Ding Weixi, 97 years old, was born in Siyang County, Jiangsu Province. In 1942, he entered Huaibei Middle School and later transferred to the New Fourth Army Fourth Division Guard School. After graduation, he was assigned to the Fourth Rear Hospital as a medical clerk, joined the Communist Party of China in 1944, and successively participated in the Battle of Subei, the Battle of Laiwu, the Battle of Menglianggu, the Battle of Huaihai, and the Battle of Crossing the River.
Born in the war years, the family opened a restaurant to do a small business to maintain their lives, and loved to listen to singing books since childhood, from "Sui and Tang Dynasty" to "Mulan From the Army", the characters in the story are inspiring.
Helplessly, the Japanese army swept and burned the city, homeless, and could only leave their hometown. At the age of fourteen or fifteen, he entered Huaibei Middle School to study and embarked on the road of patriotic salvation.
Two years later, he entered the New Fourth Army Guard School, and the road to medical practice began. After the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Battle of Subei, the Battle of Laiwu, the Battle of Menglianggu, the Battle of Huaihai, the Battle of Crossing the River, the Red Medicine of the Iron Army, saved lives and helped the wounded.
He was Ding Weixi, a veteran soldier of the New Fourth Army. Now 97 years old Grandpa Ding is in good health, loud voice, hospitable, today we will listen to Grandpa Ding tell that history ~ ~
"Red Doctor" is the first documentary in China to reflect the health work of the People's Army's New Fourth Army during the war, and was broadcast on CCTV on December 10, 13 and 14, 2021.
On the afternoon of December 10, 2021, the premiere ceremony of the documentary "Red Doctor" was held in the New Fourth Army Cultural Park in Huanghuatang. The "Iron Army Baby" of Huanghuatang Central Primary School sang the Military Song of the New Fourth Army with veteran soldier Ding Weixi.
During the war, the health work of the New Fourth Army went deep into the grass-roots units and villages, and it carried out uninterrupted health propaganda and education, carried out health and epidemic prevention work, improved the health level of commanders and fighters, and effectively controlled the incidence of common infectious diseases in the base areas. In the battlefield, medical personnel were not afraid of bloodshed and sacrifice, and rescued thousands of wounded from the battlefield, which effectively boosted the morale of the troops and left many moving stories that can be sung and wept.
"The medical personnel on the battlefield are the reassurance pills for the soldiers", "The smoke and fire of war cannot stop our way, and we must also rescue you through thorns and thorns." This documentary, which reflects the health work of the New Fourth Army, has interviewed more than 30 people, including the descendants of veteran health soldiers and their relatives of the New Fourth Army, the masses and their descendants who have been treated by the New Fourth Army, military history research experts, modern medical experts, medical team members who support the fight against the epidemic in Wuhan, and other relevant personnel.
What was your impression of childhood life?
My childhood life, before the age of 13, before 1939, the childhood life was still very fun, because my family opened a restaurant, so life was basically passable, there was no big problem. So from elementary school, I went to private school first, then to elementary school, and my studies were relatively smooth. Since we were young, we like to listen to singing books, "Sui and Tang Dynasty", "Water Margin", "Liu Bei Beckons", "Changshanpo Saves Ah Dou". At that time, there was no movie, and then I got a black and white film, a silent movie, only to see the image, no sound, and the battlefield performance of "Mulan From the Army". In 1938, in the fourth grade of elementary school, I wrote an article celebrating the victory of Taierzhuang and was praised by the teacher. So from an early age runs through our patriotic ideas.
What was life like during the war years?
The time I realized was that the Japanese were coming, and in 1939, the whole city was running out. In the end the devil burned our whole city, a scorched earth. So at that time, I was homeless and ran to the countryside with my parents. But this is not a long-term solution, we still need to live. Later, we went to Xinyuan Town, where our family rented a house to do business, otherwise it would not be possible to sit and eat mountain air. During this period, the devils continued to sweep up, making the common people unhappy. So this time we are the most miserable. Once, the devils gathered nearly a few hundred people and attacked the town of Xinyuan, where we were located, at night, and made a mess of the town. They came in the night, we didn't know it, and we all hid in the house. Fortunately, they didn't come into our house at that time, and they were grabbing things all over the street, so during this time, life was the most difficult.
How did you learn in tough times?
In 1939 and 1940, when we arrived in Xinyuan Town, it was the fifth grade of primary school and there was no place to go to school. Later, I heard that the Eighth Route Army had taught the Fifth Brigade to come over, and they had set up a Huaibei Middle School in the border area. We were 13-14 years old at the time, always learning, not learning and not doing other things. Later, we organized 7-8 students to cross Hongze Lake and go to Huaibei Middle School in Huaibei Suwan Border District, Qingyang Town, Sihong County. Huaibei Middle School is run by the Communist Party. It was at this time that we had the opportunity to learn and went to school in this place. The conditions for going to school here are very difficult, all are floors, there is no lectern, there is no class, individuals carry a backpack to make stools, legs to make tables to write notes. In addition to language, mathematics, geography, chemistry can not be talked about, the most important thing is to talk about China's modern history: the Opium War, the Sino-Japanese War, the loss of Taiwan, Hong Kong was assigned to Britain, becoming a colony and a semi-colony. At that time, I didn't understand why there were so many concessions in Shanghai, let foreigners manage it, not Chinese manage it. Gradually, it became clear that the country should rise up to save itself at a time of peril.
Huaibei Middle School
Located in the center of Sihong County, Huaibei Middle School of Jiangsu Province was founded in 1941 as "Huaibei Public Huaibei Middle School in Suwan Border District of Huaibei Province", which is an anti-Japanese military and political school founded by Liu Shaoqi, Chen Yi, Peng Xuefeng, Liu Ruilong and other proletarian revolutionaries and military experts of the older generation.
How did you get on the path of "Red Doctor"?
Later, after two years in Huaizhong, we transferred to the Fourth Division Of the New Fourth Army. "Red Doctor" starts from this place. Our teacher was Minister Qi Zhonghuan of the Ministry of Health, who was later promoted by the Ministry of Health to be assistant minister. Later, he was branded as a rightist, and the ultra-rightists who were branded as rightists were sent to teach in Chengde, north of Beijing, and died soon after. Later, he was rehabilitated. This thing is not going well. Later, in order to commemorate him, the medical staff of our Fourth Division asked the Health Bureau for 700 yuan and made souvenirs. Very unfortunate. In 1945, the devils surrendered, everyone was very happy, the Japanese surrendered unconditionally, we China turned over, and the battle was victorious. Soon after, however, in August 46, Chiang Kai-shek launched a civil war.
Character Introduction: Qi Zhonghuan
He was the assistant minister of the Central Health Department and the vice president of the Chinese Medical Association
In 1929, he was admitted to Fengtian Medical University, and after graduating in 1935, he worked as a physician at the Peking Third Institute of Health Affairs.
After the "July 7" incident, he joined the New Fourth Army led by Ye Ting. After the Anhui Incident, he served as the medical director of the Ministry of Health of the New Fourth Army. He successively served as the director of the Health Department of the Third Division of the New Fourth Army, the Fourth Division, and the establishment of the Health School in the Fourth Division. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he successively served as the minister of health of the Central China Military Region, the deputy director of the Health Department of the East China Military Region and the East China Field Army. After the liberation of the whole country, he successively served as vice minister and minister of health of the Central South Military and Political Committee, deputy director of the Central South China Cultural and Educational Committee, and director of the Health Bureau of the Central China Administrative Committee. In 1955, he was appointed Assistant Minister of Health of the Central Committee and Vice President of the Chinese Medical Association.
In 1958, he was mistakenly classified as a "rightist" and sent to the Chengde Medical College in Hebei Province as a teacher.
What battles did your field hospital go through?
I was later assigned from the Health School to the Fourth Rear Hospital as a medical clerk, and our hospital became a field hospital, called the Twelfth Field Hospital, and we participated in many battles. The first: the Battle of Subei (north of Suqian), which annihilated more than 20,000 enemy and rescued many wounded. There was a battalion commander, a ping-pong ball was punched out of his head, coming down from the front, less than 7-8 hours, the Ministry of Health had some ministers, the entourage of doctors immediately did the operation, the operation was done very well, the battalion commander was rescued. The second was the Battle of Laiwu, which wiped out more than 70,000 enemy troops. You should have seen "The Southern Expedition and the Northern War", and the enemy finally surrendered. But we couldn't hear it because there were gunshots everywhere. Later, the Kuomintang soldiers hung their hats on the barrels of their guns and shouted: Surrender, surrender. The third battle: the Battle of Meng Lianggu, the battle against Zhang Lingfu. This battle was fought very hard, and we were in Fei County in the Yimeng Mountains, and there were high mountains on both sides. Our troops used to march during the day, but at night. Later, the war was more urgent, and it was necessary to march during the day. During the day, there were about seven or eight Kuomintang planes, four large planes, and four small planes bombing in turn. We saw that the mules and horses were hit by the planes, the shells were blown up, the mules were killed, the soldiers were killed. At this time, we are running the wounded, the seriously injured are rescued, turned down, there is an operating room below, there are doctors. That's what "The Red Doctor" says, we rescue the wounded on the front lines. The seriously injured went to the rear hospital for surgery and rescue. After the Battle of Menglianggu, we fought the Battle of Huaihai, in which we killed 100,000 people, and it was in three locations: one was to crush Zhuang wei and fight the Huang Botao Corps; one was Chen Guanzhuang, where the "suppression of bandits" headquarters fled there; and there was a double-pile set, which fought the Huang Wei Corps, and all 120,000 people and horses were wiped out. Then we came to the Battle of the River Crossing, when I was already a squadron leader, and this was a picture I took with a medical attendant at that time.
Are there any people around you who you particularly admire?
The man I admired, our old principal of Huaizhong, who was in his seventies at the time and had white hair. He is not the Kuomintang, nor the Communist Party, he is a non-partisan. At that time, Huaizhong, from teachers and classmates, all the way to the chairman of the border area, had great respect for him. He didn't prepare for class, he talked about language and politics, he talked in class, until the end of class, he was very versatile. So all of our classmates still miss him very much.
What do you like to do after you leave?
I like two things. I went to older college for about ten years. The first calligraphy I learned, the Wang Xizhi who learned; the second Tang poem i learned, Tang poetry also studied for four or five years. So I had something to do. I came here, I wrote a lot, I put a lot of bedsides. This time when I went to Huanghuatang to attend the meeting of "Red Doctor", I wrote two words: "Iron Army Red Doctor, Saving Lives and Helping the Wounded" and "Anti-Japanese War Veterans, Worship the Holy Land". "Holy land" refers to the Huanghuatang of the New Fourth Army.
Tell us the story of the Cavalry Regiment of the Fourth Division of the New Fourth Army?
He was founded in 1941 and 2021 marks its 80th anniversary. Why was a cavalry regiment formed? The Cavalry Regiment of the New Fourth Army has only this one, the New Fourth Army has seven divisions, and only the Fourth Division has a cavalry regiment. When we were in Huaibei Middle School, we often protected us. They were right around us. So we are very grateful to this cavalry regiment, very powerful. Now that there is a commemorative meeting, the older generation is gone, and I am the only one left, all of whom are descendants. The hat was an eightieth anniversary, and there was a glass memorial cup that everyone gave out one. I feel precious and I will wear it often.
Cavalry Regiment of the New Fourth Army
The Cavalry Regiment of the New Fourth Army is the Cavalry Regiment of the Fourth Division of the New Fourth Army, and it is also the only formed cavalry regiment of the Central China Field Army and even the East China Field Army, so people are accustomed to calling it the "New Fourth Army Cavalry Regiment".
The establishment of the cavalry regiment on August 1, 1941, was the "third treasure" of Peng Xuefeng's army and management after the "Dawn Newspaper" and "Dawn Theater Troupe", and was called "four divisions and three treasures" by Peng Xuefeng's division commander.
After the liberation war began, the cavalry regiment was incorporated into the Ninth Column of the Central China Field Army, commanded by Zhang Zhen. The cavalry regiment, known as the "Iron Horse of Huaibei," in consolidating the Anti-Japanese Base Area in Huaibei, restoring the Base Area of Yuwan and the Soviet Union, and crossing the river in major battles such as Northern Jiangsu, Huaihai, and Crossing the River, made the enemy feel frightened everywhere it went, became more and more courageous in battle, and repeatedly accomplished miraculous feats.
Are you satisfied with your current life?
I, as a person, have truly fulfilled my wish to save the country and save the people, and no matter how hard it is, it is not bitter. It is incumbent upon us to rescue the wounded on the battlefield, eight planes bomb in turn, you blow up yours, and we still have to save the wounded. The machine guns of the plane are very powerful, the bullets are so big, so powerful, if they hit the body, the legs will be broken at once. I wrote a metaphor myself, the War of Resistance Against Japan, which was a widow cow, a child, 18-19 years old, less than 20 years old. I was 22 years old when I arrived in Shanghai. The War of Liberation, the Pioneering Cattle, I will contribute during the War of Liberation. Reform and opening up have become old cattle. I myself belong to the ox, and this year happens to be the Year of the Ox. I don't have any burden on my mind now, my family is good, I am in Ou Baoting, I am in a very good mood, I have been here for three years, very at ease, very good. I get along very well with the old and the young. My blood pressure is not high, my blood lipids are controlled, and I don't have diabetes. We have such a good physical condition, our county party secretary, this time I went to Huanghuatang for a meeting, he said you are going to live to 120 years old.
![Tang Ting, a female doctor of Zhaotong: Saving lives and helping the injured is my unshirkable duty[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)