Letters to the Fallen: A veteran's long endeavor of naming deceased soldiers

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02:42

More than five million Chinese lost their lives in the War of Liberation during the 1940s and 50s. Many killed in action are still unaccounted for, and are buried as unknown soldiers in cemeteries across China. For decades, a veteran in China's eastern Shandong Province has been on a mission to name the fallen.

86 graves that for years went nameless. Not anymore. Thanks to a war veteran from the village next to this martyrs' cemetery near the city of Heze in Shandong Province. Zhang Jingxian was elected party secretary of Zhanghezhuang Village. Managing the local martyrs' cemetery became part of his job.

ZHANG JINGXIAN, PARTY SECRETARY ZHANGHEZHUANG COMMUNITY OF HEZE, SHANDONG PROVINCE "I started looking for the families of these unknown martyrs in 2008. I visited archives, museums and historians, trying to find out the history behind this cemetery."

A battle broke out between armies of the Communist Party of China and Kuomintang in late 1947 during China's War of Liberation. The village of Zhanghezhuang was the site of a field hospital during the war. Those who didn't survive were buried in makeshift graves outside of the village. 136 were killed in that battle.

ZHANG JINGXIAN, PARTY SECRETARY ZHANGHEZHUANG COMMUNITY OF HEZE, SHANDONG PROVINCE "In 2014, I found the unit of the army that fought in the battle, and found a roster containing 86 soldiers killed in the battle."

The roster contains the home addresses of the deceased soldiers. Zhang tried to reach out to the families of the fallen soldiers by sending out letters.

ZHANG JINGXIAN, PARTY SECRETARY ZHANGHEZHUANG COMMUNITY OF HEZE, SHANDONG PROVINCE "The letters are addressed to the deceased. So on the envelope, I add that the letter is for a martyr, and indicate his age when killed. The mail carriers usually know a neighborhood well."

Zhang's letters have traveled as far as Guangdong province. However, more than seven decades since the battle in 1947, many addresses and names have changed. And most of the letters came back.

ZHANG JINGXIAN, PARTY SECRETARY ZHANGHEZHUANG COMMUNITY OF HEZE, SHANDONG PROVINCE "When I post the letters, I feel like I'm sending out hope. But most of the time, only disappointment returns."

When asked why he continues to do this, Zhang says he can relate to the fallen.

ZHANG JINGXIAN, PARTY SECRETARY ZHANGHEZHUANG COMMUNITY OF HEZE, SHANDONG PROVINCE "I fought in a war and saw the cruelty of war."

Zhang has sent out more than a thousand of these letters twice a year since 2014. So far, 86 out of 136 unknown soldiers buried in Zhanghezhuang Martyrs' Cemetery now have names. Families of 15 of them have been located. Zhang says he will continue the work for as long as he can. Sun Tianyuan, CGTN.