On the morning of April 30, after 86 years of sleeping in the wilderness of Anhui Province, Zhong Zifang, the "anti-Japanese company commander," was sent back to his hometown by volunteers on a China Eastern Airlines flight after nearly a century of absence.
Hefei airport security personnel saluted the anti-Japanese heroes, and the 94-year-old son led dozens of relatives to kneel to greet his father's remains
Chen Wenping, a secretary general of Sun Chunlong's team, the initiator of the "Veterans Go Home" public welfare project, was specially sent to Guichi District, Chizhou City, Anhui Province, to escort the remains of Zhong Zifang, the "anti-Japanese company commander" from Sichuan, home. He told the Huashang Daily Gale News reporter that Hefei Xinqiao Airport was informed that this matter attaches great importance to the matter, and specially arranged a VIP channel, on the morning of April 30, when they passed through the security check with the remains in their arms, all the security personnel suddenly raised their hands and saluted, which made him very moved.
At Hefei Xinqiao Airport, security inspectors saluted the remains of Lian Commander Zhong
At around 8 a.m. that day, Chen Wenping slowly boarded China Eastern Airlines flight MU5483 with the box containing the remains of Lian Chang Zhong and gently placed the box on the window seat in the first row of economy class. He said that it was specially reserved for Company Commander Zhong by China Eastern Airlines, and he wanted him to see the peace and beauty they had exchanged their lives and blood for through the porthole.
After boarding the plane, Chen Wenping gently buckled the seat belt of Company Commander Zhong and whispered, "Company Commander Zhong, we will take you home, you see how beautiful it is outside the window along the way."
At around 8:25 a.m., China Eastern Airlines flight MU5483 took off on time and came in the direction of Chongqing.
In the early morning of the same day, the Chongqing Volunteer Team of Caring for Anti-Japanese War Veterans sent people to Jiangjin District, Chongqing, to pick up Zhong Dehui, the 94-year-old son of Company Commander Zhong, and his party.
In addition, the volunteer team of Neijiang, Sichuan, which cares for the veterans of the Anti-Japanese War, also chartered a bus and drove to Chongqing after receiving Zhong Lianchang's relatives in Yong'an Town, Shizhong District, Neijiang City.
At around 10:30 a.m., flight MU5483 landed at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport on time.
At Chongqing Jiangbei Airport, volunteers welcomed Lian Commander Zhong home
Chen Wenping slowly walked to the door holding the remains of Company Commander Zhong, and a volunteer stepped forward to present a bouquet of chrysanthemums to Company Commander Zhong, at which time Chen Wenping saw Company Commander Zhong's 94-year-old son Zhong Dehui in a wheelchair.
He squatted down, choked up, and said, "Grandpa Zhong, this is your father, I brought it back for you." ”
The Huashang Daily Gale News reporter saw at the scene that at this moment, the atmosphere seemed to solidify, and dozens of relatives standing behind Zhong Dehui's grandfather holding chrysanthemums immediately knelt down, with tears in their eyes, Zhong Dehui's grandfather's hands trembled, took his father's remains, and muttered "Dad, Dad". At this time, a cry came from the crowd of volunteers who bent down and bowed: Company Commander Zhong, we will send you home.
Grandpa Zhong Dehui said that he has been waiting for this moment for more than 80 years, and although the impression given to him by his father as a child has long faded with the passage of time, this blood and family relationship will remain unchanged forever.
On the morning of April 30 at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, 94-year-old Zhong Dehui hugged his father's remains
A volunteer in Chongqing told reporters that considering the physical condition of Zhong Dehui's grandfather, with the consent of their family, the volunteers sent him directly back to his home in Jiangjin, Chongqing, while the remains of Lian Chang Zhong were escorted by his grandson Zhong Yun and other relatives with volunteers from Sichuan and Chongqing to his hometown in Neijiang for burial.
Wreaths were placed on both sides of the road, volunteers and emergency rescue service members stood to greet them, and villagers were buried spontaneously with tears in their eyes
At around 3 p.m. on April 30, Group 2 of Baiyang Village, Yongan Town, Shizhong District, Neijiang City. The black clouds are low, and the mountains are solemn.
A reporter from Huashang Daily Gale News saw at the scene that the bus carrying the remains of Zhong Zifang's company commander was parked at the entrance of the village, and his grandson Zhong Yun was holding a box containing his grandfather's remains, and his relatives wearing black gauze walked slowly forward along a village cement road with him.
Grandson Zhong Yun walked on the road to his hometown with the remains in his arms
The reporter found that both sides of the road were filled with wreaths sent by people from all walks of life, with the words "Company Commander Zhong through the ages" and "The soul of the anti-Japanese heroes returns to their hometown." Members of the Neijiang City Emergency Volunteer Service Team and volunteers from Neijiang, Sichuan, who cared for veterans of the Anti-Japanese War, stood solemnly on both sides with chrysanthemums and silently mourned the remains of Company Commander Zhong.
The reporter also saw that where Company Commander Zhong passed, firecrackers rang out from time to time, and the local people welcomed the anti-Japanese hero home with this traditional custom, and hundreds of villagers in Baiyang Village, Yongan Town, also took chrysanthemums and spontaneously went to the funeral of Company Commander Zhong.
A village cadre told reporters that Company Commander Zhong grew up on this land, and later served the country to join the army and went out to Sichuan to resist Japan, although all these years have passed, but generation after generation of local Yongan people have not forgotten his contribution to the country and the nation, and what they did not expect is that they waited for nearly a century, and finally waited for Company Commander Zhong to return home.
"Company Commander Zhong is the pride of our Baiyang Village, he shed blood and died on the battlefield of resistance against Japan, and his heroic deeds have been passed down from generation to generation in the village. An elderly villager wiped his tears and told reporters that now that his soul has returned to his hometown, they will not only protect his cemetery in the future, but also educate future generations to inherit his spirit.
He was buried with his wife in a tomb, the tomb was facing the direction of the battlefield in Anhui that year, and the official historical records indicate that he was only 30 years old when he died in battle
A relative of Zhong Zifang's company commander said that he went out to fight against Japan after getting married in his hometown in Yong'an Town, and his wife never remarried after the sacrifice, and in those difficult days, she raised her son Zhong Dehui until he died of illness in the 50s of the last century.
The relative said that this time they learned that Company Commander Zhong's remains were going back to his hometown, and after discussing them, they decided to rebury his wife and let them be buried together in the same grave.
The Huashang Daily Gale News reporter noticed that the tomb of Zhong Lianchang's husband and wife had been repaired a few days ago, and the stele was written with "The Tomb of Zhong Zifang, the Hero of the Anti-Japanese War", and there was a stele on the right that was erected by Sun Chunlong's team, and the stele recorded that "Zhong Zifang, Sichuan Neijiang people's clan, in 1937, the Anti-Japanese War broke out in full force, Zhong Gong worked hard, gave up his family for the country, bid farewell to his wife and children, and went out with the 50th Army of the Sichuan Army to resist the enemy, defend the country, and died in Guichi, Anhui, when he was the captain of the 50th Army. ”
At the same time, it is also recorded that in October 1938, his nephew Zhong Huanzhang collected the bones of the heroes, buried them in the local Maya Village of Anhui Province and erected a monument for them, "the descendants will bury their wives, and the husband and wife will be buried together in Zuqi, and the tombstone will face Anhui. ”
On page 160 of the "Selected Historical Materials of the Archives of the Neijiang Anti-Japanese Salvation Movement", edited by the Neijiang Municipal Archives, a table states that Zhong Zifang was a captain and company commander, and he was only 30 years old when he died, and the date of his death was September 27, 1938, in Anhui. This is roughly the same as the record on the tombstone found by Sun Chunlong's team.
In addition to Zhong Zifang, Zeng Jisan (sergeant, 30 years old), Lin Fuchen (private, 25 years old), Xiong Wanyi (private, 28 years old), Hu Guoan (sergeant, 30 years old) died on October 27, 1938, and the remaining three died on January 27, 1938.
A reporter from Huashang Daily Gale News saw at the funeral ceremony of Zhong Zifang Lian'an that Ms. Guo, the daughter of Guo Xunqi, the commander of the 50th Army, also came to attend the funeral.
In her speech, she said that she had mixed feelings, relief and sentimentality, and that after 86 years of martyrdom and burial in his homeland, Lian Chang Zhong finally returned home and was buried with his loyal wife.
Huang Ping, a reporter from Huashang Daily Gale News, sent from Yongan Town, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province, edited by Li Zhi
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