Yang Zirong's Portrayer, Tong Xiangling, Passes Away Without Ever Realizing the Truth

Screenshots from the CCP's Peking Opera Song of the Dragon River. (Video screenshot)

[People News] According to mainland media, renowned Peking Opera actor Tong Xiangling passed away on the afternoon of December 2 at Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai at the age of 89. Tong’s fame largely stemmed from his portrayal of Yang Zirong in the modern model opera Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy.

"Model operas" refer to a series of works created after the establishment of the Chinese Communist regime, primarily designed to reflect and serve the political agenda of the CCP. They can be described as a variant of Peking Opera, with their political significance far outweighing their artistic value.

Between 1964 and 1966, Mao Zedong's wife, Jiang Qing, personally organized, participated in, and oversaw the adaptation, rehearsal, and post-production of several such works. The result was that "800 million people were left with only eight shows." These included five "revolutionary modern Peking Operas" (The Legend of the Red Lantern, Shajiabang, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, On the Docks, Raid on the White Tiger Regiment), two ballets (The Red Detachment of Women, The White-Haired Girl), and the symphonic piece Shajiabang.

The creation of model operas reached its peak during the Cultural Revolution. To this day, the CCP continues to promote learning and performing these operas in some primary and secondary schools. Model operas have the following characteristics: "Three Prominences": These works emphasize certain figures—highlighting positive characters among all characters, heroic figures among the positive ones, and the main hero above all others. Characters are often simplified and conceptualized, with a focus on portraying how the positive characters become heroes in class struggles, lacking any nuanced depiction of their inner worlds. In terms of artistic form, they incorporate Western orchestral music and realistic stage settings. Traditional distinctions within Peking Opera roles are abandoned, with increased use of spoken dialogue and newly structured singing styles.

Tong Xiangling, who rose to fame through model operas, was from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. Passionate about Peking Opera from an early age, he began training at the age of 8 and apprenticed with several renowned Peking Opera masters. While he had performed some traditional Peking Opera works full of subtlety and charm, under the CCP's propaganda machine, the public largely remembers only his portrayal of Yang Zirong in Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy. Tong once jokingly lamented in an interview, "I’m an unremarkable person—my entire life boils down to just one Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy and one Yang Zirong."

However, Tong, who played Yang Zirong over many years, may never have known the true nature of both Yang Zirong and the so-called "bandit" Zuo Shandiao, another central character in Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, due to the CCP's propaganda.

The opera is based on Qu Bo’s novel Tracks in the Snowy Forest. In the CCP narrative—whether in the model opera or the novel—Yang Zirong is depicted as a righteous anti-Japanese hero, while Zuo Shandiao is portrayed as a villainous "bandit." But is this portrayal accurate?

In the article Revealing the CCP’s "Heroic Model" Yang Zirong, Lin Hui sheds light on the truth. According to CCP official records, Yang Zirong’s family moved to Andong in 1929 due to poverty. "After the September 18th Incident, when the Japanese army occupied all of Northeast China, Yang Zirong's father fell ill and died. His mother returned to their hometown in Shandong with his two younger sisters, leaving Yang to fend for himself in Andong. In his teens, Yang worked various labor-intensive jobs. Later, he was captured by the Japanese and forced to work as a miner. In 1943, after beating a supervisor, he fled back to his hometown in Shandong."

The CCP claims that Yang secretly joined a militia in Shandong and "actively participated in the anti-Japanese resistance, attacking Japanese puppet forces." By then, however, the war was in its later stages, with few large-scale battles. The CCP’s vague accounts make it unclear how exactly Yang "resisted the Japanese"—perhaps he merely ambushed a few puppet soldiers occasionally?

Meanwhile, what was Zuo Shandiao, the so-called "bandit" by the CCP, doing during this time? He was engaged in genuine anti-Japanese resistance.

In its May 2006 issue, the CCP-affiliated Horizons magazine published an article titled The Legacy of Xie Wendong. It revealed that Zuo Shandiao’s real name was Xie Wendong. During the Japanese occupation of Northeast China, Xie organized a "self-defense group" and fought the Japanese in numerous battles. He was later elected as the Commander-in-Chief of the People's Anti-Japanese Salvation Army, becoming a significant force within the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. It is said that the Japanese lamented helplessly at the time, "In the small Northeast provinces, there is the great Xie Wendong."

Film critic Ma Qingyun once revealed that in the late Qing Dynasty, Beiyang Government, and Republican eras, "bandits" in Northeast China were actually a form of social power outside the official system. They acted as a counterbalance to official authority, much like the outlaws of Liangshan in Water Margin. Figures like Zuo Shandiao and Zhang Zuolin were of the same ilk. After Zhang Xueliang’s "September 18th Incident" led to the loss of Northeast China, Zuo Shandiao remained in the region, leading anti-Japanese efforts and continuing to fight until he was left with only one soldier. The Japanese tried to persuade him to defect to the puppet regime under Puyi by offering a high-ranking position, but he firmly refused.

Given this, who is the true anti-Japanese hero: Zuo Shandiao or Yang Zirong? And who distorted Zuo Shandiao’s heroic deeds? The answer is clear.

So how did Yang Zirong and Zuo Shandiao cross paths? In September 1945, Yang Zirong joined the CCP’s Eighth Route Army and later entered Northeast China with his unit. By then, the Anti-Japanese War had ended, and the CCP, with Soviet support, quickly occupied the region to counter the Nationalist government led by Chiang Kai-shek. With no Japanese forces left to fight, Yang’s unit was tasked with "bandit suppression" in the area. In February 1947, Yang was commended by the CCP for capturing the so-called "bandit leader" Zuo Shandiao in the Mudanjiang region. Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy tells this story.

According to members of Yang’s 203rd Battalion, the so-called "strategy" unfolded as follows: Yang and his team used bandit slang to make contact with one of Zuo Shandiao’s associates. They were introduced to Zuo’s adjutant and a company commander, who agreed to take them up the mountain. However, the company commander was wary of Yang and his men and tried to confiscate their weapons, only to be overpowered by Yang. Upon reaching Zuo Shandiao’s hut, Yang pointed his gun at Zuo and accused his men of breaking "underworld rules" by offending him. He demanded that Zuo apologize to his superior, "Nine Leopards."

Zuo Shandiao, a respected figure in the underworld, agreed to settle the matter amicably. To show sincerity, he left his gun behind, dressed, and told his men, "We wronged them; we have no choice but to go and apologize." However, when he descended the mountain, Zuo was shocked to find himself surrounded by CCP forces. The veteran leader, who had outwitted the Japanese for years, could only lament, "I’ve hunted geese my whole life, and now I’ve been blinded by one."

Yang Zirong, who had exploited Zuo’s sense of honor to lure him into a trap, quickly became a celebrated figure. The CCP-controlled Northeast Daily published a report titled Combat Hero Yang Zirong Captures Bandit Leader Zuo Shandiao Alive.

But what became of Zuo Shandiao, the true anti-Japanese hero? After his capture, he refused the CCP’s attempts to coerce his allegiance. Labeled a "bandit," he was executed without even the pretense of a military trial. Later, Zuo Shandiao was vilified as a villain in the writings of military author Qu Bo, depicted as an evil "bandit king."

Yang Zirong, meanwhile, did not live to see his growing fame. Less than a month after capturing Zuo Shandiao, Yang encountered another group of "bandits." Due to the cold weather, his rifle’s bolt jammed, and he was shot and killed. Was this karmic retribution for his betrayal of Zuo Shandiao’s trust?

Tong Xiangling, whose fame stemmed from portraying this version of Yang Zirong, spent decades perpetuating CCP propaganda, becoming a tool in their campaign to indoctrinate the public. What responsibility does Tong bear for this?

Reportedly, on this year’s National Day, Tong posted on Weibo: "During the National Day holiday, I watched a video of the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe’s recent performance of Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy. I was thrilled to see that they had restored the original line in the fourth act, where the Chief of Staff declares, ‘The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is utterly loyal to the Party and Chairman Mao.’ I feel this line is the best gift for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country!" It seems Tong Xiangling never awakened, even until his death. 

(People News Original Report)