Qinhuangdao, 5 May -- Zhang Heshan, "head of the Great Wall" in Hebei: The Great Wall is a part of my life

Written by Hao Ye

Zhang Heshan, a 68-year-old protector of the Great Wall and a villager in Chengziyu Village, Haigang District, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, went up the mountain alone with a sickle in hand and dry food on his back.

In the morning, the mountains are quiet. Zhang Heshan, who had just started a day's patrol work, habitually picked up a branch of moderate thickness and length as a "trekking pole" on the day's patrol road. At this time, the rising sun in the east covered the mountains and forests with the first rays of morning light, and the ancient Great Wall ushered in a twilight morning.

The picture shows Zhang Heshan during the patrol of the Great Wall. Photo courtesy of Zhang Heshan

The Ming Great Wall runs through the entire territory of Qinhuangdao, from Shanhaiguan "Laolongtou" in the east to Chengzilingkou in Qinglong Manchu Autonomous County in the west, with a total length of 223.1 kilometers, which brings together the most essential areas of the Ming Great Wall. The unique scenery of the Great Wall that embodies the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese nation is breathtaking.

As one of the first protectors of the Great Wall in China, Zhang Heshan has long regarded the Great Wall as a close friend for 45 years of day and night guarding. Talking about the original intention of patrolling the Great Wall, Zhang Heshan said that during the Anti-Japanese War, his father was pushed down from the enemy building of the Great Wall by the Japanese army because he refused to say the location of the military food of the Eighth Route Army. After that, the Zhang family spontaneously embarked on the road of protecting the Great Wall of their hometown.

The picture shows the Great Wall of Chengziyu. Photo by Zhang Heshan

The work of the Great Wall protector is repetitive and boring, but Zhang Heshan enjoys it. 6 kilometers is the length of Zhang Heshan's daily one-way walking patrol of the Great Wall. Remove weeds, clean up garbage, discourage tourists from carving and rowing, drive away brick thieves, explain the knowledge of the Great Wall... These are the "responsibilities" that Zhang Heshan set for herself.

The area around the Great Wall is overgrown with weeds, thorns, and rocks as sharp as blades. For decades, Zhang Heshan has worn more than 300 pairs of rubber shoes, and she can wear one pair in two weeks at the earliest.

The picture shows the Great Wall of Chengziyu. Photo by Zhang Heshan

On the patrol road, Zhang Heshan has seen snakes with thick bowls, bumping into wild honeycombs, rolling down mountain beams on snowy days, and being drenched in rainy days. But Zhang Heshan never gave up, for him, the Great Wall touches his most delicate emotions, "I spent my life guarding the Great Wall until I couldn't walk, so the Great Wall is part of my life."

As the world's largest linear cultural heritage, the Great Wall was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1987. The number of relics of the Great Wall is large, widely distributed, and difficult to manage. With the in-depth advancement of the construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park, Qinhuangdao City, relying on the growing team of Great Wall protectors, has established a three-level Great Wall inspection work mechanism to guard the Great Wall in the territory day and night, and has become an important grassroots force for the protection of the Great Wall.

The picture shows the Great Wall of Chengziyu. Photo by Zhang Heshan

From winter to spring, the mottled city wall has not only become the memory of the nation, but also recorded Zhang Heshan's guardian road. Today, Zhang Heshan is not only a protector of the Great Wall, but also a propagandist of the Great Wall story. In order to "let more people understand the Great Wall", Zhang Heshan registered an account on the short video platform and called herself the "Great Wall Building", "I grew up listening to the stories of the Great Wall, and I spent my childhood in the Great Wall enemy building, and I want more people to sit at home and watch the Great Wall".

Alone, 45 years, Zhang Heshan's gray hair has gradually increased, and now, the clarion call to build the Great Wall National Cultural Park is sounding in his hometown. "The construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park combines the Great Wall, the Great Wall culture, humanities, region, environment, etc., so that the Great Wall and people's lives are closely connected, which is the Great Wall that people yearn for." Zhang Heshan said that her idea is simple, "The Great Wall is like the wall of my family's compound, and I want future generations to see the Great Wall when I was a child." (End)