They are "Taihang soldiers"
It is also a "son and daughter of Tuotuo"
Have you watched the hit "Children of Tuotuo" on CCTV-8 in July? This is a story about a "Pingshan Regiment" composed of countless sons and daughters of Tuotuo on the land of Yanzhao, and when it was broadcast for 3 episodes, it became the second rated in the country.
So you know what? This TV series is based on writer Cheng Xueli's reportage work "Looking for the Flat Mountain Regiment". And Cheng Xueli, who won the Xu Chi Reportage Award for this work, spent two years to create a juvenile coming-of-age novel for children that is also set in the "Pingshan Regiment" - "Taihang Little Soldiers" with a sincere heart.
The living characters in the TV series "Children of Tuotuo" - Liu Jiwen, Murong Ruixue, Jiang Xu... It seems to be the "adult version" of these little soldiers in the book; And the Pingshan teenagers in "Taihang Little Soldiers" - Liu Tingyun, Yinzi, Big Eyes... It seems to be alive in a TV series.
They are all sons and daughters of Pingshan who grew up on the banks of the Tuotuo River, which is praised by the people of Shijiazhuang as the "mother river," and they are all "sons and daughters of the iron on the Taihang Mountain" who bravely sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the whole country and national independence, and were praised by Nie Rongzhen, commander of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region.
What kind of story is this?
"Be a soldier and fight the devil!"
The autumn breeze of 1937 blew this slogan all over Pingshan County, Hebei Province. A group of enthusiastic Hirayama teenagers with family tree - silk baggage, dressed in uniforms rushed to the battlefield, behind them was a group of father, son, and brother soldiers who went forward and followed. The resolute and brave Ting Yun, the silver of women dressed as men, the honest and simple big eyes... In the smoke of war, they used their wisdom to resolve one crisis after another, won victory after victory, and grew into iron soldiers who stood tall in the sky.
There are more and more names on the silk baggage, and peace and light are getting closer and closer...
There are many children your age in the story of "Taihang Little Soldiers", who are carrying the weight of war at a carefree age. Can you imagine what difficulties they all encountered?
Scarce food - a handful of sour dates is enough to be happy
In the war-torn era, people not only could not eat meat, but also vegetables and eggs several times a year.
There are only two kinds of meat food that appears in "Taihang Little Soldiers": spicy chicken made by the commander of the Eighth Route Army for the soldiers himself, and canned meat confiscated from the devils. Among the foods that people often eat, some are oven baked cakes and tortillas, and the worse ones are only millet porridge and sorghum rice porridge with clearly visible rice grains.
Some villagers joined the army just to eat a bite of white steamed buns, but found that the troops ate worse than the common people and often did not have enough to eat. And when it comes to the New Year and festivals, the children in the army are already very happy to eat a handful of sour dates and a pomegranate.
Scarce clothes – the new shoes that didn't wait
Many of the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army did not have a complete uniform. Some of them only have military jackets, some only military pants, and some even only leggings, which add up to piece together a complete military uniform. After being wounded, these fighters lay shivering in the hospital bed because they could not find a thick quilt to keep warm.
There was a young soldier named "Yoshiko" in the "small soldier class", who came from a poor family and could not even wear shoes. Until he died in battle, he still said that his mother would send him a new pair of shoes, because his feet were already frozen black and cracked.
Brutal parting – watching loved ones leave one by one
Liu Tingyun, one of the protagonists of "Taihang Little Soldier", has been saying goodbye to his comrades-in-arms all the way after joining the army: first Jizi, who joined the army with him, then Camp Commander Huang, who treats him like his own son, and Regiment Commander Chen, who always takes care of him and fulfills his wishes... In the end, he himself died in battle.
After his cousin Yinzi, who joined the army with him, was bloodied by the Japanese army in his whole family and witnessed his sister die under the bayonet of the devil, the woman dressed as a man resolutely joined the Eighth Route Army.
Li Jinyuan, a disciple of the rich family, followed the team all the way, and even his mother was ill and could not go back to visit, and finally separated from his closest family forever.
This is the story of the bloody and tear-jerking "Taihang Little Soldier". The youngest of these "little soldiers" is 12 years old, the oldest is only 16 years old, they should have spent a happy childhood on campus, but they are forced to grow up in such a harsh environment, constantly experience life and death, and dedicate everything they have to defend their homeland.
When these "little soldiers" left home to join the army, they copied a family tree from home - silk baggage, which was originally meant to remember their roots, and they also had a thought when they went out. But later, they recorded the comrades who died in battle one by one. When performing tasks, money can be lost, food can be thrown, blood and tears can be shed, but this burden cannot be lost - the burden is there, and those comrades who died are still there. Over time, the silk burden becomes heavier, as there are more and more names on the family tree, and their stories will be passed on through the memories of those who live, and their spirit will be immortalized by the passing on of memories.
"Story" within a story
This is writer Cheng Xueli's first masterpiece of children's literature, recreating the glorious history of the Pingshan Regiment in the Anti-Japanese War; Praise ordinary heroes and show the firm belief of communists who do not forget their original aspirations; Interspersed with Jin-Cha-Ji songs, traditional folk customs, juvenile life, and Chinese medicine culture, the "heavy" history is shown with a "light" narrative.
Looking back on the beacon years - showing the cruelty and ruthlessness of the Anti-Japanese War era from a childlike perspective
Show the national style - use the stories of small soldiers to show the background and national spirit of soldiers
Inheriting the red gene - inheriting historical memories and family and country feelings with a literary pen
About the author
Cheng Xueli is the vice chairman of the Hebei Writers Association and the chairman of the Shijiazhuang Writers Association. He is a member of the China Reportage Society and the Chinese Writers Association. His representative works include "Looking for the Pingshan Regiment", "Homeland Zhongshan", "Lixue Prose", "Dream Home", "Shining Red Star", etc., and his works have won the 6th Xu Chi Reportage Award, the 4th National Bingxin Prose Award, the 12th Hebei Province Literary and Art Revitalization Award, etc., won the Hebei Province "Five One Project" award three times, and personally won the title of "Top Ten Young Writers" in Hebei Province. He also served as the chief screenwriter of the TV series "Children of Tuotuo".