Qu Duyi, the only journalist to receive the July 1 Medal, the highest honor of the Communist Party of China (CPC), passed away in Beijing on Friday at the age of 100.
Qu was the daughter of Qu Qiubai, one of the CPC's early leaders, and worked in the international news department of Xinhua News Agency.
Born in November 1921, Qu joined the revolutionary cause at a young age. She was once arrested and thrown into prison but that did not shake her resolve. She joined the CPC in 1946.
On Oct. 1, 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, she broadcast Chairman Mao's speech to the world, in Russian.
In 1950, she was sent to the Soviet Union as one of China's first overseas correspondents and founded Xinhua's Moscow bureau.
During her stint in Moscow, Qu did interpretations for Zhou Enlai, then Chinese premier, and Chinese delegations to the Soviet Union on multiple occasions.
In May 1978, Qu started working in Xinhua's international news department, editing, and translating news stories into Russian. She retired in 1982.
Qu was granted the July 1 Medal in June this year, prior to the CPC's centenary.
(Xinhua)
