On March 5, the families of the martyrs who participated in the event presented flowers to the martyrs' tombs. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
On the eve of the Qingming Dynasty, Shenyang Martyrs' Cemetery for Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea. The pines are silent and the flowers are continuous.
On the wall of heroic names more than 100 meters long, the names of more than 190,000 martyrs of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea are engraved. The names of heroes were once the faces of youth.
Retrieving the remains of the martyrs of the Korean Volunteer Army and returning the heroes to the arms of their loved ones has always touched the hearts of more than 1.4 billion Chinese. Since 2014, a total of 8 batches of the remains of 825 volunteer martyrs in Korea have returned to the motherland and buried here, and 10 martyrs have "found" their relatives.
The soul returns to the homeland, and the spirit lives on!
On October 29, 2014, the ceremonial soldiers escorted the coffin of the remains of the volunteer martyrs for burial. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
In 8 years, 825 heroes have returned home
Majestic, exuberant, crossing the Yalu River... 72 years ago, in the great War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, many heroic sons and daughters rushed to the battlefield to defend their families and defend their country. According to statistics, during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea from 1950 to 1953, more than 190,000 good sons and daughters of China sacrificed their precious lives for the motherland, the people, and peace.
Leaving home is still the body of a teenager, and returning is already the body of serving the country.
From 2014 to 2021, China and the ROK have successfully handed over the remains of 825 volunteer martyrs in the ROK for eight consecutive years. Among the 7,141 relics that accompanied the first seven batches of martyrs back to China, in addition to rusty pens, enamel cups printed with the words "Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Defend the Family and Defend the Country," and a number of clearly recognizable seals, on which the names of the martyrs were engraved.
On March 28, 2014, the salute soldiers escorted the coffins of 437 volunteer martyrs covered with the national flag into the coffin storage area. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
These martyrs were sacrificed during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and were scattered and buried south of the military demarcation line of the Korean Peninsula, and after being excavated and identified by the Korean side, they were buried in the Poju Cemetery in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. According to the consensus reached between China and the ROK, the two sides carry out a regular handover of the remains of the martyrs of the Korean Volunteer Army once a year.
In order to welcome the "loveliest people" who have been buried in other places home, the country holds solemn ceremonies every time. When the plane escorting the remains of the martyrs entered China's territorial airspace, two fighter planes took off in the air and accompanied the escort to pay high tribute to the martyrs of the volunteer army. The special plane landed, and the airport greeted the hero home with the highest courtesy of "crossing the watergate".
On March 28, 2014, volunteer veterans bowed to the martyrs of the Volunteer Army. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
When the convoy carrying the remains of the martyrs of the Volunteer Army drove from the airport to the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang, the roadside greeting procession stretched for more than 10 kilometers. Citizens stood along the way, tears in their eyes, waving the national flag to greet the heroes who had been away from the motherland for many years.
The 43-year-old Wang Chunjie worked in the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang for 18 years, greeting every group of returned volunteer martyrs. What moved her most was the scene when the coffins of the first martyrs' remains arrived on March 28, 2014.
At that time, many volunteer veterans and families of martyrs were guarding the gate of the cemetery early. "As the bus carrying the coffin approached, an aunt cried and shouted, 'Daddy, Daddy, you're home!' Whenever she remembered this scene, Wang Chunjie was in tears.
"Actually, she doesn't know if her father will come back, but she also has to shout, even if there is a glimmer of hope." Wang Chunjie said.
Li Weibo, a 90-year-old volunteer veteran, can't remember how many groups of comrades he welcomed back. "Whenever I hear that my brothers are back, I'm going to pick them up." Li Weibo's voice was hoarse, and he murmured, "Although I don't know your names, I know that you are all my comrades-in-arms and relatives, the motherland and the people have not forgotten you, and your blood has not flowed in vain!" ”
On October 29, 2014, the salute escorted the coffin of the remains of the volunteer martyrs into the room. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
On September 2, 2021, the remains of the eighth batch of 109 volunteer martyrs in Korea returned to the motherland. On the morning of the 3rd, the burial ceremony was held at the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang.
The sunken memorial square of the cemetery, under the ring-shaped martyrs' names wall is filled with yellow and white chrysanthemums, and the people participating in the ceremony stand solemnly. Escorted by soldiers of the People's Liberation Army with guns, the salute soldiers escorted the coffin of the martyr of the Volunteer Army slowly into the scene, and the whole audience sang the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. All the personnel bowed three times to the martyrs of the Volunteer Army, and 27 salute soldiers fired 12 guns.
As the military band played the "Song of Remembrance", the ceremonial soldiers lifted the coffin of the martyr, circled the square for half a week, and slowly walked to the burial underground palace. The entire audience stared at the coffin of the martyr and silently bid farewell to the hero.
Zhang Runying, the daughter of the volunteer martyr Zhang Shushan, who has visited the cemetery many times to welcome the heroes home, said: "I am a descendant of the martyrs, and seeing them is like seeing my father." ”
The martyr Jang Shu-san, who died in 1953, was buried in North Korea and never returned.
Zhang Runying, 72, said: "The motherland and the people will never forget them, they will always be the loveliest people. ”
On September 29, 2019, representatives of the families of the martyrs attended the recognition ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Qing
Let the late-returning hero return to the arms of his loved ones
The people's heroes drive away the tigers and leopards, sacrificing their lives and forgetting their deaths to preserve peace.
More than 3 meters high and nearly 200 meters long, the black marble wall is densely engraved with rows of golden fonts. Standing in front of the Wall of Heroic Fame, people can't help but sigh, what made these heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country cast their blue blood and heart?
The spirit of patriotism, revolutionary heroism, revolutionary optimism, internationalism, and the great war to resist US aggression and aid Korea forged a great spirit of resisting US aggression and aiding Korea; it is this spiritual battle that is invincible and invincible, and has created our "loveliest people." Honoring martyrs in the name of the country and remembering history is an affectionate tribute to the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national independence, national prosperity and strength, and the happiness of the people, and it is also the protection and continuation of the spiritual roots of the Chinese nation.
The vast majority of the 825 volunteer martyrs who returned from South Korea are unsung heroes, how to make the nameless "famous" and the heroes and relatives "recognize"? This is not only the urgent wish of the vast number of martyrs and surviving veterans, but also the wish of every Chinese.
In April 2019, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs launched the "Find Heroes" campaign on the Internet. The most direct basis is the 24 personal seals found by the staff from thousands of martyrs' relics, with clear and legible text.
The "In Search of Heroes" campaign has aroused widespread attention and participation in society, and people have actively engaged in it with the enthusiasm of "yesterday they sacrificed for us, today we do something for them".
Find a needle in a haystack and don't give up. In the process of helping the martyr Xu Yuzhong to "recognize his relatives", the media in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, carried out more than 10 special reports, and the local government also spontaneously established a non-governmental martyrs' family search public welfare organization to cooperate with the government departments, and finally found Xu Yuzhong's relatives in Cangxian County, Hebei Province, adjacent to Qing County, Hebei Province, where the martyrs were originally registered.
On September 29, 2019, the family of martyr Xu Yuzhong brought loess and specialties from his hometown to his loved ones. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Qing
In order to ensure that the results of the recognition of relatives are scientific and accurate, the relevant departments have solved a series of problems and adopted the technical means of DNA detection.
Since 2014, Chinese the scientific research team of the Military Medical Research Institute of the Academy of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army to collect and analyze DNA samples of the martyrs' remains in stages and batches. These samples are buried on the battlefield, coupled with years of rain, microbial and other environmental factors erosion, which poses great challenges for DNA extraction and analysis.
Wang Shengqi, a researcher at the Academy of Military Medicine of the Academy of Military Sciences, said that with the spirit of respecting every martyr, scientific researchers worked day and night, and finally solved the key problem of DNA extraction from the remains of martyrs, and established a database, laying a foundation for the identification of martyrs and the recognition of relatives.
Today, every relative of a martyr who has successfully identified his family has a DNA appraisal book in his home. The appraisal certificate of martyr Xu Yuzhong reads: After DNA comparison and analysis, it is supported that the individual belonging to the 506 coffin number 10506 remains belongs to The biological relationship with Xu Tonghai, Xu Tongqiao, Zhao Chunhai and Zhao Chunhe. Under the premise of excluding external interference, comprehensive auxiliary information supports that the remains of Coffin No. 506 belong to the martyr Xu Yuzhong.
On September 29, 2019, at the recognition ceremony, the Young Pioneers presented flowers to the representatives of the martyrs' families. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Qing
On the eve of the 2019 Martyrs' Memorial Day, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs held the first recognition ceremony at the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang, and six volunteer martyrs, Chen Zengji, Fang Hongyou, Hou Yongxin, Ran Xubi, Xu Yuzhong, and Zhou Shaowu, confirmed their identities and "reunited" with their relatives. This was the first time that the remains of the Korean volunteers who returned to the embrace of the motherland were recognized with their relatives, and many relatives of the martyrs at the scene hugged the coffin and cried bitterly, which made people cry tears.
In 2020, there were 9 martyrs' seals returning home with the remains of the seventh batch of martyrs, and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs collected all the DNA information of the returned martyrs' remains for the first time, and combined with the war history materials and seals and other relics to find clues. In the end, the four martyrs, Lin Shuishi, Wu Xiongkui, Liang Baiyou and Zhan Zhizhong, confirmed their identities and found their relatives.
On March 5, Wu Yucheng found the name "Wu Xiongkui" at the Martyrs' Name Wall. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
On September 3, 2021, when the eighth batch of burial ceremonies were held at the remains of the Korean Volunteer Army martyrs, Zhan Baocheng from Xincai, Henan Province, came to the Yingming Wall as a family representative and found the name of his grandfather Zhan Zhizhong.
"For so many years, our whole family has been looking forward to the return of Grandpa's soul." The 53-year-old Zhan Baocheng held the hometown dirt wrapped in a white cloth in his hand, slowly opened it, and kowtowed to his grandfather. At that moment, the thoughts turned into tears, blurring the eyes. "Grandpa is back, and Grandma's wish has been granted."
On March 5, Zhan Baocheng, the grandson of martyr Zhan Zhizhong, paid homage to his grandfather in front of the Famous Wall of the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
The hero never went away and the search continued
"Today, groups of heroic volunteers have returned to rest in peace on the land of the motherland, and some comrades-in-arms have found their relatives, which is a great comfort to those of us who are still alive." Cheng Maoyou, a 92-year-old veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, said that this fully shows that the motherland and the people have never forgotten and will never forget those heroic sons and daughters buried in foreign countries.
A nation with hope cannot do without heroes, and a country with a future cannot do without pioneers. To find heroes and remember martyrs is to remember history and move forward courageously.
On March 5, the families of the martyrs who participated in the activity went to the Heroic Wall of the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang to pay their respects. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
The martyrs' recognition activities that began in 2019 have continued to gather heroic aspirations and patriotism in society. With the support of the local veterans' affairs department, media people and social volunteers in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, have set up a public welfare organization for the search for relatives of martyrs, and have found their hometowns and relatives for the 9 heroic martyrs who died on the battlefield in Huaihai, as well as the martyrs Ma Zhanmin in Shenzhou City and Li Tielian in Handan City.
In 2020, the Honglian Public Welfare Cemetery in Anshan, Liaoning Province, set up the Honorary Soldiers Museum to provide free display cases for veterans of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, soldiers of the War of Liberation, and heroes of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea buried here, and to tell their deeds by displaying military medals, certificates and revolutionary relics. Ge Jihong, the head of the cemetery, said that the veteran stories collected by the museum are not necessarily earth-shattering, "but these 'mortal heroes' who can be seen and touched can ignite people's feelings of home and country." ”
On March 5, the families of the martyrs who participated in the activity visited the memorial hall in the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
As the direct rear of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea that year, departments at all levels in Liaoning tried every means to help the martyrs find their relatives. In November 2019, with the help of the Dandong Donggang Municipal Veterans Affairs Bureau, Liang Junyao, a 76-year-old retired worker in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, finally found the grave of his third brother Liang Yaoxin on a hillside in Dadingzi Village, Changshan Town, Donggang Province.
Liang Yaoxin joined the army in 1953, and in December 1956, when he was passing through Changshan Town, Donggang, he died in a traffic accident and was buried on the spot. For decades, the family has not given up on inquiring about Liang Yaoxin's information. "The third brother has always been the concern of the whole family, and before his father died, his greatest wish was to find the whereabouts of the third brother." Liang Junyao said that thanks to the help of the party and the government, we can finally comfort the spirit of my father, mother and third brother in heaven!
On March 5, the families of the martyrs who participated in the event held a moment of silence in front of a monument in the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
According to the consensus reached between China and the ROK, the two sides will continue to excavate and identify the remains of the martyrs of the Volunteer Army in the ROK, and carry out a normalized handover once a year. The Ministry of Veterans Affairs and other relevant departments will continue to organize and do a good job in the search for the relatives of martyrs.
In the next step, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs will establish a dna database of relatives of volunteer martyrs who died in Korea, and carry out DNA information collection of relatives of volunteer martyrs in Korea in stages and batches. After the database is completed, the remains of volunteer martyrs who return to China every year can be compared with the DNA information of the relatives of the volunteer martyrs in Korea at any time, so that as many unknown martyrs as possible are "famous" and "find" their families.
For the war 72 years ago, Chinese people have never forgotten. In 2020, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Volunteer Army's war to resist us aggression and aid Korea, the state held a grand commemorative activity and awarded commemorative medals to volunteer veterans and other veterans. Located on Yinghua Mountain in Dandong City, Liaoning Province, the Memorial Hall for Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea has been renovated and renovated, and has also been presented to the world with a new look, and visitors have flocked to it endlessly.
In the past two years, movies such as "Chosin Lake" and "Sniper" have exploded on the big screen and have become phenomenal film masterpieces. The most touching warriors in the movie are our loveliest people; the story told in the movie is the great War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
"The Korean battlefield is full of heroes. Volunteer soldiers can always stand up at the critical moment when the motherland needs it most, be fearless in the face of the test of life and death, and become the 'loveliest person'. Gong Shaoshan, deputy director of the Memorial Hall of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, said that the great spirit of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea will always be a precious wealth for the people of the Chinese, and every Chinese can draw courage and strength from it.
On March 5, the families of the martyrs who participated in the activity presented flowers to the martyrs' tombs in the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang. Photo by Pan Yulong, Xinhua News Agency
For Zhang Zixiao, an 11-year-old elementary school student in Shenyang, the war 72 years ago was far away from him, before he did not even know that his grandfather was also a veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
With the encouragement of her parents, Zhang Zixiao came to the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea as a volunteer in March last year. Today, he can not only fluently tell the heroic stories of Huang Jiguang, Qiu Shaoyun, Sun Zhanyuan and other ancestors to the visitors, but also gradually clarify the image of the grandfather in his memory.
"He is the pride of the whole family and my role model." Zhang Zixiao said, "I want to tell the story of 'the loveliest person' to more people. ”
A series of reports on the search for relatives of the martyrs of the Volunteer Army
It's another year of green grass, and another year of clarity. Xinhua Daily Telegraph and the Liaoning Branch of Xinhua News Agency jointly launched a large-scale report on "Searching for Heroes' Relatives" from now on, together with readers to find the legendary stories of martyrs, to taste the continuous blood and family affection, and to feel the long-lasting feelings of home and country.
The report was strongly supported by the Department of Veterans' Affairs of Liaoning Province, the Propaganda Department of the Shenyang Municipal CPC Committee, the Shenyang Veterans Affairs Bureau, and the Shenyang Martyrs' Cemetery for Resisting US Aggression and Aiding Korea. We interviewed the families of 8 martyrs who successfully "searched for relatives". They came from Fujian, Henan, Liaoning and other places, gathered under the long wall of heroic names, and brought wine, loess, and jujube from their hometowns for the martyrs...
salute! Every sacrifice is immortal, every name has been prosperous, and they have integrated their lives into the rivers and rivers of the motherland!
The following is the first in a series of reports -
Martyr Hou Yongxin: The Hanzi of Shangliu Village has returned
【Martyrs' Archives】Hou Yongxin was born in 1920 in Shangliu Village, Liuhezi Town, Liaoning Province. In 1950, Hou Yongxin joined the army and participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and died in April 1951 at the age of 31. In 2014, the remains of the first batch of volunteer martyrs in Korea returned to China, and Hou Yongxin was among them. In 2019, Hou Yongxin's identity was confirmed by DNA comparison and other technologies. In the same year, in the "search for heroes" activities, Hou Yongxin's descendants who still lived in Shangliu Village "recognized" him.
Source: Xinhua Daily Telegraph, March 31
Author: Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Li Zheng
A pair of rotten rubber shoes, a rusty iron bowl, a 10 cm long belt, and 3 shells. Before the Qingming Festival, 66-year-old Hou Fuji gazed at these relics, as if the fifth uncle he had never met before was in front of him.
"After several decades, the remains and relics of the fifth uncle were shipped back from abroad. The whole family's wish has been fulfilled. Hou Fuji murmured.
On March 5, the relics of martyr Hou Yongxin. Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Pan Yulong photographed
Hero Expedition
In 1950, in Shangliu Village, Liuhezi Town, Liaoyang Lighthouse City, 30-year-old young Hou Yongxin joined the army to resist the United States and aid Korea and defend his family and country. Since then, the Hou family has one less son and the country has one more warrior.
"The fifth uncle quietly joined the army, and did not bring a message to the family until after entering the Korean war. He was the oldest son in the family, his grandparents, and my grandfather and my dad were very concerned about him. Hou Fuji, the son of Hou Yongxin's fourth brother Hou Yongli, was born in 1956, and his memories of his fifth uncle are preserved in the thoughts of his grandparents and fathers for their sons and brothers.
The Hou family knows that war, nine deaths in a lifetime. But the state needs to be righteous.
When Hou Yongxin entered the Korean War, Hou Fuji's father, Hou Yongli, served as a village cadre. In 1951, when the front needed a large convoy to transport supplies, Hou Yongli did not say a word and went to North Korea with 10 young men and 10 horse-drawn carriages.
"Brother, can you not worry about it?" Hou Fuji said that his father braved the rain of bullets and bullets to deliver supplies to the troops in North Korea while inquiring about the whereabouts of his old brother. "On the battlefield, looking for someone is to find a needle in a haystack, and my father has carried out transportation tasks for more than a year, but there is no news from uncle Five."
"As soon as Uncle Five left, he didn't hear from him for more than two years. It wasn't until 1952 that the family received a notice of sacrifice. Hou Fuji said that when he first remembered, my father said to me: You have a fifth uncle, who sacrificed himself in Korea to resist us and aid Korea, which is the glory of the whole family.
In Shangliu Village, the only two old people who have seen Hou Yongxin are Liu Guofeng and Guan Xiliang, who are still alive. Guan Xiliang, who is almost 90 years old, said: "Yongxin was righteous and straightforward when he was a child, and from an early age he could see that he was the material for becoming a soldier. Yongxin sacrificed for the country, is the hero of our village, I feel honored for such a fellow countryman. ”
The Hou family, who live in rural Liaoning, has gradually improved their living conditions in recent years. A few years ago, a family with closed news and difficult conditions would not have dreamed that their relatives who sacrificed in a foreign country would one day be able to "go home". Hou Fuji said: "At that time, grandparents, fathers and we could only express their mourning for uncle five with the memorial at the doorstep of their homes. ”
On March 5, Hou Fuji, the nephew of martyr Hou Yongxin, searched for Hou Yongxin's name on the wall of the Martyrs' Cemetery to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang. Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Pan Yulong photographed
The Hero Returns
In 2019, Hou Fuji, who was working in Crooked Head Mountain in Benxi, received a call from his nephew Zhang Hong, "Uncle, there is a martyr named Hou Yongxin, is it my grandfather?" The Internet is looking for the relatives of the martyrs. ”
The hero "went home", and future generations can still "see" him, which made the Hou family excited for generations.
At that time, South Korea had successively handed over the remains of 6 batches of volunteer martyrs in Korea to the mainland since 2014, and a total of 599 martyrs' remains had returned to the motherland. Among the remains of these martyrs, the relevant departments took 24 seals engraved with personal names as clues, and finally confirmed the identities of 6 martyrs by searching for archives, mobilizing social forces, and conducting DNA testing, and Hou Yongxin was among them.
In order to let heroes meet their loved ones, in 2019, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the media launched the "Find Heroes" campaign.
Hearing the name "Hou Yongxin", which has been haunted by dreams for more than 60 years, Hou Fuji immediately contacted the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. Through the verification of the family tree and martyr's certificate provided by the Hou family, the visit to Li Hongyi, the party organization of Shangliu Village and the old secretary at the time, and finally through dna sampling of the six nephews and nieces of the second generation of the Hou family, "Hou Yongxin" is the young man who set out from Shangliu Village in Liuhezi Town, Liaoyang, in 1950 to resist the United States and aid Korea and defend the country.
When looking for heroes, Li Hongyi, who served as the secretary of Shangliu Village in 1950, was more than 80 years old and reached the last moment of his life. Hearing the news that his childhood friend "went home", the old secretary burst into tears. The old man was dripping on the bed while recalling to the staff of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs that Hou Yongxin joined the army.
After 68 years of sacrifice in a foreign country, the hero finally returned home, and Hou Yongxin's descendants finally recognized the hero. On September 29, 2019, Hou Yongxin's nephew Hou Fuyuan and nieces Hou Fulan and Hou Fukun, as invited representatives of martyrs, participated in the martyrs' recognition ceremony held at the Martyrs' Cemetery in Shenyang. They looked up at the wall of honor in the cemetery, saw the three words "Hou Yongxin", and burst into tears.
Hou Fuyuan, 70 years old this year, is the son of Hou Yongxin's second brother Hou Yonghai and the second eldest son of the Hou family. He said: "I 'saw' Uncle Five and his relics at the place where the remains were laid. The relatives who have been missed for more than 60 years are in front of us, but the wishes of the whole family for many years have been fulfilled. Thank you to the state for taking him home. ”
On March 5, Hou Fukun (center), the niece of martyr Hou Yongxin, shed tears while viewing Hou Yongxin's relics. Xinhua Daily Telegraph reporter Pan Yulong photographed
Heroes are eternal
Neither the second nor third generations of the Hou family have seen Hou Yongxin, but the red blood of the "volunteer martyrs" has always continued in this ordinary peasant family in Liaoning.
After learning the news that the fifth uncle died in the Korean battlefield, grandpa and father built a crown tomb for him in the cemetery of the village and erected a wordless tombstone. Every year, the family will go to the festival. Hou Fuji said: "My father told me that I told my son and grandson that the old Hou family had martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country. This is the eternal pride of our family. ”
The story of the hero is told in the Hou family a lot and deeply, so when the "search for the hero" campaign was launched, Hou Yongxin's grandson Zhang Hong found the name of the old grandfather for the first time. Zhang Hong said: "Old Grandpa fought for the country and sacrificed for the country. We have such ancestors, with light on their faces and strength in their hearts. ”
More than 196,000 heroes and sons and daughters of the Chinese Volunteer Army died on the Korean battlefield, and Hou Yongxin was one of more than 100,000 martyrs, but the motherland and his hometown have never forgotten the heroes.
Hou Yongxin's niece Hou Fukun said: "When the news of the sacrifice of the fifth uncle reached our hometown, Liuhezi Commune hung a sign for our family with the 'Glory of martyrs', which has been an heirloom of our family for decades. My parents built a new house several times and have always treasured this sign. When my father was dying, he told us to keep it safe. ”
In the 1960s and 1970s, the most difficult period of national economic development, the tribute to heroes is still the most important thing for the New Year's Festival. Hou Fuyuan said: "During the New Year, the village uses straw and supports a lantern with a five-pointed star, on which is written the glory of the martyrs. No matter how tight the supply of food and drink is, the village will also cut two catties of pork for the families of the martyrs. ”
After Hou Yongxin's remains returned to China, dozens of people from the Hou family have come to the Martyrs' Cemetery of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in Shenyang several times to pay tribute to Hou Yongxin, and Hou Fuyuan said: "Children and grandchildren should come here more to receive education, so that our families and more people can continue this red bloodline." ”
From a notice of sacrifice to the repatriated remains and relics, from a wooden plaque in the village's crown tomb to the name on the wall of the Martyrs' Cemetery for The War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. Hou Fuyuan wanted to say to Uncle Five, "The motherland has never forgotten you!" The motherland is already strong today! ”
(Original title: In the Korean Volunteer Army Martyrs Return to China "Looking for Relatives": Across Time and Space, Heroes Return Home)
Source: Xinhua Daily Telegraph WeChat public account
Process Editor: TF099