Inspirational soldier passes away at 103

A female veteran, who was the inspiration of a renowned revolutionary drama, died on Saturday at the age of 103.

Wang Yunmei, who joined the army led by the Communist Party of China at the age of 21 in 1931, passed away in her hometown in Qionghai of Hainan province, the China News Service reported.

Wang became famous after joining the army, together with 100 other women, to fight Japanese military forces during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

Wang's infant son died when he was just three months old in the 1930s, and she had to take care of her only daughter while fighting against the invasion, said Pang Qingmei, her daughter, who is 80 years old.

The stories of Wang and her female fellow soldiers were written into a drama - the Red Detachment of Women, which was filmed and performed through ballet in the 1960s.