He Ying

He Mingying (14 April 1886 - 5 May 1933) commonly known as He Ying was a Chinese revolutionary who played a role in supporting the Chinese Communist movement in the early 20th century.

Early life He Ying was born in the Sangzhi, Hunan to a family of Tujia ethnicity. She was the elder sister of He Long, the Marshal of the People's Republic of China. Her other siblings included He Wumei and He Mangu. Raised in poverty, with a mother long bedridden, she shouldered the responsibility of managing the household and caring for her six siblings. She trained in martial arts from a young age.

Revolutionary career In 1906, she married Gu Hu (also known as Gu Jiting), a local leader of the Gelaohui. She joined her husband in organizing local militias to resist feudal oppression, influenced by Gu Zhuangyou, a veteran of the 1911 Revolution. Together, they gathered arms and fought against local reactionary forces. She and her husband supported He Long’s “Two Kitchen Knives Revolution”, an uprising against local landlords in Sangzhi. They assassinated landlord Zhu Haishan and expelled the county magistrate, marking the start of their armed resistance. She continued in providing critical support to He Long’s forces by securing supplies and mobilizing local networks.

In September 2009, He Ying was named one of the '100 heroes and role models who contributed to the founding of New China'.