵挂有个寄托，奶奶领养了我的父亲杨棋龙。从那以后，奶奶就把爷爷的故事一遍遍地讲给父亲听，父亲也把寻找爷爷遗骸的心愿，深深埋在了心里。 

After Grandpa sacrificed his life, due to the intense fighting, the troops were constantly on the move. His exact place of sacrifice and burial covered by the dust of history. This cover lasted for over 40 years. Grandma was Grandpa's first wife. In 1937, Grandpa returned from Cebu todian Village first to get married. Just 14 days after the wedding, he bid farewell to Grandma and set off on the path of the War of Resistance. Grandma said on the day she saw him off at the village entrance, Grandpa held her hand and said, "Suzhi, when the war is won, I will definitely come back to find you and we will live a good life together." Because of this one sentence, Grandma waited her whole life. After Grandpa left, Grandma stayed in the ancestral home in Tingdian Village,anzhou, guarding her memories of him, waiting day after day, year after year. She rejected all matchmakers, lived alone, and looked towards the north every day, hoping any news of Grandpa. But amidst the raging war, letters could not be sent, and news of Grandpa vanished like a stone sinking into the sea. She aged from a 16year-old girl at the time of her marriage into an old woman with white hair and a face full of wrinkles. The villagers all advised her, "Stop waiting, Yang Zin is most likely gone," but Grandma never listened. She said, "My husband is a hero, he will definitely come back."In 1951, to continue Yang family line and to give her longing a place to rest, Grandma adopted my father, Yang Qilong. From then on, Grandma told Grandpa's story to my father and over again, and my father deeply buried the wish to find Grandpa's remains in his heart.   

直到1981年，爷爷当年的战友安岱历经千辛万苦，四处打听，终于找到了我们亭店村的祖宅。当安岱叔叔把爷爷牺牲的事情告诉奶奶时，她没有哭天抢地，只是静静地坐着，眼泪像断了线的珠子一样往下掉，掉了整整一下午。40多年的等待，等来的却是这样的噩耗，换作谁都扛不住。可奶奶哭完后，擦干眼泪说：“志民是好样的，他为国家牺牲，我为他骄傲！”  

 Until 1981, Grandpa's former comrade-in-arms, An Dai, went through countless hardships and searched everywhere, finding our ancestral home in Tingdian Village. When Uncle An Dai told Grandma about Grandpa's sacrifice, she didn't wail or cry out in despair; she just there quietly, tears falling like broken pearls for an entire afternoon. After waiting for over 40 years, receiving such tragic news was something no one could bear. But after she crying, Grandma wiped her tears and said, "Zhimin was a good man. He sacrificed himself for the country, and I am proud of him!"   

奶奶这一辈子没出过远门，可心里一直记着爷爷牺牲的地方，总想着能有一天找到爷爷的下落，让他“回家”。她会托人打听当年决死队的老兵，会翻找所有能找到的抗战资料，哪怕只有一丝线索，她都不放过。这份执念，奶奶坚守了整整76载，直至2010年，91岁高龄的她在香港离世。她终究未能亲眼等到爷爷“回家”的那一天。 奶奶走的时候，拉着父亲的手，声音都弱得听不清了，却还在反复说：“棋龙，一定要找到你爸爸，让他魂归故里，不能让他孤零零地留在外面。”父亲含泪点头，这一点头，就是十几年的承诺。   

Grandma had traveled far in her life, but she always kept the place where Grandpa died in her heart, constantly hoping that one day she could find his whereabouts and let him "come home." She ask people to inquire about the veterans of the Death Squad from those years and search through all the available anti-Japanese war materials; she wouldn't let even the slightest clue go Grandma held onto this obsession for a full 76 years, until 2010, when she passed away in Hong Kong at the age of 91. Ultimately, never got to see the day Grandpa "came home" with her own eyes. When Grandma was passing away, she held my father's hand, her voice so weak it barely audible, yet she kept repeating, "Qilong, you must find your father and let his soul return to his hometown. You cannot let him stay outside all alone." My father through tears, and this nod became a promise kept for over a decade.   

父亲的接力 

Father's relay  

父亲从没见过爷爷，他是奶奶领养的，但在他心里，杨志民就是他最亲的父亲。奶奶讲的故事他听了一辈子，寻找爷爷的心愿也刻进了他的骨子里。奶奶走后，父亲毫不犹豫地接过了接力棒，这时候的他，已经不再年轻。为了找爷爷的线索，父亲成了“寻人疯子”。他到处收集抗战书籍、革命前辈的回忆录，只要书上提到“山西青年抗敌决死队”“1939年反扫荡”“华侨战士”这些关键词，他就会反复研读，做笔记、画重点。他还给全国各地的革命前辈、退役军人写信，一封封地寄，一封封地等回复。有一次，他听说一位当年决死队的老兵住在江西，不顾自己年纪大身体不好，坐了十几个小时的火车，转了三趟汽车，才找到这位老兵的家。可老兵年纪太大，记不清太多细节，只记得“有个菲律宾回来的华侨小伙子，特别勇敢，打仗冲在前面”，就这一句话，父亲高兴了好几天。  

Father had never met his grandfather, as he was adopted by Grandmother, but in his heart, Yang Zhimin was his closest father. He listened to the stories Grandmother told him all his life, and the wish to find his grandfather was etched into his very bones. After Grandmother passed away, Father took up the baton without hesitation though he was no longer young at the time. To find clues about his grandfather, Father became a "missing person fanatic." He collected books on the War of Resistance and memoirs of predecessors everywhere. Whenever a book mentioned keywords like "Shanxi Youth Suicide Squad," "1939 Anti-Encirclement Campaign," or "Overseas Chinese Soldiers," he would study them, taking notes and highlighting key points. He also wrote letters to revolutionary predecessors and veterans across the country, sending them one by one and waiting for replies one by one. Once, hearing an old veteran from the Suicide Squad lived in Jiangxi, he ignored his advanced age and poor health, taking a train for over ten hours and transferring between buses three times just to the veteran's home. However, the veteran was too old to remember many details, only recalling, "There was a brave young overseas Chinese lad from the Philippines who charged at the front battle." With just this one sentence, Father was overjoyed for days.   

那些年，父亲的退休金几乎全花在了寻亲上——买资料、寄信件、跑路费，家里到处都是他整理的关于爷爷的资料，有厚厚的几大摞，上面画满了圈圈点点。有时候寄出去的信石沉大海，他就坐在门槛上抽手卷烟，半天不说一句话。母亲有时候会抱怨：“你都这么大年纪了，身体又不好，折腾这些干啥！”父亲总是说：“这是母亲的心愿，也是我的责任，我不能让英雄流血又流泪，不能让他一直飘在外面。”   

In those years, my father spent almost his entire pension on searching for relatives—buying records, sending letters, and paying travel expenses. The house was filled with thick stacks of materials he had organized about my grandfather, covered in circles and notes. Sometimes, the letters he sent would vanish without a trace, and he would sit on doorstep smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, silent for a long time. My mother would sometimes complain, "You're already so old and in poor health, why do you keep tossing yourself like this!" My father would always say, "This is my mother's wish and my responsibility. I cannot let a hero shed both blood and tears, nor can I let him aimlessly forever."   

日子过得飞快，1946年出生的父亲已年过八旬，身体越来越差，高血压、糖尿病等疾病缠身，走路都需要人搀扶，可他还是放不下。他常常坐在书桌前，翻着那些资料，对着爷爷的名字发呆，有时候会自言自语：“爸爸，你到底在哪里？我什么时候才能找到你？”后来，他实在力不从心了，就把我叫到身边，拉着我的手，眼神里满是期盼和愧疚：“正红啊，找你爷爷这件事，爸爸没完成，现在交给你了。你一定要替我和你奶奶完成这个心愿，让你爷爷魂归故里，落叶归根。”看着父亲花白的头发和颤抖的手，我重重地点头，心里暗暗发誓：不管多难，我都要找到爷爷。   

Time flew by, and my father, born in 1946, was now over eighty years old. His health was deteriorating, plagued by high blood, diabetes, and other ailments, requiring support just to walk, yet he still couldn't let it go. He often sat at his desk, flipping through those records and staringly at my grandfather's name, sometimes muttering to himself, "Dad, where exactly are you? When will I finally find you?" Later, when he truly lacked the strength he called me to his side, took my hand, and looked at me with eyes full of hope and guilt: "Zhenghong, I couldn't finish the task finding your grandfather, so now I'm entrusting it to you. You must fulfill this wish for me and your grandmother, so that your grandfather's soul can return to his hometown and peace." Looking at my father's white hair and trembling hands, I nodded heavily, silently vowing in my heart: no matter how difficult it is, I will find my.   

我的追寻 

My pursuit; My quest; My search   

接过父亲的接力棒，我才真正体会到“大海捞针”的滋味。80多年过去了，当年的见证者大多已经离世，相关的档案资料少得可怜，爷爷甚至可能在部队里改了名字，也许连部队番号都改变了，想要找到他的遗骸，简直比登天还难。我开始四处写信，中央政府驻香港联络办公室、中共陕西省委统战部、陕西省侨联、中共山西省委统战部……只要是可能有线索的部门，我都写了信，前前后后写了上百封。我还利用互联网，在历史论坛、退役军人网站、红色文化公众号上发布寻找爷爷杨志民的信息，希望能有知情人提供线索。  

Taking up my father's baton, I truly experienced the meaning of "looking for a needle in a haystack." More than 80 years have, most of the witnesses from that time have passed away, and the relevant archives and materials are pitifully scarce. My grandfather might have even changed his name in the army, and even the unit designation has changed. Trying to find his remains is simply harder than climbing to heaven. I started writing letters everywhere: the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the United Front Work Department of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, the Shaanxi Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, the United Front Work Department the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee... I wrote to every department that might possibly have a clue, sending out hundreds of letters in total. I also utilized the internet, posting information to search for grandfather Yang Zhimin on historical forums, veteran websites, and "Red Culture" official accounts, hoping that someone with information would provide a lead .  

很多人劝我，“都过去这么多年了，肯定找不到了，别白费力气”，可我不这么想。爷爷为了国家献出了生命，我们家三代人找他，不仅仅是为亲人团聚，更是为了给英雄一个交代。只要有一丝希望，我就不会放弃。 转机出现在2023年7月。那年，旬邑县委党史研究室为了纪念陕北公学办学85周年，拍摄了微视频纪录片《战火中的大学——陕北公学》，并在“旬邑党史”公众号上发布。我看到视频后，抱着试一试的心态，在公众号后台留了言：“我的爷爷杨志民是华侨抗日英雄，曾经在陕北公学学习，我们在寻找他牺牲的地点，想得到您的帮助。”  

Many people advised me, "It's been so many years, you definitely won't find him, don't waste your effort," I don't think so. My grandfather sacrificed his life for the country. Our family has been searching for him for three generations, not just for a family reunion, but to give proper account for a hero. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will not give up. The turning point came in July 2023. That, the Party History Research Office of Xunyi County Committee filmed a micro-documentary titled "University in the War - Shaanbei Public School" to commemorate the 85th of the school's founding, and released it on the "Xunyi Party History" WeChat official account. After watching the video, with a mindset of giving it a try I left a message in the account's backend: "My grandfather Yang Zhimin was an overseas Chinese anti-Japanese hero who once studied at Shaanbei Public School. We looking for the place where he was killed and would like to ask for your help."     

杨志民军装照 Yang Zhimin in military uniform  

我本来没抱太大希望，没想到没过多久，中共旬邑县委党史研究室的干部联系了我，详细询问了爷爷的情况。他们被我们三代人的执着感动了，愿意帮我一起寻找线索。从那以后，他们就没少为我们家的事费心：到陕北公学总校旧址（延安）和分校旧址（旬邑县看花宫村）走访，挨家挨户打听；给山西青年抗敌决死队纪念馆打电话，查找1939年牺牲的、年龄相近的归国华侨；还在旧书网上买了《峥嵘岁月——华侨青年回国参加抗战纪实》这样的书籍，一点点从文字里找线索。  

 I hadn't initially held much hope, but unexpectedly, not long after, a cadre from the Party History Research Office of the CPC Xunyi County contacted me and inquired in detail about my grandfather's situation. They were moved by the persistence of our three generations and were willing to help me search for clues. Since then, they have put a lot of effort into our family's matter: visiting the former sites of the General School of the Shaanbei Public School (Yan'an) and its branch (Kanhua Palace Village, Xunyi County) to ask around from door to door; calling the Shanxi Youth Anti-Japanese Death Squad Memorial Hall to search for overseas Chinese returned to the country and died in 1939 at a similar age; and even buying books like "The Remarkable Years: A Documentary Record of Overseas Chinese Youth Returning to the Country Fight the War of Resistance" on second-hand book websites, piecing together clues bit by bit from the text.   

2024年3月初，中共旬邑县委党史研究室干部秦玉龙趁着出差的机会，特意在深圳见我。那天，他把近半年的调查结果一五一十地告诉了我：证实了爷爷确实在陕北公学学习过，当时陕北公学还有华侨联谊会，但出于可能改名等原因，没能找到更多直接线索。我把父亲和我整理的爷爷的珍贵资料交给了他，表达了奶奶没能等到，父亲80多岁了还在盼，自己不想让他们失望的心情。秦玉龙表达道，他们会一直帮我们找，“不能让英雄被遗忘”。8月初的一天，我接到了中共旬邑县委党史研究室的邀请——他们要带我去旬邑、延安，重走爷爷当年在陕北公学学习、生活的足迹。接到电话的那一刻，我激动得一夜没睡，第二天一早就收拾行李出发了。当我走进陕北公学旬邑看花宫村分校的简陋校舍时，我的眼泪一下子就流了下来。那是一间土坯房，里面摆着简陋的木板床，墙上挂着当年抗战学子的影像。我抚摸着可能是爷爷当年睡过的木板床，仿佛穿越了80多年的时光。我仿佛看到了20多岁的爷爷，穿着朴素的军装，在这里挑灯夜读；看到他和战友们一起在操场上训练，喊着抗日口号。那时候的他，放下了南洋富少的安逸，在这里挥洒着青春汗水，之后义无反顾地走上了抗日前线。校舍里还播放着当年的革命歌曲，旋律激昂，我站在那儿，眼泪止不住地流。 

In early March 2024, Qin Yulong, a cadre from the Party History Research Office of the CPC Xunyi County, took the opportunity of a business trip to meet me in Shenzhen. That day, he told me the investigation results of the past six months in great detail: it was confirmed that grandfather had indeed studied at the Shaanbei Public School. At that time, the Shaanbei Public School also had an Overseas Chinese Association, but due to reasons such as a possible name, no further direct clues could be found. I handed over the precious materials about my grandfather that my father and I had compiled, expressing my feelings about how my grandmother could not wait see the results, how my father is still hoping for it in his 80s, and how I did not want to let them down. Qin Yulong expressed that they would helping us search, saying, "We cannot let heroes be forgotten." One day in early August, I received an invitation from the Party History Research Office of the CPC Xunyi County—they wanted to take me to Xunyi and Yan'an to retrace the footsteps of my grandfather's studies and life at the Shaanbei Public School. The moment I received call, I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night, and I packed my bags and set off early the next morning. When I walked into the simple school building the Xunyi Kanhua Palace Village branch of the Shaanbei Public School, my tears suddenly flowed. It was an adobe house with simple wooden plank beds inside, and images students from the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression hung on the walls. As I touched the wooden plank bed that my grandfather might have slept on back then, it felt as if had traveled through more than 80 years of time. I seemed to see my grandfather in his 20s, wearing a simple military uniform, reading by lamplight here I saw him training on the playground with his comrades, shouting anti-Japanese slogans. At that time, he had set aside the comfortable life of a wealthy young man from Nanyang, out his youth here, and later resolutely went to the anti-Japanese front. Revolutionary songs from those years were still playing in the school building, their melodies stirring. Standing there, tears wouldn't stop flowing. 

随后，我们又驱车前往马栏革命旧址——这里曾是陕甘宁边区关中分区的首府所在地。在马栏革命英雄纪念碑前，我亲手献上了鲜花，深深鞠了三个躬。那一刻，阳光洒在纪念碑上，熠熠生辉。我对着纪念碑说：“爷爷，我来看你了，我一定会找到你，带你回家。也谢谢所有和你一样为国捐躯的先烈们，是你们挺起了民族的脊梁。”虽然这次没能找到爷爷的安葬地点，但能重走他当年走过的路，能触摸到他当年生活过的痕迹，我已经很满足了。更重要的是，通过这次走访，越来越多的人知道了爷爷杨志民的故事，知道了有这么一位华侨英雄，为了祖国放弃了一切。   

Subsequently, we drove to the Malan Revolutionary Site, which was once the capital of the Guanzhong District of the Shaanxi-GansuNingxia Border Region. In front of the Malan Revolutionary Hero Memorial Monument, I personally laid flowers and bowed deeply three times. At that moment, the sunlight spilled over the monument making it shine brilliantly. I said to the monument, "Grandpa, I have come to see you. I will definitely find you and bring you home. I also thank all the who, like you, sacrificed their lives for the country; it is you who upheld the backbone of the nation."Although I failed to find Grandpa's burial site this time I am already very satisfied to be able to retrace the path he walked back then and touch the traces of his life. More importantly, through this visit, more and more people learned about Grandpa Yang Zhimin's story and known that there was such an overseas Chinese hero who gave up everything for his motherland. 

我们一家三代人，80多年的寻找，从奶奶的默默等待，到父亲的四处奔波，再到我的不懈追寻，我们从未放弃。让爷爷魂归故里，不仅是我们一家人的心愿，更蕴含着我们对所有为国家牺牲的英雄们的敬畏和缅怀。现在，我依然在坚持寻找。我知道，这条路可能还很长，还会遇到很多困难，但我不会放弃。为了更系统地寻找线索，也为了让更多人知道华侨抗日英雄们的故事，2025年5月6日，我在香港成立了红色文化华侨研究会，并担任会长。我想通过这个平台，汇聚更多人的力量，一方面搜集爷爷的资料，另一方面，也想让更多华侨先烈的事迹被铭记，让他们的爱国精神能够传承下去。  

Our family has been searching for over 80 years, spanning three generations—from my grandmother's silent waiting to my father's tireless, and now to my unremitting pursuit; we have never given up. Letting my grandfather return to his ancestral home is not only our family's wish, but also embodies our reverence remembrance for all the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country.Now, I am still persisting in the search. I know this road may be long and filled with many difficulties but I will not give up. To search for clues more systematically, and to let more people know the stories of overseas Chinese anti-Japanese war heroes, I founded the Overseas Chinese Red Research Association in Hong Kong on May 6, 2025, and serve as its president. Through this platform, I want to gather the strength of more people to, one hand, collect information about my grandfather, and on the other hand, ensure that the deeds of more overseas Chinese martyrs are remembered, allowing their patriotic spirit to be passed down.   

在这里，我也想呼吁大家，能更多关注为国家牺牲的英雄们。如果有人知道关于杨志民——1937年从菲律宾回国，在陕北公学学习，1939年在山西青年抗敌决死队反“扫荡”战斗中牺牲的这位华侨战士的相关线索，哪怕是一点点蛛丝马迹，都请联系我。

Here, I would also like to call on everyone to pay more attention to the heroes who sacrificed themselves for the country. If anyone has any clues regarding the overseas soldier Yang Zhimin—who returned to China from the Philippines in 1937, studied at the Shaanbei Public School, and died in the anti-"encirc and suppression" battles of the Shanxi Youth Death Squad in 1939—even the slightest trace, please contact me.    

（陈和深采访整理） 

(Interview with Chen and Shen organized) 

（责任编辑 蓝乙人  吕云征）

 (Responsible Editor: Lan Yiren, Lyu Yunzheng) 

（原文刊载于《炎黄春秋》2026年第5期）

 (The original text was published in the 5th issue of *Yanhuang Chunqiu* in 2026)

联合出品：世界文学艺术界联合会   美国世界名人研究院  

Co-produced by: World Federation of Literature and Art; American World Celebrity Research Institute   

总策划：吕云征  蓝乙人

 Executive Producer: Lyu Yunzheng; Lan Yiren   

常务副总编：蒙仕荣  

 Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Meng Shirong   

特约编审、特约作家：草臣 

Special Editor, Special Writer: Cao Chen