In the old movie "Heroes and Children", it tells the story of a pair of brothers and sisters, Wang Fang and Wang Cheng. But few people know that the archetypal character of Wang Fang in the film, the archetypal character in real life, is a heroine named Xie Xiumei.
Xie Xiumei was born in 1932 to an ordinary peasant family in Gaoyang County, Hebei Province, although life was very hard, she was very optimistic and full of hope for life from an early age. She likes to sing and dance, and joined the local troupe as a teenager. During her studies in the troupe, she learned about the heroic deeds of many heroes. Influenced by these heroes, Xie Xiumei also wants to serve the country, and she wants to become a heroine like Liu Hulan.
Finally, in 1950, shortly after the founding of New China, the Korean War broke out. At the age of 18, Xie Xiumei resolutely joined the ranks of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and followed the troops to North Korea. After joining the team, Xie Xiumei was assigned to the logistics medical team, mainly responsible for caring for the wounded soldiers.
On November 30, 1951, the enemy accidentally discovered the location of our medical department and sent a fleet of aircraft to carry out a surprise attack. All the people at that time were very panicked, but soon under the command of the leader carried out an orderly evacuation. At that time, one of the wounded, Li Yonghua, was seriously injured and could not walk at all. Xie Xiumei did not hesitate to use her weak body to carry him up. Worse, during the evacuation, a bomb suddenly landed next to the two, and Xie Xiumei immediately used her body to block Li Yonghua. Although Li Yonghua was not vilified, Xie Xiumei was hit by shrapnel. Afterwards, Xie Xiumei was awarded the first class merit for this incident, and was also the only female volunteer in the volunteer army to receive this merit.
In 1956, Xie Xiumei was honorably discharged from the army and chose to return to her hometown to live a life of anonymity, she never mentioned her heroic deeds to anyone, and lived a very low-key life. Until 40 years later, Xie Xiumei, who had entered her later years, unfortunately suffered from multiple cerebral infarctions, because she had no money for treatment, and was once stopped by the hospital. In desperation, she had to reveal her identity. After the incident broke out, it immediately caused a great sensation in the society, and caring people from all walks of life generously donated money and together they collected medical expenses for her. In addition, after Xie Xiumei's identity was exposed, it also alarmed senior leaders to come to comfort them. Unfortunately, Xie Xiumei was ultimately unable to overcome the disease and died in 1996 at the age of 64.