Editor's note
There is a feeling that travels through time and space, there is a kind of longing and deep feeling, and there is a kind of spiritual life.
When the Qingming Festival is approaching, in the green mountains and green waters of the motherland, people pay tribute to the heroes in different ways.
Paying tribute to the martyrs is a memory and a wake-up call.
Open the thick red history, behind each martyr's tombstone, there is a fresh life, there is a moving story.
Traveling through time and space, the heroes erected spiritual road signs one by one to guide us in the direction of our journey.
All over the country, people cherish the memory of the martyrs in different ways: some are running on the road to find relatives for the martyrs, some are silently guarding the tombs of the martyrs, some are gathering the scattered stars into spiritual torches, and some are pouring warmth into the hearts of the martyrs... no matter what In one way, they are vivid footnotes honoring heroes and martyrs, and they are all clear echoes of remembering history.
The deepest mourning is to remember, and the best memory is to pass on.
The air is clear and the scenery is bright, and we are careful to chase the distance. Let us integrate the thoughts of the martyrs into the spring rain, sprinkle it on the earth, and turn it into the power of growth.
keyword search
"Searching for relatives for martyrs is also searching for roots for oneself"
■ Yan Mingliang
The Memorial Hall of the Revolutionary Martyrs in Sanjiangying, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, stands a "Monument to the Martyrs of the Liberation of Sanjiangying".
The monument, which is only 1.6 meters high and less than 0.8 meters wide, is engraved with the names of 67 martyrs who died in the Sanjiangying battle in 1949.
At that time, the 179th Regiment of the 60th Division of the 20th Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army erected this stele to commemorate the fallen comrades, but there was no record of the martyr's place of origin and life.
Gu Jianchun, a 59-year-old retired soldier from Yangzhou, grew up listening to the heroic story of liberating the Sanjiang Camp.
For him, the monument was a huge deal.
"Standing in front of the monument, I often feel remorse in my heart." Gu Jianchun said, "These heroes sacrificed for the liberation of my hometown. If we can't help them find their relatives, we will feel sorry for them."
Time flies, the sea of people is vast, where can the relatives of the martyrs be found?
In order to collect clues more widely, in March 2021, Gu Jianchun, a reporter from the Rong Media Center in Jiangdu District, Yangzhou City, and the Memorial Hall of the Revolutionary Martyrs of Sanjiang Camp launched the activity of "Finding Relatives for the Martyrs of Sanjiang Camp", which received positive responses from all walks of life.
Wu Feiyuan, the instructor of the 3rd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 179th Regiment who participated in the battle of the Sanjiang Battalion that year, recognized Huang Zhangshui's name in the list of martyrs. "He was a company sanitation officer, from Zhuji, Zhejiang Province. He was shot and died while rescuing the wounded."
Following this clue, the retired military affairs departments and social caring people in Yangzhou and Zhuji relayed the "search for relatives", and soon found the relatives of Martyr Huang Zhangshui.
When he came to Zhuji, Zhejiang, and stood in front of the tomb erected by the family of the martyr Huang Zhangshui, Gu Jianchun gave a military salute.
Staring at the eight characters on the tombstone, "Dedicated to the battlefield and returned to the hometown", he was filled with emotion: "The relatives of the martyrs are eager to see, I must hurry up."
"'Sanjiaying' is wrong, it should be 'Sanjiangying'..." In the list of 67 martyrs, Wang Yiping, who lives in Langxi, Anhui, discovered the name of his uncle Wang Zhongrong.
He suddenly realized that on the martyr's certificate kept at home, the location of his uncle's death was probably wrong.
It was late at night, and Wang Yiping still called Gu Jianchun.
Early the next morning, Gu Jianchun boarded a long-distance bus, changed twice on the way, and rushed to Langxi to visit and verify.
In Langxi County Veterans Affairs Bureau and Taocheng Town Government, Gu Jianchun carefully checked the information and visited experts, and finally found the correct answer: "The 'three plus camp' on the martyr's certificate is based on the oral records of Wang Zhongrong's old comrade Zheng Huangnian. Being illiterate, coupled with the similar pronunciation of 'jia' and 'jiang' in Langxi dialect, it took 72 years for the martyrs to find relatives."
When they went to the Wang family cemetery with Gu Jianchun, Wang Yi, 62, burst into tears: "Langxi has the custom of giving lanterns to deceased relatives on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. In front of the graves of grandparents, grandparents and parents. Thank you for helping us find our family. From now on, I can send lights to my uncle!"
With the in-depth development of the relative search activities, many martyrs across the country sent requests to Gu Jianchun to find relatives.
Regardless of whether he is a martyr in the Sanjiang Camp, Gu Jianchun actively consulted relevant materials to help find them.
"Every time I search for a martyr's relatives, there is a family's expectation for generations. As long as I try to help find it, it will be a kind of comfort to the martyr's family." Gu Jianchun said.
In the past year, Gu Jianchun has traveled to Zhejiang, Anhui, Shandong and other places successively. In addition to finding relatives for 8 martyrs in Sanjiangying, he also found relatives for 4 other martyrs.
On March 27, Gu Jianchun once again came to the Sanjiangying Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall, bringing the good news that "the nephew of the martyr Liu Hongxi has been found".
Next year, Gu Jianchun will retire.
He wanted to have a good rest, but now he has a new plan: to insist on finding relatives for the martyrs.
"I have worn a green uniform and a red collar, and the martyrs are my ancestors." Facing the interview, the 35-year-old veteran said emotionally, "Searching for relatives for the martyrs is also searching for one's own roots. If you do it well, you will be worthy of the bloody sacrifice of heroes, and you will be worthy of being a qualified veteran."
Keyword relocation
"Gather the scattered stars into a spiritual torch"
■Lu Gao Pai
Walking slowly into the Guanban Martyrs Cemetery, Qiu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Veterans Affairs Bureau of Lianjiang County, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, was in a mood.
In the cemetery of the martyrs during the Qingming Festival, white chrysanthemums are accompanied by misty rain, expressing people's grief for the martyrs.
"Lianjiang is an old revolutionary base with many red resources and revolutionary ancestors. There are 848 registered revolutionary martyrs." Qiu Xiaoming said, "By the beginning of 2021, there are still more than 80 scattered martyrs' tombs in Lianjiang that have not been centrally managed, and some cemeteries exist. Problems such as the illegibility of the inscription on the inscription and the overgrown weeds in the surrounding area need to be solved urgently.”
In April 2021, the Fujian Provincial Department of Veterans Affairs launched a special campaign to rectify and upgrade martyrs' memorial facilities.
Lianjiang County has established a special work class composed of staff from the county, township and village service centers (stations) for veterans to comprehensively investigate the situation of the scattered martyrs.
"After the relocation, can outsiders be as well protected as we are?" In August 2021, the Lianjiang County Martyrs Memorial Facility Protection Center learned that three martyrs had the idea of relocating the martyrs' cemetery, but they had concerns in their hearts, so they united with the county. The People's Procuratorate went to the martyr's family's home together to do work.
"According to the Heroes and Martyrs Protection Law, we must do our best to maintain the dignity of martyrs..." After repeated communication, the martyrs' doubts gradually disappeared.
Today, the martyrs are very relieved to see the neat and solemn cemetery.
In the Guanban Martyrs Cemetery, 81-year-old Chen Zhenhuo is paying homage to his father, the martyr Chen Yimei.
In November 1933, Chen Yimei died in a battle against Luoyuan County.
For many years, Chen Zhenhuo has been searching for his father's cemetery to no avail.
A few years ago, the relevant departments of Lianjiang County found the remains of Chen Yimei in an inconspicuous mountain pass through the responsible and one-by-one investigation of the area, and buried it in the Guanban Martyrs Cemetery.
With the continuous development of the burial of scattered martyrs' tombs, in 2021, another 35 martyrs will be relocated here, and the scale of the cemetery is getting bigger and bigger.
Since 2021, Lianjiang County Veterans Affairs Bureau, in accordance with the relevant regulations of the Fujian Provincial Department of Veterans Affairs, has implemented "a striking display, a deed profile, a standardized tombstone, a protection boundary, and a management plan in the Guanban Martyrs Cemetery. The "Six Ones" management and protection standards of "system, one road".
"We just planted rhododendrons. In the future, martyrs can sleep with flowers in the green mountains and green waters," said Lin Shiyan, the administrator of the cemetery.
"When I first started to take charge of this work, I felt very honored. Now I feel more of a heavy responsibility." Qiu Xiaoming said with emotion that many scattered tombs of martyrs are scattered in the mountains and dense forests. Hard.
"It is our duty to gather the scattered stars into a spiritual torch. No matter how hard or tired, we must hurry up." Qiu Xiaoming said.
Keyword Guardian
"Father let me take over, and I let my son take over"
■Xue Honggang Tian Guiqing Pang Shihong
"Students, the best memorial is inheritance. We must let the martyrs live forever in people's hearts..." On March 28, at the Liuli Temple Martyrs Cemetery in Gaotang County, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, Zhang Yueping, the guardian of the mausoleum, came to visit the tomb. of primary school students have a patriotism education class.
In 2012, Zhang Yueping succeeded his father Zhang Hongzhu and became the second generation mausoleum guardian of Liuli Temple Martyrs Cemetery.
He is guarding the 48 anti-Japanese martyrs buried here.
On March 5, 1939, on the way to the transfer of the advance column of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, the Luxi District Committee of the Communist Party of China encountered the Japanese army in Liulisi Town, Gaotang County. 48 officers and soldiers died for the country.
After the battle, these martyrs were buried in nearby Xulou, Xumiao, Liuli Temple, Wuying, Daluzhuang, Dasangzhuang and other places.
Due to the lack of special personnel to manage, the memorial facilities in the cemetery were once seriously damaged.
"Father always said that martyrs sacrifice their lives for the country without someone to protect them," Zhang Yueping said.
Zhang Hongzhu had 8 years of military experience and participated in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
The life and death on the battlefield made him full of respect for the martyrs.
"After returning to his hometown, he saw that the martyrs' cemetery was not guarded by special personnel. My father gave up his job in the diesel engine factory and came here to guard the mausoleum for the martyrs for 55 years."
In Zhang Yueping's memory, Zhang Hongzhu was always busy in the cemetery, weeding, repairing roads, building fences, planting saplings... The monthly salary of tens of yuan was basically put on the renovation of the cemetery, while he himself He lives in the only hut in the cemetery all year round.
In December 1990, the local government renovated the cemetery, and Zhang Hongzhu's living conditions improved.
"Before my father died, he asked me to take over the shift and guard the tomb for the martyrs." Zhang Yueping said that shortly after his father died, he and his wife lived in the cemetery and guarded them day and night.
Every New Year's Eve, according to local customs, the couple will "take the martyrs home" for the New Year, fill a table of meals in the Cemetery Memorial Hall, and serve the first bowl of hot dumplings.
Usually, when there are visitors, Zhang Yueping also serves as a volunteer guide, telling more people about the heroic deeds.
Today, Zhang Yueping's biggest wish is to protect the martyrs' cemetery for future generations.
"My father asked me to take over, and I also asked my son to take over." Zhang Yueping's eyes were very firm as he stared at the tombstones in the cemetery.
keyword care
"A 'father and mother' is the best respect"
■Guo Dongming, special correspondent of the People's Liberation Army Daily, Jia Fang and Liu Lin
On the eve of Qingming Festival, in Jing'an County, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, 92-year-old martyr mother Li Cheju welcomed her "children" - staff of Jing'an County Veterans Affairs Bureau and volunteer veterans.
"Mother, we're here to see you..." As soon as they entered the door, everyone put down the condolences in their hands and sat around Li Cheju.
Volunteer He Yuewen covered Li Cheju with a small quilt on her lap while accompanying Li Cheju at home.
"In a blink of an eye, Hong Chun left me for 43 years. I thank the party and the government for always remembering me, and now there are more good boys like you." Li Cheju's eyes were red when he said this.
Li Cheju's son, Xiong Hongchun, was a soldier stationed in Guangxi during his lifetime and died in frontier battles at the age of 20.
Over the years, government workers and social groups have often come to visit Li Cheju.
Every time the retired military volunteers from Jing'an County came, they kindly called "Mother", which made the elderly feel warm.
Yichun is a fertile red soil. There are more than 34,000 martyrs in the city, including 76 martyrs whose parents are still alive.
Since 2019, the Veterans Affairs Bureau of Yichun City has taken the lead in launching the activity of "seeing parents for martyrs at home" in Jiangxi Province, arranging volunteers to "one-on-one" care for the parents of martyrs. Large-scale condolences are also organized.
Not long ago, Zhang Ting, director of the Service Center for Veterans in Yifeng County, Yichun City, and her delegation came to Jinfu Community in Yifeng County to visit the parents of Martyr Luo Xianzao.
In 1979, Luo Xian died in frontier battles at the age of 22.
"If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be able to live in such a nice house." Luo Xianzao's father Luo Ruolai was very excited to welcome Zhang Ting into the house, "If Xianzao was still here, he would be happy for us."
In a previous visit and condolences, Zhang Ting learned that the house rented by the parents of Martyr Luo Xianzao was in disrepair, and immediately coordinated with the Yifeng County Real Estate Administration to help them solve the housing problem.
After learning that there was no vacant public rental housing in Yifeng County at that time, and that the two elderly people were not low-income households and could not apply for low-rent housing, Zhang Ting was very anxious.
"We must not let martyrs bleed and relatives weep." After repeated coordination, the Yifeng County Real Estate Administration organized a special case for Luo Ruolai and his wife, based on the application standards for public rental housing. The standard rent is charged.
In the three years since the Yichun City "Going Home for the Martyrs to See Parents" campaign, more and more "children" have turned the "activity" of the organization into a spontaneous "action".
In mid-March, a case of new coronary pneumonia appeared in Gao'an City. Volunteer Fu Yongjun immediately thought of the 88-year-old martyr Xue Qiuju, "'Lao Niang' is getting old and it is inconvenient to purchase items. My family is also buying anti-epidemic materials, so I will give her to her by the way. Bring some."
"Actually, many martyrs don't care what we send. They are very happy to visit them often." Hu Xiaohui, director of the Yichun Veterans Affairs Bureau, said, "A 'mother and father' is also the best respect."