Yan Mingfu, the son of a Chinese Communist Party spy, who later became Mao Zedong’s interpreter and a negotiator during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, passed away on Monday in Beijing at the age of 91. Yan’s daughter, Yan Lan, announced his death in a statement published in the Chinese magazine Caixin. Although the cause of his death was not specified, Yan had been in poor health for some time.
Yan’s life was marked by pivotal moments in China’s Cold War era. He began his career as a Russian-language translator for Mao as the leader formed an alliance with the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Later, he accompanied Chinese leaders, including Mao, on diplomatic visits to the Soviet Union. In 1989, he played a significant role as an envoy to the student protesters and Chinese intellectuals who were trying to avert a violent crackdown during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations. Yan’s actions during this time were seen as rare and courageous, defying party-mindedness in favor of humanity.
Born on November 11, 1931, in Beijing, Yan was the youngest of six children. His father, Yan Baohang, was a member of the ruling Nationalist Party who secretly joined the Communist Party and became a covert agent. Yan’s mother, Gao Sutong, was a homemaker. The family moved frequently due to the Japanese invasion, eventually settling in Chongqing, the Nationalist Party’s wartime base. As a child, Yan witnessed secretive meetings between his father and Communist Party contacts, which fueled his interest in foreign languages. He decided to study Russian while living near the Sino-Soviet border.
In 1955, Yan married Wu Keliang, a fellow interpreter, who passed away in 2015. They had a daughter named Yan Lan. Over the following decades, Yan faced personal and professional difficulties as a result of the changing dynamics between China and the Soviet Union. He was accused of being a Soviet spy and a traitor, and in 1967, he was imprisoned. His wife also endured harsh treatment and was exiled to the countryside. They were finally reunited in 1975 following the end of Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
By 1989, Yan had risen to the position of head of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Department, responsible for managing relations with intellectuals, ethnic groups, and religious organizations. During the Tiananmen Square protests, he was tasked with mediating between the students and the party leadership to avoid a confrontation. Despite his efforts, hard-line party leaders refused to concede to the protesters’ demands, and the movement ended in tragedy when troops were sent to suppress the demonstrators.
Following the Tiananmen Square crackdown, Yan was demoted and his career path changed. He held positions as a vice minister for civil affairs and later became the president of the China Charity Federation, a government-backed philanthropic organization. After retiring, he wrote his memoirs, though they did not discuss the events of the 1980s, likely due to sensitivities surrounding that period of Chinese history.
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