The Swallows Before the Hall of the Xie Mansion of Old

The Xie family had no surviving heirs, yet it once had four daughters. The eldest, Xie Mei, married into the Xiangxi royal household but suffered throughout her life. The second, Xie Yao, joined the underground Communist Party and was brutally killed. The third married a great hero, but both she and her husband died on the Long March. The youngest, Xie Zhaodi, joined the Military Statistics Bureau and, after the Nationalist government fell, took her own life before her parents' graves.

The vast Xie family estate was left empty, but it was carefully preserved for many years and eventually became a tourist attraction.

The cruelty of enemies and the depravity of villains only make the greatness of the martyrs shine all the brighter.