Born in 1895 in Haicheng, Liaoning Province, Yan Baohang’s life seemed destined for prominence. He studied at the University of Edinburgh and became a trusted confidant of some of the most powerful figures in China’s Nationalist government, including General Zhang Xueliang, who commanded the Northeast Security Army, and Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). Yan Baohang also earned the favor of Chiang’s wife, Soong Mei-ling, and moved easily among the highest levels of the Nationalist regime — long before the Communists came to power.
But beneath his polished exterior, Yan Baohang harbored a secret allegiance that would ultimately lead to his ruin. Seduced by the promises of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), he became a covert operative, providing crucial intelligence that shaped wartime strategies. Yet, decades later, the very Party he served turned on him, destroying not only his life but his entire family.
Moving among China’s elite
In the turbulent years following the Mukden Incident of 1931, Yan Baohang became an indispensable figure behind the scenes. As one of General Zhang Xueliang’s key advisors, he held several high-ranking positions: director of the secretive Four Virtues Society, secretary-general of Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling’s New Life Movement, military advisor to the Nationalist government, and board member of major banks and civic organizations. His ability to build strong relationships earned him the trust of senior figures such as Yu Youren, Sun Ke, Soong Ching-ling, and many others in China’s military, political, and intelligence communities.
These deep connections soon caught the attention of another rising force — the Chinese Communist Party.
Recruited into Communist espionage
By the late 1930s, Yan Baohang’s privileged access to the inner workings of the Nationalist government made him an ideal target for Communist recruitment. Zhou Enlai personally cultivated a relationship with Yan Baohang, carefully laying the groundwork. In 1937, Zhou’s efforts succeeded, and he secretly joined the CCP.
During World War II, Yan Baohang became one of the Party’s most valuable assets. He collected intelligence at the highest levels, particularly information vital to the Chinese Communists and their Soviet allies.
In the spring of 1941, Zhou Enlai tasked Yan Baohang with gathering sensitive intelligence on military and political developments. His assignments were not only critical, but dangerous — he was ordered to report directly on Chiang Kai-shek’s strategies and movements, as well as Japan’s plans in China.
Two of Yan Baohang’s intelligence coups stand out:
- Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union:
In May 1941, Yan Baohang overheard senior Nationalist officials discussing Nazi Germany’s imminent attack on the Soviet Union. After confirming the details with Sun Ke, Chiang Kai-shek’s son, he covertly passed the intelligence to the CCP. The information was quickly relayed to Moscow, allowing Stalin to place Soviet forces on high alert just days before Hitler’s offensive began. - Detailed intelligence on Japan’s Kwantung Army:
In 1944, Yan Baohang used his connections to acquire highly classified documents detailing the deployment, fortifications, and command structure of Japan’s Kwantung Army in Northeast China. The CCP forwarded the intelligence to the Soviets, giving them a decisive advantage when they launched their invasion in August 1945. Within a week, the Kwantung Army was wiped out.
After 1949: Fading into obscurity
When the CCP seized power in 1949, Yan Baohang might have expected recognition for his contributions. Instead, he was quietly assigned to administrative roles, serving as Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry’s General Office. In 1959, feeling the strain of his workload, he resigned and moved to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, where he spent his days compiling historical records.
Ever cautious, Yan Baohang rarely mentioned his wartime espionage work. He kept a low profile, content to serve without fanfare. Yet the loyalty he had shown the Communist Party would not protect him.
The Cultural Revolution: Loyalty discarded
In 1966, the Cultural Revolution unleashed chaos across China. Old ties, past service, and personal merit meant nothing as the regime turned on its own.
On November 7, 1967, Yan Baohang returned home after work to find trouble waiting. Several men burst into his house, dragged him away, and labeled him a key figure in the so-called “Northeast Faction anti-Party, traitorous, counterrevolutionary group.” As his wife, Gao Su, chased after him, he quietly urged her: “Quick, report to Premier Zhou,” before vanishing into the night.
He was thrown into the Qin Cheng Prison and branded “Counterrevolutionary Criminal No. 67100.” Ten days later, his youngest son, Yan Mingfu — who had served as a Russian translator for top CCP leaders — was arrested and given the number 67124. He would remain imprisoned for seven and a half years.
Tortured to death, family destroyed
Relentless interrogations and brutal beatings marked Yan Baohang’s imprisonment. On the night of May 22, 1968, after another violent session, he collapsed unconscious and was taken to Fuxing Hospital. There, he was left unattended on a bench in the waiting area. No medical help came. He died alone that night, without any family present.
To add insult to injury, Jiang Qing, deputy head of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, ordered that Yan Baohang’s death not be reported to his family. His ashes were discarded, and his belongings confiscated. The CCP labeled him a traitor and a spy — erasing decades of service.
His wife, Gao Su, once praised by Zhou Enlai himself, was reduced to poverty after her husband’s salary was frozen. She died of lung cancer in 1971.
The suffering extended to their children. Yan Baohang’s four children, all of whom had been sent to the Communist base in Yan’an in the late 1930s, were not spared:
- His eldest daughter, Yan Mingshi, was labeled a major spy, beaten severely, and sent to the countryside for forced labor.
- His eldest son, Yan Mingxin, was expelled from the military and sent to labor camps.
- His second son, Yan Mingzhi, one of China’s first Russian language experts, died of illness following persecution.
- His youngest son, Yan Mingfu, endured years in prison, accused of espionage.
In his later years, Yan Mingfu reflected bitterly: “The ten-year catastrophe brought immense disaster to our family — our home shattered, lives lost, and loved ones scattered.”
Conclusion
Yan Baohang gave everything to the Communist Party — his loyalty, his intelligence, and his family. Yet when his usefulness had run its course, the regime discarded him like so many others. Tortured to death, labeled a traitor, and erased from history, Yan Baohang’s tragic end reveals how Communist regimes betray even their most devoted supporters, casting them aside without hesitation.
His story, like so many others, is not one of personal failure, but of betrayal at the hands of a system built on suspicion and brutality.
Translated by Chua BC
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