Photo shows the statue of Dong Cunrui in front of the Memorial Hall of Dong Cunrui. During a battle of the war of Liberation (1946-49), Dong Cunrui lifted a package of explosives with his left hand and pulled the fuse with his right to demolish the enemy's blockhouse, which helped the liberation army progress. Then 19-year-old Dong Cunrui sacrificed his life bravely and opened a way for the troops. [Photo/IC]

The same month Xinhua refuted rumors about Dong Cunrui who lifted a package of explosives with his left hand and pulled the fuse with his right to demolish an enemy blockhouse, which helped the liberation army progress during a battle of the war of Liberation. Some falsely claimed the 19-year-old's heroic deed was pure imagination because nobody actually saw it.

Some experts blame the questioning of war martyrs' authenticity on China's failed hero or role model education system in which martyrs were portrayed as spotless, self-sacrificing saints, while others blame insufficient regulation of the Internet for false accusations about respected heroes.