Corps spirit: Anbian gujiang, tianshan north and south to write a chapter of loyalty

Source: People's Liberation Army Daily WeChat, People's Liberation Army News And Communication Center Rong Media

"Born in Jinggangshan, grew up in Nanniwan, turned tens of thousands of miles, and reclaimed in tianshan." ——The 20 characters on the wall of the Tunken Memorial Hall of the 359th Brigade of the 1st Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in Aral City interpret the "past and present lives" of the Corps.

The magnificent course has bred the shining spirit of the corps.

In February 1952, Chairman Mao Zedong issued an order for the reorganization of the troops: "You can now save the weapons of battle and take up the weapons of production and construction." When the Motherland needs to summon you, I will command you to take up the weapon of battle again and defend the Motherland. At the sound of an order, 100,000 soldiers began to take off their military uniforms, change jobs on the spot, and become an important force in defending xinjiang and building Xinjiang.

In October 1954, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps was formally established. A large number of outstanding young people, demobilized soldiers, intellectuals, and scientific and technological personnel from all over the country have joined the ranks of the corps and devoted themselves to Xinjiang's construction. They took root in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, started the Gobi Wasteland, and undertook the sacred mission of reclaiming the border of Tun and Shu on the border that stretched for thousands of miles.

The garrison of the corps in the early stage of the reclamation was in a harsh environment, a shortage of materials, and difficult conditions. The reclamation fighters dug their own "nests" without a place to live, woven wicker baskets from local materials without tools, relied on people to pull plows without animal power, drank waterlogged dam water, and ate large pots of rice, but everyone insisted on building land, building bridges and roads, and lining up on time every day to work, collective labor, discussion and production, and study together. "A load of fertilizer at work, a load of grass after work, a sand date at noon, and a cotton peach peeled around the stove at night" is a true portrayal of daily work and life at that time.

The "Sand Sea Veterans" are heroic models emerging from the reclamation of the border areas and are vivid practitioners of the spirit of the corps. They devoted their bold loyalty to the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains and became a monument that stood in the hearts of the legionnaires.

Not long ago, in the home of Yang Shifu, a "veteran of the Sand Sea", the spirited old predecessor once again recalled the years when passion burned.

In December 1949, more than 1,800 soldiers of the 15th Regiment of the 5th Division of the 2nd Army of the 1st Field Army of the former Chinese People's Liberation Army set off from Aksu and marched on foot across the Taklamakan Desert in the "Sea of Death", and arrived in Hotan, a major town in southern Xinjiang, on December 22, successfully liberating the ancient city. After that, the officers and men of the Fifteenth Regiment stayed in Hotan. "Stepping on this land, staying is a lifetime." Old Man Yang Shifu said with deep affection.

The Tianshan Mountains are north and south, thousands of miles away, and there are thousands of legions like this. After graduating from university in 2008, Zhang Yuan returned to work at the Veterans Memorial Hall of the 47th Regiment of the 14th Division of the Corps, telling the stories of veterans to visitors for several years and promoting the spirit of the Corps.

Looking back at history, generations of corps members have taken root in the border areas of the motherland, inherited the glorious tradition of creating with hard work and sweat, blood and life, and silently dedicated their loyalty, wisdom, youth, and life to the cause of reclamation and reclamation.

(Produced by the People's Liberation Army Daily WeChat and the People's Liberation Army News Communication Center)