When I grow up I will be you: 98 "Girl Hugging Tree" Becomes the People's Police
Revealing the mental journey of Jiang Shan, a girl rescued in the catastrophic flood 23 years ago, in realizing her "police dream"
Our reporter Liang Jianqiang
The flood rushes like a wild horse.
Despair is spreading as the water level rises little by little.
Holding a crumbling poplar tree, she has persisted for 9 hours.
Until, an assault boat came to break the waves, and a pair of powerful hands held her firmly.
On August 2, 1998, Jiang Shan hugged in a tree awaiting rescue during the flood.
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That day was August 2, 1998, a day she will always remember.
Her name is Jiang Shan. With extraordinary willpower, she waited for the rescuer, and she was also well-known for her tough image of the "girl hugging the tree".
That year, the catastrophic flood struck, and 29 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) across the country suffered varying degrees of flood disasters, and the total affected area reached 318 million mu.
The flood left an indelible mark; the rescuers left a seed called "Thanksgiving" in her heart.
Back then, her rescuer was a public security firefighter.
Now, 23 years later, she is a people's policeman.
The one who was once the guardian is now becoming the guardian.
9 hours of persistence: the tree in the news is already the second tree she embraced
The night 23 years ago, when she remembers, she still feels vivid.
"That flood destroyed our home, took away my relatives, and some folks. At that time, it was grandma who supported me and told me to hold the tree tightly. Later, grandma was washed away by the flood..." Jiang Shan said.
This has also become the eternal pain in her heart.
In the flood of Pentium, she kept in mind her grandmother's instruction to "hold the tree tightly", and insisted on holding the tree.
It was not until 9 hours later, in the faint morning light, that an assault boat arrived.
On the assault boat, public security firefighter Wang Minghua and his comrades who are racing against time to carry out rescue work.
Wang Minghua, now the senior sergeant of the Second Team of the Economic Crime Investigation Corps of the Public Security Department of Hubei Province, still clearly remembers the rescue situation that day——
"That day was August 2, 1998. At more than 5 o'clock in the morning, after our assault boat rescued more than ten people in distress, I suddenly found something hanging on a tree. My comrades and I worked hard. It took 4 times to rescue her. The last time the assault boat was approaching her, I bent down and carried her up."
The rescue scene was filmed by reporters accompanying the assault boat.
The photographer Xiang Peifeng was a reporter at the Hubei TV Station.
He used the camera to record the rescue of Xiao Jiangshan, and compiled the news feature "The Boat of Life" with this material.
The assault boat set off in the dark, the flashing lights on the water, the anxious expressions of the people on the assault boat, the search for the assault boat in the bushes, the process of rescuing Xiao Jiangshan... In the "Boat of Life" interview-shooting Xiaojiang In "The Ins and Outs of Shan's Rescue", Xiang Peifeng and his colleagues wrote about the editing thoughts: The process of rescuing Xiao Jiangshan was edited completely in chronological order, and the logic of the camera assembly was particularly strong, which achieved a high degree of truthfulness. , And achieved full and smooth emotions, narration and emotions progress at the same time...
This report won the China News Award that year; as the report spread widely, Jiang Shan, the "Little Hero Against Floods", has gradually become well-known.
Rescue in the flood is a race against time.
Xiao Jiangshan is one of many rescued.
Media reports at the time showed that: on August 2, more than 150 cockleshells of various types entered Guizhou Bay to rescue people and rescued more than 17,000 trapped people.
Years later, Jiang Shan talked about another small detail. In fact, everyone saw in the news that the tree she was hugging was already the second tree.
Before, the first tree she and her grandma held had fallen in the flood.
She sank to the bottom of the water with her grandmother, and all her feet touched were mud and sand.
Fortunately, she was rushed to another tree by the current.
She felt that "the back of the head seemed to be hit by something suddenly", and found that it was a tree, and immediately hugged her tightly.
Until the night passed, until the assault boat broke through the waves.
A Seed and the "Police Dream": Work like a "female man"
From the moment he was rescued, a seed engraved with gratitude and tenacity took root in Jiang Shan's heart.
"More than 20 years ago, at the darkest and most helpless time in my life, the People's Liberation Army and public security fire officers and soldiers who came to rescue gave me hope of life. I thank them and admire them very much, and feel that they will save lives and deaths. In danger, they are true heroes." Jiang Shan said, "They protect the lives and property of the people, and they are the guardians of the people. They are very great. Therefore, I hope that one day, through hard work, I can join their ranks. Become a person like them."
Jiang Shan (second from left) provides help to the masses on duty.
(Photo by He Ruiming)
Another support of the "Police Dream" stems from her father.
When Jiang Shan was in high school, her father suddenly became seriously ill.
"Before he died, he told me that he hoped that I could study hard and become a soldier or policeman in the future. Therefore, when I filled out my volunteers after the college entrance examination, I applied for the Railway Police Academy."
While studying at the police school, Jiang Shan worked hard and passed the national civil service examination in 2014 and was admitted to the Xiangyang Public Security Office of Wuhan Railway Public Security Bureau as a people's policeman.
She gloriously joined the Communist Party of China in July 2019.
When she started, she didn't know much about the police position.
She said frankly: "When I was a child, my knowledge of the police came from film and television works. The police in the play were either undercover or fighting with criminals. After becoming a police officer, I found that I was different from what I imagined. Perseverance and dedication. Different positions have different responsibilities and work needs."
The criminal police colleague next to her is directly facing the crackdown on illegal crimes. In recent years, many influential and major cases have been solved one after another.
For example, the arrest of a fugitive murderer who had absconded for 18 years led to a 23-year-hidden homicide case that had been hidden for 23 years; a large-scale counterfeit cigarette manufacturing and trafficking network involving an amount of 147 million was solved.
The police station where she is, more directly deals with the masses.
"Practicing the original mission of the people’s public security for the people, many of the things that lie in serving the people are implemented: for example, to help passengers solve some difficulties, it may be to help find lost items, it may be to help people who are lost return home, or it may be Repeated hundreds of times a day, answering the same small question from the passengers." Jiang Shan said.
But no matter where the position is, she can serve the masses as a people's policeman, she feels substantial and meaningful.
"In Jiang Shan, there is a sense of tenacity, just like a newborn calf is not afraid of tigers, and behind the seemingly petite body, there is a tenacious force behind it. She works clean and tidy, and she is simply a'female man'." Once served as Jiang Shan's position. Cheng Jian, deputy director of the police station, said.
The critical moment is ahead: has grown into a deputy director of the police station
"I invite the fight, I am a party member, and I will go first. I promise to lead by example in this epidemic battle and keep in mind the original intention... The epidemic will not retreat, I will not retreat!"
When interviewing Jiang Shan, the reporter saw a special "War Letter".
That was when the new crown pneumonia epidemic hit, Jiang Shan took the initiative to submit to the organization.
"As a member of the Communist Party, a people's policeman, it is incumbent to stand up and rush forward at the critical moment of epidemic prevention. At that time, my colleagues and I quickly submitted a letter of invitation to the organization and have been sticking to their jobs." Looking back on the process of writing the "War Request", Jiang Shan said, "The epidemic will not go back, and the police will not go back. It is really our heartfelt voice."
On February 22 last year, Jiang Shan's police station received an urgent task.
"Assemble urgently. A batch of 606 tons of anti-epidemic living supplies arrived at Tianmen Railway Station. Emergency reinforcements are needed. The safe transfer of the materials must be ensured!" At 7:10 in the morning that day, Zhang Rongdong, the instructor of the police station at the time, gave instructions.
Upon learning the news, Jiang Shan put on her single police equipment and a mask, and rushed out first.
Zhang Rongdong saw Jiang Shan and stopped her.
"Jiang Shan, you are on duty in your unit. This is physical work. You are a girl and you won't participate in this mission."
Jiang Shan firmly chose to go on the expedition and persuaded the instructor.
"This is a battle, I can't hold back!"
On that day, dense fog was permeated and visibility was less than 30 meters.
In this case, Jiang Shan and her colleagues turned on the lights on the police car, walked through the thick fog, and finally rushed to the transfer site before the material train arrived.
On the same day, more than 150 people from local government departments, station staff, and village volunteers participated in the material handling and transfer work in the cargo yard.
Jiang Shan and her colleagues are still patrolling the scene, maintaining order, and checking and registering the work certificates of vehicles and personnel entering and exiting and taking body temperature measurements.
"The entire transfer work continued until nearly 9pm. When the last material truck left the cargo yard safely, we were relieved. In that situation, there was only one thought in my mind: let this batch of materials arrive as soon as possible. In the hands of those who need it." Jiang Shan said.
With practical actions, she interprets the zhengzheng oath of serving the motherland, giving back to the society, and serving the people from the police.
There are similar cases, colleagues remember one by one.
In December 2019, a magnitude 4.9 earthquake occurred in Yingcheng. Jiang Shan, who had returned home from get off work, handed the child to her family, put on police uniform and trot all the way back to her job, and devoted herself to maintaining the order of the bus and evacuation of stranded passengers. .
"She is wholeheartedly thinking about maintaining order, serving passengers, and completely leaving her own safety behind." said Zhang Debin, director of the Yingcheng Station Police Station of the Xiangyang Public Security Department.
Hard work has also gained recognition.
When her unit publicly recruited leading cadres for deputy section positions, Jiang Shan, with her outstanding performance, embarked on a new position as deputy director of the police station.
"As a people's policeman, I do nothing more than ordinary trivial things. I just hope to be able to help others just like many caring people helped me, just like the people who rescued me in the flood." Jiang Shan said.
23 years.
Walking in Guizhou Bay, Jiayu, Hubei, the place where the people's bank once collapsed is already full of lush vegetation and green everywhere.
Not far from the embankment, it is the only cemetery of anti-flood martyrs in the country-Jizhou Bay 98 anti-flood martyrs cemetery.
There, there are 19 martyrs who died in the flood fighting on August 1, 1998.
The cemetery was full of flowers presented by people who came to pay their respects.
The wind howled the river, and someone stood on the embankment for a long time.
23 years.
After the flood, the marks left are parting and grief, as well as love and hope.
Looking back, in order to move forward better.