In the history of the Chinese revolution, there are two high-profile figures, one named Yang Shangkui and the other named Yang Shangkun. Their names are almost identical, with only one letter missing, which may lead many Chinese to mistake them for a pair of brothers. However, this is not the case. They are not related by blood, just because they have the same surname, they are all revolutionary fathers and comrades, and they have made outstanding achievements after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and they have all held important local positions, and one of them has become the most powerful and has reached the national level. Yang Shangkui was born in 1905, two years older than Yang Shangkun. Yang Shangkui was born in Xingguo County, Jiangxi Province, and is one of the top ten general counties in China. Yang Shangkun, on the other hand, is a native of Shuangjiang County, Sichuan Province, which is now part of the city of Chongqing. Both were revolutionaries of the older generation. Yang Shangkui was born in poverty, once dropped out of school because he could not pay the tuition, and when he was a teenager, he followed his father to engage in farm work, worked as a coolie, picked salt to Guangdong**, and even worked for the landlord, experiencing the hardships of life. A high degree of class consciousness and the influence of the Vermilion Red Army led him to embark on the road of revolution. Yang Shangkun came from a wealthy family, and his father was an enlightened landowner who inherited the family business from his ancestors.
Yang Shangkun and several brothers received a good education, and some even went to study abroad, Yang Shangkun went to the Soviet Union to study, and was known as one of the "twenty-eight and a half Bolsheviks". In 1928, at the age of 23, Yang Shangkui joined the revolution and joined the Chinese Communist Party the following year. Yang Shangkun, on the other hand, embarked on the road of revolution in 1926 under the leadership of his fourth brother, and joined the Communist Party at the age of 19. According to the assignment of the party organization, Yang Shangkui served as the secretary of the Jiangxi County Party Committee, mainly engaged in local work. After returning from studying in the Soviet Union, Yang Shangkun came to the **Soviet region, where he served as the director of the Political Department of the Red Army. During the Long March, Yang Shangkun served as the political commissar of the Red Third Army Corps, fighting side by side with the Red Army, they fought bloodily under the leadership of the Red Army, trekking through the snow-capped mountains, crossing the grassland, opening up the way for the Red Army, and finally successfully completed the Long March, and all returned safely, composing a magnificent epic in human history. Yang Shangkui did not participate in the Long March, but stayed in the south and participated in leading the three-year guerrilla war on the border of Jiangxi and Guangdong. Although the Long March was difficult, it was even more dangerous to stay and engage in guerrilla warfare. Yang Shangkui used to be the secretary of the Nanxiong County Party Committee, and he also survived the catastrophe.
The first one on the right is Yang Shangkui, with *** and others) The two generals surnamed Yang both went north to Yan'an during the Anti-Japanese War, participated in the rectification movement, and had a brief intersection. During the Liberation War, Yang Shangkun stayed in northern Shaanxi, followed the first to fight, and served as the secretary general of the **Military Commission and the commander of the **guard. Yang Shangkui, on the other hand, went to the Northeast Battlefield to serve as a political work cadre, responsible for local work, and successively served as secretary of the Dunhua County Party Committee and deputy secretary of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee, making important contributions to the construction of the rear base areas and effectively supporting the front-line field army in the fighting. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Yang Shangkun stayed in the office for a long time, served as the director of the general office of the people, and became the first director of the general office after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and his term of office lasted from 1948 to 1965, reaching a period of 17 years, creating the highest record for this position. Yang Shangkui returned to his hometown of Jiangxi and served as the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, devoting himself to the construction and service of his hometown. In 1952, Yang Shangkui became the secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee, and his tenure lasted until 1967, a period of 15 years, which also set a record for the highest tenure in this position.
In addition, after the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Yang Shangkun also resumed his work and went to Guangdong to serve as the second secretary of the provincial party committee and the first secretary of Guangzhou. Yang Shangkui died in 1986 at the age of 82. In his later years, Yang Shangkun made remarkable achievements, serving as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, assisting two chairmen of the Central Military Commission and participating in the leadership work of the whole army. He was elected in 1988 and died in 1998 at the age of 92.