History enthusiast's tip helps identify seven unnamed heroes in WWII-era photo

Researchers have identified seven women militia fighters in an 80-year-old World War II photograph after a history enthusiast's tip, which led to a months-long investigation that reunited families with images of their ancestors.

The black-and-white photograph, taken in 1945 after local militia defeated Japanese forces, had been displayed for decades at the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Memorial Hall in Ranzhuang village, Qingyuan district, Baoding, in north China's Hebei Province. For decades, the identities of the seven women remained a mystery.

The picture was taken in late spring or early summer 1945, when more than 30 Ranzhuang militia members defeated two regiments of Japanese and their puppet troops. After the victory, a celebration was held during which the female soldiers posed for this group portrait.

In April, a Baoding resident and history enthusiast surnamed Wang submitted a suggestion through the Message Board for Leaders on People's Daily Online to the Party chief of Hebei Province. He expressed hope that the photo's caption could be updated to include the names of the women militia members, enriching the historical record. The photo is classified as a second-grade cultural relic.

The suggestion was quickly forwarded to Qingyuan district. The Tunnel Warfare Relics Protection Center assigned staff to investigate.

Recovering the names of seven unsung heroes was no easy task.

"Mr. Wang gave us a crucial clue. During a visit to Ranzhuang, he spotted the same photo in an old residence, and this one had three names written on it: Li Ji'er, Li Guifen and Li Xiufen," said Wang Jingyu, deputy director of the Tunnel Warfare Relics Protection Center.

A photo of seven women militia members is displayed at the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Memorial Hall in Ranzhuang village, Qingyuan district, Baoding, north China's Hebei Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

That clue reignited the search.

Historical records confirmed that Li Guifen had been the squad leader.

As for Li Xiufen — also known as Li Huanjin — the breakthrough came when her daughter returned home for a tomb-sweeping visit. She confirmed her mother's identity and even offered another clue about Li Ji'er.

From there, the team began contacting families of the seven women, one by one. Through interviews and verification, their identities were finally confirmed.

"For my father, who was hospitalized, seeing that photo while he was still alive was priceless," said 53-year-old Fan Ying, a granddaughter of Li Ji'er.

Her grandmother had passed away when her father was very young, and the family had never owned a photograph of her, until staff members brought the image to light during the investigation.

For 72-year-old Wang Pingshun, it was also the first time he had ever seen a photo of his mother, Wang Xin'e. "My younger brother and I look so much like her," he said, recalling how he immediately recognized her by her eyes and nose.

Wang Pingshun said his mother would often say, "Resist Japanese aggression and save the nation" when she was alive. In the 1960s, when historians came to document the area's wartime history, she shared stories of how she had rallied local women to fight Japanese invaders.

A painting on display at the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Memorial Hall shows Li Guifen, head of a women's association for the fight against Japanese invaders, rallying young women to join an effort to dig tunnels. (People's Daily Online/E Zhichao)

Wang Xin'e rallied the women to stand guard, keep watch, tear up railway tracks, deliver grain to the front and dig tunnels, playing an active role in the fight against Japanese invaders, according to a historical record on the tunnel warfare in Ranzhuang.

The record states that in 1938, Ranzhuang established a women's association for the fight against Japanese invaders. From the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the War of Liberation, the association had seven successive heads. Four of the women in the photo — Wang Xin'e, Li Xiufen, Li Guifen and Li Ji'er — each served as heads during that period.

The updated photo of the seven women militia members at the Ranzhuang Tunnel Warfare Memorial Hall in Ranzhuang village, Qingyuan district, Baoding, north China's Hebei Province. (People's Daily Online/E Zhichao)

In May, the memorial hall updated the photo. Beneath the photo, a new caption now lists the seven women's names, from left to right: Wang Xin, Wang Xin'e, Li Ji'er, Wang Lanxiang, Li Guifen, Li Ruizhi and Li Xiufen.

"I never imagined we'd be able to find all seven names, and the evidence is solid," said Wang.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. "I believe the seven women militia members would feel deeply gratified," said Wang.