In a heartwarming act of kindness, 85-year-old Chen Changbi often brings food to the on-duty police officers. “I’ve brought you some dumplings, eat them while they’re hot,” she said, placing a steaming bowl on the desk in the duty room of the Criminal Police Brigade at the Dazhou Public Security Bureau’s Tongchuan Branch. She then pulled out some fruit to share with the officers.
“Thanks, Ma!” responded one of the duty officers, who and his colleagues have affectionately termed the elderly woman “Mom.” This familiar bond has been built over years, and no one can quite recall when it all started.
Chen Changbi lives just a short two-minute walk from the police station. Her connection to law enforcement runs deep—her only son, Liu Zhao Dong, an officer, was tragically killed in the line of duty while battling a suspect in 1991 at the age of 22. He was posthumously honored as a revolutionary martyr.
“Everyone calls her ‘Mom’,” a police officer from Tongchuan explained. “We understand she misses her son and has perhaps come to see us younger officers as her own sons. When we call her that, it brings a smile to her face.”
After her husband, Liu Ming Sheng, passed away in December 2020, Chen has been living alone.
Recalling that fateful night on August 8, 1991, another officer, Yu Chuanhu, shared, “Liu Zhao Dong and I grew up together in Dazhou’s Shiqiao Town. We often visited each other’s homes.” He reminisced about a promise made between them after solving a major case at a celebration, pledging that if either of them were to fall in the line of duty, they would consider each other’s parents as their own.
In the days leading to Liu Zhao Dong’s sacrifice, he, along with fellow officers Qian Jian and Chen Changbin, responded to a robbery in progress. When they arrived at the scene just before midnight, they quickly identified three suspects and gave chase. Following a tense confrontation, Liu Zhao Dong found himself gravely injured, ultimately succumbing to over twenty stab wounds, including one to the heart.
Following the incident, the authorities apprehended the assailant. “On the day of the incident, Liu Zhao Dong’s baton broke in two,” Qian Jian recounted. “He fought the assailant barehanded.” After the incident, Liu Ming Sheng, Liu Zhao Dong’s father, offered words of comfort to his wife, Chen Changbi, without inquiring about the specifics of their son’s death, saying, “In law enforcement, there are always sacrifices.”
Today, Chen is often visited by police officers during the holidays, offering company and solace. “She loves her quiet time, yet her presence means so much to us,” Officer Zhang Hanwen of the Tongchuan District Police Department shared. It’s evident that Chen has become a cherished figure in their lives, embodying the spirit of their fallen brother.
A bowl of dumplings symbolizes the deep love a mother holds for her son, while the affectionate call of “Mom” from the officers reflects their respect and admiration for her. Every year, on the anniversary of Liu Zhao Dong’s passing, officers from the Sichuan Provincial Public Security Department and Dazhou Public Security Bureau make their way to his grave to pay their respects, laying flowers in his honor.
August 9 marks Liu Zhao Dong’s memorial day, a day that brings many officers to his gravesite to remember him. New officers listen intently to his story there, and those preparing to leave the force bid their farewell. On every Martyr’s Memorial Day, Liu Zhao Dong’s grave overflows with flowers, a testament to the respect and love that continues to flourish in his memory.
