So fast, so slow—
"The rhythm on the island is really slow, but it's very urgent at times"
The tide washed the long embankment wave after wave, and under the setting sun, the Pier of Pishan Island was extraordinarily quiet.
In the duty room of the position high on the island, Sergeant Sun Junfeng looked at the mainland through the window.
This radar soldier ushered in the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger on the battle position of New Year's Eve.
Like a tidal cycle, on the dial of the blue mechanical watch on Sun Junfeng's wrist, the hands are spinning non-stop.
In the passing years, sticking to this piece of land of less than 3 square kilometers, he silently felt the time of this small island.
During the Spring Festival, the ferry to Phi San Island has been suspended.
Several weeks have passed, and Sun Junfeng still hasn't waited for the New Year's gift sent to him by his girlfriend.
It was also on the blue mechanical watch that his girlfriend gave him, and the date displayed jumped again and again.
On the island, life is like the poem says, "The sun becomes slower, and the cars, horses, and mail are slow."
Lonely at sea, the closed environment makes the radar soldiers stationed here learn to be with loneliness.
In their almost unchanging working life, apart from the rising and setting of the sun, they have a special time scale in their hearts.
At the age of 18, Sun Junfeng came to Pishan Island and became a radar soldier.
In the past, when he and his comrades got up in the morning, the most enjoyable weather was not the clear sky, but the continuous rain.
Since there is no running water, all the water used by the officers and soldiers comes from rainfall and surface seepage.
There are plastic buckets for water storage all over the island. When there is little rain, it takes a long time to fill a bucket.
"Tick, tick..." In the dead of night, insomniac Sun Junfeng was lying on the bed, listening to the sound of the clock hands moving, like drops of water falling bit by bit.
After getting up every day, looking at the water level that only rose a little, he really felt the hardship of time.
No matter how slow the day is, it goes by fast.
Sun Junfeng, a new recruit, gradually became a veteran, and "boiled" the time with a new taste.
Now, Pishan Island has built a seawater desalination system. Time is in Sun Junfeng's heart, and the water level line slowly rising in the water storage bucket has become the thin stream of water at the mouth of the water purification pipe.
After returning from a day's work, he was tired and saw the big bucket of pure water. He felt more of the preciousness of military time, and the peace and joy that came from the bottom of his heart.
"The rhythm on the island is indeed slow, but sometimes it is very urgent." Sun Junfeng said.
On New Year's Eve, unlike the strong festive atmosphere in the camp, there was still a fighting spirit on the ground.
In the radar cabin that covered the light, Sun Junfeng and his comrades stared at the screen in front of them, and the flickering fluorescence reflected on their serious faces.
Faced with the sudden and fleeting air conditions, radar soldiers must quickly and accurately identify and judge within a very short period of time.
"Looking at the beating dots of light on the screen, I feel very excited. The responsibility I shoulder makes me feel the blood is flowing." In recent years, there have been more and more tasks, and Sun Junfeng and his comrades often sit in the cabin for several at a time. Hour.
At this time, time flies very fast, it seems that the eye drops they always keep with them often run out of a bottle in a few days.
So slow and so fast.
For the radar soldiers who stick to the outpost in the East China Sea, they have their own time view of this small island.
On the night of reunion of ten thousand families, it is time to wait for the day.
Sun Junfeng knew that there were also sea and air guardians like him in the routes he marked at the moment.
Mission and responsibility control the rhythm of the military's special schedule.
Accompanied by the blue mechanical watch, Sun Junfeng on the battlefield silently waited for the arrival of zero o'clock in the new year.
In a few hours, Phi San Island is about to welcome its most beautiful scenery.
"When the sun rises, I will record this beautiful scenery for my girlfriend to see!" Sun Junfeng said happily.
So close, so far—
"The lights of thousands of houses on the coast are like the eyes of distant relatives"
On the first day of the new year, assistant engineer Wu Jiajie stood on the highest point of the island, Tianfengtai, and recorded the Pishan Island in his eyes with the camera.
Looking around from Tianfengtai, to the east, there is a vast scene where the sea and the sky meet.
To the west, several fishing boats moved in the bay, and buildings loomed over the edge of the distant continent, looming as the clouds rose.
The Spring Festival is approaching, and the long-lasting homesickness is like the sea surging in my heart.
In Wu Jiajie's lens, the hometown is so close.
Especially at night, through time-lapse photography, he found the other side of his eyes that was different from the daytime——
On the other side of the sea, a meandering band of light stretched out as far as the eye could see, outlining the edge of the continent.
The lights on the coast complement the stars in the night, the sea water is like a line, and the far distance ahead seems to be within reach.
So close, yet so far.
For the radar soldiers who stick to the island, the hometown that they can see is far away at the moment.
To the east of the island is the deep ocean.
More often, they should look in the opposite direction to their hometown, and guard the safety of the motherland while watching silently.
"The lights of thousands of homes on the coast are like the eyes of distant relatives. They can all see our persistence here." Thinking of this, Wu Jiajie smiled knowingly.
Across the bay, at the moment when the distant light penetrated the fog and fell in the eyes of the radar soldiers, this small island was also reflected in the eyes of the mainland behind.
No matter how far away, in the face of the hometown and the island, the hearts that care about each other are always together.
A few days ago, on the last ferry before the Spring Festival, Sergeant Youyi took his wife and daughter to the island.
Returning from his hometown, he and his wife brought some special New Year's goods in their luggage -- several cans filled with marinated yellow croaker and crab sauce.
It was made by his parents before he left home, and he specifically told You Yi to share it with his comrades on the island.
The food sources on Pishan Island are limited, and the food brought from their hometowns like this can often be seen on the cooking table of the company's cooking class.
"Last year, a comrade-in-arms brought us a sack of winter bamboo shoots from Fujian. They were dug from the mountains near our home. Because of the typhoon, we stopped the ship and we were delayed on the road for a long time." Now, we found out that the bamboo shoots are old, but they are still very happy to eat!"
On New Year's Eve, the New Year's Eve dinner prepared by Yan Deyu was on the table.
Pickled yellow croaker, smoked ham, stewed beef with taro, boiled green vegetables... Using hometown ingredients from all over the world and vegetables grown by the officers and soldiers on the island, a special New Year's Eve dinner "depicts" a different kind of reunion.
For most of the officers and soldiers on the island who are not reunited with their families, a delicious meal is a thoughtful solace in the holiday season.
Seeing that the ham he brought was liked by everyone, Yang Chenghong was sincerely happy.
He is from Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, and the spectacle of "Three Parallel Rivers" happened not far from the mountain village where his home is located.
Ever since he was a child, watching the mighty river flow away, Yang Chenghong was filled with a longing for the distance.
When I came to the East China Sea to serve as a soldier, even though I was surrounded by the boundless sea of my dreams, life on an island was more limited than in a mountain village.
Just like the constant and cyclical tides, when he first arrived on the island, Yang Chenghong once felt that the time here was boring and unbearable.
Today, he sees the wider world as a radar operator.
"In front of us is the vast sea and sky of the motherland. Standing here, I feel that my heart is very broad." With such thoughts in his heart, Yang Chenghong stayed on the island day after day.
He picked up a piece of ham and put it in his mouth. The familiar taste of his hometown made Yang Chenghong feel that he was so close to his family.
For You Yi, whose wife and daughter are by their side, this year's New Year's Eve is special, as it happens to be her daughter's 4th birthday.
On the beautiful beach of Phi San Island, Yoo Yi and her daughter picked up conch shells and shells together.
With the sound of the waves, he made a birthday cake for his daughter with sand.
For many years to come, the time spent on this small island in the East China Sea that her father sticks to will become the most precious memory in her heart.
"As long as the heart is together, there will be reunion everywhere," said instructor Cao Yujian.
In the last few hours before the arrival of the new year, these silently devoted radar soldiers either felt the call of family affection in their lovesickness, or felt the warmth of the island in their gathering.
So cold, so hot—
"The moment the sun shines on my shoulders, I feel happiness"
It is not difficult to imagine the hardships of Pishan Island in the lonely sea.
More than 60 years ago, the radar station was established here, and oil generators were needed to ensure power generation.
That's when the island lit up for the first time.
It is windy and humid all year round, which has always been the common "enemy" of officers and soldiers on the island.
Before the city power was connected to Pishan Island in 2017, air conditioners, water heaters and other living equipment could not be used here.
In summer, the island is particularly hot. When a typhoon strikes, the officers and soldiers endured the violent storm to complete the maintenance and repair of the equipment.
In winter, the island is very cold, and the wet and cold climate tortures them all the time. Over time, many officers and soldiers have suffered from rheumatism.
So cold and so hot.
Year after year, the cold wind blows tirelessly to Pishan Island, and the officers and soldiers who stick to it have always maintained a fiery heart.
More than 70 years ago, due to their outstanding performance in the liberation of Linfen, the predecessor of the Pishan Island Radar Station was awarded the "Attack like a tiger, defend like a Mount Tai" award flag.
In the Year of the Tiger in Renyin, the officers and soldiers of the "Tiger Company" in the new era are all holding back their strength, looking forward to making great achievements in their battle positions.
Lu Lin, a 24-year-old assistant engineer, is a tiger. He quietly made a New Year's wish to make himself as brave and good at fighting as a tiger through hard training in the "Tiger Company".
Becoming a good soldier was his dream when he was 17 years old.
Following his father who was a soldier, Lu Lin, who was just 1 year old, went to Xinjiang with his mother.
A small town called Qiemo on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert is where he grew up.
Growing up carefree all the time, he hadn't seriously thought about what he wanted to do in the future until he went to high school.
Until one day in 2015, Lu Lin, who was a sophomore in high school, returned home.
When I opened the closet to put my clothes on, my father's old military uniform hung there quietly.
Maybe it was because his figure looked right when he grew up. He, who was not interested in this dress, reached out and tried it on.
In the mirror, Lu Lin, who was wearing his father's military uniform, seemed to have changed.
At that time, a sentence popped into his mind: If you can really put on this military uniform, you will definitely be grateful for the decision you made today!
This decision is to go to the military academy!
Also in that year, after watching the live broadcast of the "9.3 Military Parade", Lu Lin bought a national flag online and hung it on the wall of his study.
He also specifically learned about flag sizes and proportions.
It is 96 cm long and 64 cm wide, the size of the No. 5 national flag he bought.
Since then, motivated by the national flag in the study, Lu Lin studied hard and did his best to be admitted to the military academy.
Now, it has been 2 years since Lu Lin graduated from the military academy and applied for a position in Pishan Island.
Staring at the flag hanging high on the island, the process of his own growth flashed through his mind.
From the edge of the desert to the isolated island at sea, from the rough sand to the gentle sea breeze, the process of chasing dreams is always accompanied by wonderful encounters.
On the island, Lu Lin likes to go to a cliff.
There is a peculiarly shaped shrub, which is called "strong tree" by officers and soldiers.
Under the strong wind all the year round, the branches and leaves were blown to one side, and after many super typhoons, it still stood tall.
Lu Guangyang, the head of the radar station, said: "We must take root like this tree, and behind our strength is the belief that it will not fall." This sentence has always inspired Lu Lin and his comrades to maintain a warm-blooded and forge ahead.
After the New Year's Eve dinner under the frigid sea breeze, radar operator Wang Xuegen set foot on the path leading to the top of the mountain again and started his New Year's Eve duty.
When the bell rang at zero, splendid fireworks bloomed over the mainland on the other side, and the radar soldiers were still staring at the screen in front of them.
When taking a break, Wang Xuegen added hot water to his water glass.
This is his custom-made water cup. When the heat is thick and warm, a photo of his wife and daughter gradually emerges from the surface of the cup.
Thinking that the family spent the Spring Festival together on the battlefield in this way, the veteran's face showed a reassuring smile.
In the early morning of the first day of the new year, the radar soldiers who were watching the sea and the sky stayed up all night and opened the door of the sheltered shelter, only to find that the sky had already lit up.
From the position on the top of the mountain, looking to the east, a red sun is rising.
At this moment, the most beautiful scene of Pishan Island is presented in front of them——
The golden light sprinkled on the endless sea, and the sparkling light illuminated the whole world.
The first ray of sunshine in the new year swept across the island, over the roofs and tops of the mountains, over the grass and trees around, warmth and hope shone into everyone's heart.
Looking at Pishan Island, which has been guarded for 12 years, radar soldier Wang Xuegen's heart is full of light and heat.
"The moment the sun shines on my shoulders, I feel happiness." He said, his eyes shining like stars.
Our reporter Wei Yumeng correspondent Sun Yang