Editor's note:
In 1924, Dr. Sun Yat-sen established the Whampoa Military Academy with the help of the Communist Party of China and the Soviet Union. The teachers and students of Huangpu made great achievements in the struggle against imperialism and feudalism, and in the struggle for national unity and independence, and made significant contributions to the Chinese revolution. On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Whampoa Military Academy, China News Service launched the 100-person oral history series "The Wind Rises in Whampoa" to search for 100 representative Whampoa alumni and descendants around the world, listen to the stories of the martyrs, and pursue the spirit of the ancestors, so as to better to unite the Chinese people at home and abroad to jointly contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the complete reunification of the motherland.
Xu Guilan was one of the first formally organized female soldiers in China's modern history. In 1939, with the intention of saving the country, she entered the Whampoa Military Academy from a female student on campus. She put on a military uniform, underwent arduous military training, and graduated. He worked as a teacher for the rest of his life and took education as his mission to save the country. He was low-key and ordinary but also heroic.
"In order to save the country, my mother was determined to enter the Whampoa Military Academy. She endured the same hardships as the male soldiers. She went out to drill early in the morning and practiced shooting. She most hoped to fight on the front line." Liu Xinmeng, son of Xu Guilan, a student in the 16th batch of the third branch of the Whampoa Military Academy, said in a recent interview in Guangzhou . Influenced by his mother, Liu Xinmeng has been committed to promoting economic and trade exchanges between Macao and the mainland. As the chairman of the General Assembly of the Macao Xinhai·Huangpu Association, he often takes Macao students to visit the Memorial Hall of the former site of the Whampoa Military Academy to let them understand the history and inherit the spirit of Whampoa.
On January 20, 2024, at the opening ceremony of the 100-year oral history of the establishment of the Whampoa Military Academy under the theme "Centenary of Huangpu·Continuing Fire", Liu Xinmeng donated his mother's medal commemorating the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the Memorial Hall of the former site of the Whampoa Military Academy. "My mother was most concerned about cross-strait relations in her later years and hoped for the peaceful reunification of the country. Donating this very meaningful commemorative medal expresses the same wish on behalf of my mother and our entire family." Liu Xinmeng said.
(Reporter He Junjie and Sun Qiuxia reported from Guangzhou)
Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]