On the evening of June 30, 1997, a small accident occurred at the handover ceremony in Hong Kong. According to the plan, the British flag should be lowered at 23:59:58, and the flag of the People's Republic of China should be raised on time at 0:00 on July 1. But somehow, the British flag was lowered 12 seconds ahead of schedule. Then the venue was silent, and 12 seconds was very long, especially for one person present, Zhu, raising his hand. I was very nervous, and at one point I wondered if I had suddenly lost my hearing and couldn't hear the sound in my ears. 25 years later, Zhu recounted the scene to reporters.
"The number of flag raises cannot be less than 5,000 times"
"At that time, the flagpole schedule was 8.28 meters, the national anthem was 46 seconds long, and the clearance for flag raising was 5.68 meters." Although it has been 25 years, Zhu still remembers these data vividly. When raising the flag, you have to look a little higher. You can't look left or right, nor can you look up where the flag is raised. Raising the flag is not an easy act. The biggest difficulty is to grasp the time. When the anthem ends, you should be able to raise the flag to the top of the flagpole in one second.
"Vacuum 12 seconds" thought he was deaf
At the handover ceremony of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, what impressed me the most was the "12-second vacuum," Zhu said. On the evening of June 30, 1997, Zhu rested at noon. After waking up in the afternoon, he suddenly found that his nose was bleeding due to excessive pressure. Time was pressing, so Zhu simply handled it with a cotton swab. Before entering the night, he hid in a distant corner, listening to the national anthem repeatedly. "Only by listening to the national anthem repeatedly can we calm the tension." Zhu recalled: "I thought today was our home, this is Hong Kong, China, and when I think about it, I am full of confidence. ”
At such a momentous historical moment, tension is almost everyone's instinctive reflection, not to mention the next unexpected "12-second vacuum," which makes Zhu feel as if he has been imitated for a century, which may be the most tense and longest 12 seconds of his life. "At that time, the palms of my hands were sweating, and the flag raising was manual. It needs to be pulled up with two hands, and neither hand dares to relax. Zhu recalled that what everyone saw on TV may have been an honor, but as a flag-raiser, he felt more tension and pressure on the spot.
Although they also practiced many times with the British side, there were still unexpected situations on the spot. Initially, under the agreement, the British side was supposed to lower the Flag at 23:59:58, but that day was 12 seconds earlier than planned. When the British flag was lowered, the venue was silent, and the national anthem of the People's Republic of China was not heard for a long time.
"I was nervous, and at one point I wondered if I was suddenly deaf and couldn't hear the sound in my ears." But at the time, Zhu said, he could hear the shutter "clicking" of the cameras of reporters on the spot. At the time, there was no other way, he didn't know what the situation was, he couldn't look around, so he had to concentrate on waiting. After 12 seconds, the national anthem finally sounded, and Zhu was relieved.
According to the usual training rhythm, he did not hesitate to raise the national flag to the top of the flagpole. "You know, raising the flag a second late symbolizes the return of Hong Kong. We have waited 154 years for the moment of Hong Kong's return, and we cannot wait any longer. Zhu said that after the mission, he left the scene and came to the lounge. He felt something in his mouth to spit out and found that there was blood in it. "I've heard the national anthem countless times. So far, I still feel that the national anthem of Hong Kong's return to the motherland is played very well. Zhu said that when he heard the first note from the trumpet, he felt that the voice was too familiar, too kind, too sweet!
Retire to patriotic education
His 30-year military career spanned Zhu's entire youth. Zhu said that this made him feel the feelings of his hometown and country. Patriotic education is not optional, but has great and far-reaching significance. Although he has now taken off his military uniform, the soldier's sense of responsibility and mission has always reminded him to set strict demands on himself, to be a guard of the honor guard with a rigorous, serious, and diligent attitude, to be enthusiastic in everything, to conscientiously perform his duties, to carry forward the spirit of patriotism, and to make his own contributions to the cause of patriotic education for young people.
As a witness to the return of Hong Kong. Zhu has an indissoluble relationship with Hong Kong and has always paid attention to the construction and development of Hong Kong. Seeing the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong today, he was sincerely happy: "I believe that with the strong support of the motherland, Hong Kong's future will be better!" ”