Hou Zhenya

Hou Zhenya (December 31, 1912 – August 22, 1974), born Hou Zhengyin, was a political figure of the People's Republic of China from Shahe, Hebei Province.

Life Early years

Hou Zhenya was born into a middle-peasant family in Shahe, Hebei. He lost his mother at the age of five, and the family relied on his father, Hou Zhaorong, who made a living through farming.

After joining the CCP

After joining the CCP, Hou Zhenya served as the propaganda committee member of the CCP branch at Daming Seventh Normal School and as the secretary of the county committee. During the summer vacation of 1931, under the instructions of the CCP Southern Hebei Special Committee, he returned to his hometown in Shahe County with his companion Zhou Xiang to establish a party branch, appointing himself as secretary. In September 1932, on the first anniversary of the "September 18th Incident," Hou Zhenya was arrested by the Nationalist Government at Daming Seventh Normal School and taken to Shunde Prefecture (modern-day Xingtai) Prison. He was later transferred to Caolanzi Prison in Beiping (now Beijing). However, even though the prison repeatedly used torture to extract a confession, Hou Zhenya did not accept the condition.

The People's Republic of China Era

After arriving in Fujian, Hou Zhenya served as the deputy director of the Organization Department of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and concurrently as the director of the Personnel Department. In 1954, he was elected as a representative to the First National People's Congress and later served as a representative to the Second and Third National People's Congresses.

In 1966, at the onset of the Cultural Revolution, Kang Sheng and others began investigating the events of 1936, fabricating the "61 Renegades" to target Liu Shaoqi (who, at the time, had submitted a report on behalf of the North China Bureau to the CCP Central Committee requesting the release of the 61 individuals). Hou Zhenya was subsequently overthrown and imprisoned, where he was persecuted to death in 1974.

In 2012, on the centenary of Hou Zhenya's birth, his ashes were transported back to his hometown, Beizu Village in Shahe City.

Family Hou Zhenya's father, Hou Zhaorong, was a farmer. Hou Zhenya had one son, Hou Zhanglin, and one daughter, Gao Ronglin. His cousin was Hou Zhengshun.