Collection of Hunan Geological Museum: Yuanshui diamond.
Reunion after 42 years (Pan Cunyun on the left, Song Ruixiang on the right).
Red Network Moment News April 18 (reporter Yuan Silei) Time flies, a flick of the finger; half a life, and now they are reunited.
"Carrying up our suits, climbing up the layers of mountains, we are full of infinite hope, looking for rich mineral deposits for the motherland..." Created in the 50s of the last century, the "Song of the Exploration Team" sang the voice of countless enthusiastic young people who took "finding treasures for the motherland" as the ideal of life, Song Ruixiang and Pan Cunyun, once one of the countless enthusiastic young people, they had a life friendship spanning 42 years, and these 42 years were their struggle to grow up with the motherland and keep moving forward.
A special ore
In the Mineral and Gem Hall on the second floor of the Hunan Geological Museum, there is a yellowish gemstone rough diamond, which is not the most dazzling presence in the entire exhibition hall, but on the exhibition board, the logo of exhibit "01" indicates its special identity.
In fact, in this ore, known as the "Yuanshui Diamond", there is a story about the reunion, and the story contains a patriotic spirit.
Song Ruixiang, who is now in his old age, met Pan Cunyun 42 years ago, and they met because of yuanshui diamond, but they said goodbye in a hurry. Two people who originally thought that there was only one side of the relationship were reunited again in the twists and turns of life.
In the summer of 1966, 11-year-old Pan Cunyun and his 13-year-old brother Pan Cunhua dug up ore in the mountains near their home to supplement their families. During a dig, they found an ore that sparkled in the sun, and in their play, they found it particularly hard—it could even cut through the glass. Pan Cunyun and his family suspected that it was a "diamond diamond" and wanted to send it to the Hunan Provincial Geological Bureau for professional identification, but they were limited by the traffic geography at that time and could not go there.
"At that time, the state sent a geological survey team to investigate mineral resources in the local area, and they mobilized the people to find and report minerals together." In Pan Cunyun's description, the geological survey team stationed in the local area at that time informed the people of the characteristics of various minerals in the form of notices, setting off a wave of prospecting and reporting, but he and his brother did not find in the notices the characteristics of the ore they found, "Diamond is too precious, too scarce, no one thinks that we can find." Pan Cunyun said.
Fast forward to the summer of 1979, Pan Cunyun, who was already a student at the National University of Defense Technology, suddenly remembered the unidentified ore at home, and after consulting with his family, Pan Cunyun took the suspected mineral to the Hunan Provincial Geological Bureau in Changsha, the provincial capital, for identification.
The Pan Cunyun family has treasured the award certificates for many years
An exciting encounter
"I was received by Song Ruixiang, director of the Geology and Mineral Resources Division of the Provincial Geological Bureau at that time." On the same day, after Pan Cunyun explained his intentions, Song Ruixiang put the ore in his hand and carefully examined it, the more he looked at it, the more excited he became, and in the conversation, he brought a basin of water to put under the sun, and threw the ore into the water, and in a flash, there was a golden sparkle on the surface of the water - Pan Cunyun's "diamond diamond" guessed that it was inseparable from ten.
Three days later, Pan Cunyun met with Song Ruixiang again, and he received the confirmed news that the ore that he and his family had preserved for 13 years was a high-quality natural diamond.
"What are you going to do with this diamond?" "We're not going to do anything with it, we're going to keep it to motivate more people to find and report for minerals." In Pan Cunyun's memory, he and Song Ruixiang had a conversation 42 years ago. Through this dialogue, he learned about the country's mineral deposits and the problems he faced, and also understood the persistence and persistence behind the geological people's lively meals and day and night.
Find the large diamond mine, which was 42 years ago, the era gave the Chinese geologists a heavy responsibility. Pan Cunyun clearly remembers that when Song Ruixiang talked to himself at that time, he mentioned this wish several times, and he was deeply impressed by the spirit of dedication and enthusiasm of Serving the Country as a geological person Song Ruixiang, so after consulting with his family, Pan Cunyun handed over this natural diamond to the Hunan Provincial Geological Bureau on behalf of the whole family.
Pan Cunyun donated this precious diamond to the country, hoping to promote the country's prospecting efforts to explore large diamond mines in Hunan.
A wave of prospecting and reporting craze swept the country
Shortly after Pan Cunyun donated diamonds to the country, in September 1979, Pan Cunyun and his brother Pan Cunhua were awarded the "Glorious Title of Mass Mining Activists" by the Geological Bureau of Hunan Province, and their mining deeds were published in newspapers and appeared on the radio... Xinhua News Agency, People's Liberation Army Daily, Changsha Evening News and other media at all levels rushed to report, and more and more people learned through their deeds that the state is vigorously searching for mineral sources and excavating mineral deposits.
The mining deeds of the Pan Cunyun brothers were reported by the media
In response, the people's enthusiasm for prospecting and reporting was ignited. According to the ore characteristic information given by the professional geological team, they went deep into the mountains and forests and walked into the bottom of the river valley to find ore.
According to Pan Cunyun's recollection, at that time, in his hometown of Huaihua Qianyang, thousands of local people began to search from the place where Pan Cunyun and his brother found natural diamonds, and thousands of natural diamonds were excavated in the riverbed on both sides of the Yuanshui River, providing the country with precious geological mineral source information.
As a result, the state set up a 413 geological team to specifically search for diamond mines. At the same time, the people in various parts of the motherland were also actively looking for ore and reporting for minerals, mobilizing the prospecting force on a large scale, laying a solid foundation for the development and utilization of the country's mineral resources at that time. With the enthusiastic participation of the masses, China's geological undertakings have once again entered a period of vigorous development.
An unexpected phone call
"Isn't that what you found?" In September 2021, Pan Cunyun received a call from Zhu Hui, a colleague of the National Defense Science and Technology University, asking him about the past of the diamond 42 years ago.
"My colleague was visiting the Hunan Geological Museum at the time, and she heard from the docent about the discovery of this Yuanshui diamond, and felt that it was very similar to my experience, so she called to verify." Pan Cunyun said that he was pleasantly surprised by the phone call, and he did not expect that there would be a follow-up to an encounter 42 years ago.
Pan Cunyun later learned that the diamond he had dedicated to the country 42 years ago had become the "treasure of the town hall" of the Hunan Geological Museum. Over the years, the museum has been looking for historical witnesses through various channels, trying to restore history through legacy evidence, and wants to let more people know the history of China's geological undertakings by excavating the story behind this diamond, remembering the will and determination of countless predecessors to devote themselves to China's geological undertakings, and letting the light and heat burst out of people in the fiery years continue to illuminate the road for China's geological undertakings to take off.
Therefore, as witnesses and witnesses of that period of history, the reunion of Pan Cunyun and Song Ruixiang has extraordinary value and significance.
A reunion after a 42-year absence
“13.583。” Pan Cunyun said that this was the number he and Song Ruixiang said in unison when they met again, "This is something we will never forget." ”
After the summer of 1979 passed, Pan Cunyun and Song Ruixiang continued to walk on their respective paths in life. In the era when communication technology was not yet developed, the two gradually lost contact.
One day three months ago, Pan Cunyun received a call from the Geological Museum of Hunan Province. It was this phone call that allowed Pan Cunyun and Song Ruixiang to reconnect after 42 years, and also let Song Ruixiang, who had been looking for the deceased after retirement, finally get his wish.
A month and a half ago, Song Ruixiang and Pan Cunyun returned to Changsha, and the two reunited after 42 years of separation.
When I said goodbye, Song Ruixiang, who was prosperous at that time, was already a Chinese hair, and Pan Cunyun, who was in his early twenties at that time, was already a grandfather, and time quietly changed some things, but the friendship left in the karmic meeting was long-lasting.
"We feel like we're back in that office 42 years ago." Two people, who have lost contact for nearly half a century, talk about the past of these years, and there is more joy and emotion for each other.
In the past 42 years, Song Ruixiang has started sanxiang and set foot on the three rivers. He used his knowledge and professionalism as a foundation, polished his life, and became a practitioner and excellent representative of the "three glories" spirit of "dedication to geological undertakings, pride in hard work, and pride in mineral prospecting". Song Ruixiang was the governor of Qinghai Province, the minister of geology and mineral resources, the secretary of the party group, the deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration, and the director of the China Earthquake Administration. Despite his high position, he never forgot this incident.
Pan Cunyun took to the podium and became a college teacher. With gratitude, responsibility, innovation, persistence, pragmatism and calm attitude towards life, he teaches and educates people and studies his career. On September 9, 2014, as a professor and doctoral supervisor of mechanical engineering at the National University of Defense Technology, he received the "National Model Teacher" trophy from the national leader and became a leader in the industry.
Two people who are related by a diamond have spent 42 years polishing themselves and dedicating themselves to sharpening the brilliant light of life, shining like a diamond. This light not only illuminated themselves, but also contributed to the country's geological cause and education.
Song Ruixiang and Pan Cunyun are among the countless builders of the republic, who use their struggles to make the motherland blossom.
A salute to look back on the way
Today, this Yuanshui diamond, which carries the precious friendship of Song Ruixiang and Pan Cunyun for 42 years, is the "treasure of the town hall" of the Hunan Provincial Geological Museum, and together with other mineral gems, it shows the rich geological mineral resources of Hunan to the audience.
This yuanshui diamond once brought the lives of two hot-blooded young people to the intersection and led to a human story of ups and downs. More importantly, it has witnessed the journey of a generation of people who laid the foundation for the development of the geological cause of New China.
"It is our unshirkable responsibility and obligation to preserve this Yuanshui diamond and interpret the connotation and meaning behind it." Zhong Qi, deputy director of the Hunan Geological Museum, said that he hopes that more people will know about the existence of this Yuanshui diamond, as well as the story it carries and its significance, "We want everyone to re-understand the 'treasure of the town hall' to express our nostalgia and respect for this history." ”
At present, the Hunan Provincial Geological Museum is working to better convey the story and significance of this Yuanshui diamond through cultural creation.
Mountains and rivers meet, and the future can be expected. The reunion of Song Ruixiang and Pan Cunyun is a predestination in the darkness, and it is also an echo of unforgettable thoughts. Not forgetting their stories is a kind of respect for history, but also a tribute to countless builders of the republic.