China News Service, Xuzhou, March 16 (Zhu Zhigeng and Tan Xiaoli) "Since the family members of the martyrs cannot be found, then I am their relative. I will come to pay homage to them on behalf of their families every year and festival for the past 39 years." March 15, Jiangsu Ji Houjun, a villager from Jiwan Village, Shuanggou Town, Suining County, came to the Jiwan Martyrs Cemetery to prune pine trees and green plants, and paint red and wipe the tombstones of the martyrs.
Before Qingming Festival, Ji Houjun came to the Martyrs Cemetery and painted the red five stars on the tombstone bright red.
Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
The Jiwan Martyrs Cemetery was clean and solemn, and Ji Houjun walked to a grave area.
Then, he took out a towel and wiped the tombstone. His hands were shaking, but he wiped it very carefully. The sun shone on the old man's face.
"The identities of these 32 martyrs cannot be identified, and we cannot leave the martyrs without anyone to sweep their graves. After I returned home from the army, I followed my father to sweep their graves," Ji Houjun said.
In front of an unknown soldier's tombstone, Ji Houjun neatly trimmed the jasmine branches next to it and cut off the pine branches blocking the tombstone. After cleaning it, he used a brush to trace the five-pointed star on the tombstone red and shiny.
"The five-pointed star is the cap badge, which represents the image of a soldier, and the red color represents respect for the martyrs," said 73-year-old Ji Houjun.
In August 1945, on the eve of Japan's surrender, the Third Division of the Huaibei Military Region of the New Fourth Army captured Suining and achieved a great victory, and decided to pursue the victory.
The Independent First and Second Regiments of the Tongling Revolutionary Base Area in Pisui and Suining local armed forces formed a combat force to attack Shuanggou occupied by the Japanese and puppet troops.
The battle was won and the entire territory of Suining was liberated, for which more than 200 soldiers paid their precious lives.
Jiwan Martyrs Cemetery Monument.
Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
"Thirty-six of the martyrs were buried in Nanhu, Jiwan Village." Ji Houjun said that as a witness of the Shuanggou battle, his father took the initiative to take on the responsibility of guarding this cemetery and helping the martyrs find their families.
After hard work, four martyrs were recognized by their families.
No one knows about the 32 martyrs, and their tombs become the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.
On the Qingming Festival in 1985, Ji Houjun came across a family member of a martyr while sweeping the grave in the cemetery.
It was an old man with gray hair and a stooped back.
"He told me that he was old and in poor health, and he was afraid that he would no longer be able to visit his grave in the future. He hoped that I would do it for him every year, and I agreed." Ji Houjun said.
He kept this promise for 39 years.
In 2014, the Jiwan Martyrs Cemetery was completed, and the tombs of a total of 70 martyrs, including 32 unknown martyrs and Shuanggou martyrs who died in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, and the War of Resisting U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, were moved into the cemetery.
"Martyr Jin Hongyi is a native of Suining who died in the Shuanggou battle in 1945. Since his family has settled in Shanghai and he is old, he cannot pay homage to him often. I promise that the martyr's family will pay homage on his behalf during festivals." Ji Houjun said According to the wine bottle next to the tombstone, every New Year's Day morning, he would bring a bowl of dumplings and a bottle of wine to the Martyrs Cemetery to pay respect to the martyrs.
For decades, he has weathered the storm.
Ji Houjun trims the pine branches that cover the tombstone.
Photo by Zhu Zhigeng
Ji Houjun is well aware of the importance of inheriting the red revolutionary culture. He often goes to schools to give voluntary lectures to let students understand the heroic deeds of the martyrs in the Shuanggou Battle.
During the Qingming Festival, schools, government agencies and units from all over the country come to the martyrs’ cemeteries to pay homage and lay flowers. Ji Houjun serves as a volunteer commentator and tells the story of the heroes.
Ji Houjun said: “When you step on this land, you can always feel the blood shed by the martyrs.”
The Jiwan Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall is built in the Jiwan Martyrs Cemetery, where some relics of the martyrs are displayed.
Ji Houjun once tried to use this as a clue to help the martyrs find their families.
Unfortunately, as most of the relics were damaged, the search for relatives could not be carried out.
"No more looking for them. From now on, I will be their relative." Ji Houjun said.
Chen Xiangke, director of the Jiwan Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall, said that Lao Ji was an enthusiastic person. Over the years, he had been willing to serve as a voluntary service promoter, receiving more than 100,000 people who came to pay their respects, explaining red stories and spreading the spirit of red culture.
On November 17, 2023, the Jiangsu Provincial Civilization Office announced the list of "Jiangsu Good People" for the third quarter of 2023. Ji Houjun was selected as the "Jiangsu Good Person" in the honest and trustworthy category.
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