A small, remote village in Sichuan province where people live in poverty and despair. Feng Zigen, a child born in this barren land, is a microcosm of the painful struggles of thousands of Chinese peasants.
Coming from a poor family where even basic food was a problem, he experienced the cruelty of life from an early age. His family was a typical victim of the economic oppression of the landlords, and every day of their life was a struggle against hunger and despair.
His mother died in childbirth when he was very young, leaving several children without support. At the age of four, Feng Zigen had to start working long hours in the landlord's house in exchange for a meager amount of food.
In China in the 1930s, with the instability of the Kuomintang government and the gradual growth of the Communist Party, various social contradictions became increasingly acute.
Sichuan, where Feng Zigen is located, has also become a battlefield for various warlords. In this context, a revolution related to the fate of poor peasants has quietly begun.
The Red Army not only expelled the landlords, but also carried out land reform, distributing land to poor peasants like Feng Zigen.
"Feng Zigen, you also have land, you can farm your own land in the future and eat by yourself. These words sounded in Feng Zigen's heart like spring thunder, he never thought that he would be able to have his own land one day.
As the Red Army deepened, Feng Zigen witnessed their actions and ideas, which deeply moved him.
At a village rally, the words of the Red Army soldiers stirred his fighting spirit. He heard the fighters talk about freedom, equality, and brotherhood, concepts he never dared to imagine.
"We are here to fight local tyrants, divide the land, and let everyone live a good life!" The words of the captain of the Red Army echoed in the venue.
In the years that followed, Feng Zigen participated in countless battles, from Sichuan to Shaanxi, and then to the arduous journey of the Long March.
During the Long March, Feng Zigen almost died on the snow-capped mountains, but he was rescued by his companions.
After the end of the Long March, Feng Zigen continued to serve in the army until the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, when he finally saw relief from the suffering of himself and millions of his compatriots.
In the 1970s, the spring breeze of reform and opening up blew all over the land of China, and Feng Zigen was already a veteran. He returned to his hometown in Sichuan and witnessed the great changes in his hometown and the entire country.
From a small impoverished village ravaged by war to a rich land now, Feng Zigen's life has gone through the whole process from despair to hope and then to realization.
On his 104th birthday, the whole village came to his home to celebrate.
Feng Zigen looked at his great-grandson and said with emotion: "Life is good now, even I have two great-grandsons, and my life is getting better and better!"
Feng Zigen's story is a hymn to suffering and struggle, a memory of countless unknown heroes of that turbulent era.
His words reveal not only the emotion of his personal fate, but also the testimony of the entire country from suffering to prosperity.
Today, when we look back on Feng Zigen's life, we not only see the struggle and sacrifice of a person, but also draw from it the spirit of indomitable and unswerving pursuit of ideals.
Feng Zigen's story is like a beam of light, illuminating the long river of history and reflecting the hope of the future. He has used his life to prove that no matter how difficult the environment is, the power of one person can change the fate and even the future of a country.