Old photos of the early days of the development and construction of the Great Northern Wilderness.
Lu Guide (right) with his father Lu Shumin (left) and grandfather Lu Shiran. Image courtesy of interviewees and Seven Star Farms
□ reporters Jiang Bin, Liu Chang, Cui Lidong
After several rainy days, the temperature in the Qixing Agricultural Demonstration Zone in Xiaogang Village, Fengyang County, Anhui Province dropped to about 34 °C. One day in July, at half past five in the morning, when the guide Lu walked through the ridge, his head was already sweating, and he squatted down in a tanned sun, touching the rice seedlings in the wheat and rice rotation demonstration area to observe. "The rice is at the peak of tillering and is growing well." The joy was palpable.
Lu Gui, who was born in 1988, is a "celebrity" in the Seven Star Farm of Jiansanjiang Branch of Beidahuang Group, and is already the deputy director of agricultural machinery in the third management area at a young age.
In March 2023, he was deployed to the Qixing Agricultural Demonstration Zone in Xiaogang Village to export the advanced planting model of the Great Northern Wilderness to the surrounding areas. In the autumn harvest of that year, the yield of rice per mu in the demonstration area he was responsible for was 15% higher than the average yield per mu of surrounding growers. The real bumper yield made the local farmers give a thumbs up to the three words "Great Northern Wilderness".
Looking at the swaying green rice seedlings in front of him, Guide Lu couldn't help but think of his hometown, the "10,000 acres of land" with rolling rice waves in Qixing Farm, and in that vast rice field, there was the highlight moment of his life:
From September 25th to 28th, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected the three northeastern provinces, and on the afternoon of the 25th, he came to the Seven Star Farm "10,000 Mu Dadi" to learn about grain production and harvest. At that time, Lu Gui drove his "Ceres" harvester to demonstrate rice harvesting operations.
"That scene, every time I think about it, I can't get excited!" Lu Gui recalled, "The general secretary cares about the Great Northern Wilderness and cares about the farm workers, which makes us feel that it is a particularly glorious thing to farm and raise grain!" ”
"He" is the first batch of pioneers in the Great Northern Wilderness
The black soil of the Great Northern Wilderness is soaked with the blood and sweat of several generations of pioneers. Lu Guide is the "three generations of reclamation", engraved on the black soil of the pioneer epic, leaving the footprints of three generations of Lu guide's family.
In 1957, Lu Shiran, the grandfather of Lu Gui, responded to the call and came to Seven Star Farm from Liangshan, Shandong Province as a young man from the branch.
The footsteps of the pioneers woke up the wasteland.
When he was a child, Lu Gui often heard his grandfather talk about the past of the Great Northern Wilderness: "At the beginning, there was no serious road, and the survey team at that time set three high points in this area, and the entire Seven Star Farm was gradually developed around these three high points. ”
At minus tens of degrees Celsius, the first generation of reclamation people who developed and built the Great Northern Wilderness lived in semi-underground horse shelves built with wooden stakes and straw mats.
Lu Gui said: "Grandpa told me that at that time, there was a big oil drum in the middle of the north and south kang in the house, and someone had to stay awake for this night, and constantly put wooden halberds into it to burn the fire, otherwise he would be covered with a thick quilt, and all the breath would be white and his eyes would be frosted." That's it, it's just barely freezing the bad guys. ”
Farming, at first, relied on people to pull the plow, and gradually there were agricultural machinery, and several companies shared one. The conditions are difficult, but everyone is united. In just a few decades, Seven Star Farm has gone from barren to prosperous, from barren to prosperous.
Like Lu Shiran, nearly one million reclamation troops composed of 140,000 demobilized officers and soldiers, 200,000 border youths, 540,000 urban youths, 100,000 college graduates and local cadres have rushed to the Great Northern Wilderness. Generation after generation has turned this ancient wasteland into an important national commodity grain base and a grain strategic reserve base with the largest scale of cultivated land, the highest degree of modernization, and the strongest comprehensive production capacity on the mainland, creating a miracle of agricultural modernization and urbanization.
This year, 94-year-old Lu Shiran suffers from emphysema, always wheezing and speaking slowly, but she is still worried about planting. At the beginning of June this year, Lu Shiran called her grandson in Xiaogang Village.
On the phone, the grandfather asked Guide Lu: "Is Xiaogang's wheat about to be harvested?" ”
Guide Lu was surprised: "Master, how do you know?!" ”
The old man said slowly: "I watched TV and harvested wheat in Shandong, which is only more than 400 kilometers away from you, and it won't take five days, so you have to start harvesting." ”
Lu Gui told reporters with a smile: "He also asked how much is a catty, and he asked very carefully." ”
"The Song of the Great Northern Wilderness" has such a lyric: "Your fruit has my life, and your river has my blood." This is a true portrayal of the hard work of generations of people in the Great Northern Wilderness.
No regrets inheritance Agricultural machinery is a topic of pride for "him" all his life
Lu Shiran's love for land and farming was also passed on to his son Lu Shumin.
As the "second generation of reclamation", 18-year-old Lu Shumin became an agricultural mechanic at Seven Star Farm in 1977. Since then, "agricultural machinery" has become a topic of pride for Lu Shumin all his life.
Recently, the reporter came to Lu Shumin's home in Seven Star Farm, and the photo of Lu Guide was placed above the most conspicuous sofa. Although Lu Shumin did not smile, when he mentioned agricultural machinery, the corners of his mouth could not hide the smile, and his voice became higher. In his telling, the story of three generations of the family is presented more completely.
"At that time, sowing all relied on staring, every 100 meters to plant a small red flag dots, only open straight, high technology can be a seeder...... "In the seventies of the last century, the Great Northern Wilderness had semi-mechanized operations. Lu Shumin became a member of the hands of the Great Northern Wilderness Agricultural Machinery.
Wu Xiurong, the mother of Lu Guide, recalled: "At that time, the agricultural mechanics were half repairmen, and they had to repair their own cars......
"At that time, the agricultural machinery always failed, and if it broke down in the field, it had to be repaired in the field, and if it was broken at home, it was repaired at home, and once the agricultural machinery was faulty, the work had to be delayed." Lu Shumin said, "Like now, there are three streets of shops that repair agricultural machinery, so you can choose and choose at will." There was envy in his tone that couldn't be hidden. He asked the reporter to look at one of his fingers, "Look, this finger can't be bent back, because it was broken when repairing agricultural machinery, and it was only connected in time thanks to surgery." ”
In 1994, Lu Shumin bought a state-of-the-art tractor on the farm at that time, and later contracted the land of the farm, and successively purchased rice transplanters, harvesters and other machinery, and was engaged in agricultural machinery operations until his retirement.
Lu Guide said: "My dad didn't talk much about other things, but when he talked about agricultural machinery, he suddenly came to the spirit, and asked me what new models I came out, how much horsepower they have, and there are endless words." Having worked with agricultural machinery all his life, he has a deep sense of the importance of agricultural mechanized production. ”
Lu recalled: "In 2002, a heavy snowfall in Jiansanjiang caused many farmers to lose their crops. My dad used to say that it would be nice if there were the mechanical powers that we have now. ”
Farmers in the new era "He" witnesses that science and technology have given wings to agriculture
From the "six legs" of people carrying oxen, to the "four-legged" tractor, to the unmanned intelligent operation of "no feet" without going to the field, the "farmer" in the new era has changed the traditional way of agricultural planting.
For the "post-85" Lu guide, climbing up and down on the tractor, drilling in and out of the cockpit, and all kinds of agricultural machinery in the yard are the paradise of his childhood. The mouth "suddenly" simulated the sound of an agricultural machine, sitting in the cab and pretending to drive, and the friend shouted below: "Pour!" Pour! Advance! Advance! It's his and his little playmate's favorite game.
Growing up listening to the stories of the Great Northern Wilderness, Lu Dao University also chose to study agriculture.
"Influenced by my family and the expectations of my grandfather and father, I have also been interested in farming since I was a child." He said confidently, "At that time, I felt that I had an advantage, at least I knew more agricultural machinery." ”
At the end of 2008, after graduating from Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural Reclamation University, Lu Daoist chose to return to this hot land and become a recruit in the Great Northern Wilderness. At that time, his first job was as an agricultural machinery technician at Seven Star Farm.
From agricultural machinery technician to deputy captain of agricultural machinery, to deputy director of agriculture and deputy director of agricultural machinery in the management area...... Lu Guidao caught up with the transformation of agricultural mechanization to intelligence in the Great Northern Wilderness for several years.
From high-horsepower tractors, harvesters to rice transplanters with side-deep fertilization technology, the horsepower of upland tractors has gradually increased, and tractors with 200, 300, and 400 horsepower have appeared one after another, until tractors with intelligent driving functions are used.
Lu Dao said with emotion: "Over the years, everyone has paid more and more attention to machinery, and the agricultural machinery in the field has been updated several times. ”
Agricultural machinery overhaul, maintenance, maintenance, promotion...... During his tenure as deputy director of agricultural machinery, Lu Gui's mobile phone rang non-stop since the morning, and he patiently and meticulously explained every work. "Now it's all mechanized, and the work has to be more serious, and none of them can go wrong." Lu Gui pointed to the harvester in the distance and said that high technology has given modern agriculture wings to take off.
"We are now using the most advanced agricultural machinery such as drones, side-deep fertilization transplanters, satellite graders, etc., which can be operated on mobile phones as long as they are connected to satellite signals." Lu Gui said that in his spare time, he also told his grandfather and father about the "new things" of the Great Northern Wilderness.
"I told my grandfather that in today's Great Northern Wilderness, the comprehensive mechanization level of cultivation and harvesting of major crops has reached more than 99.7%, and the level of agricultural technology is changing with each passing day."
Chatting with his father, Lu Shumin has always been very interested in unmanned rice transplanters with Beidou navigation, "I have driven agricultural machinery all my life, and I have not been as smooth as your navigation." And unmanned driving also saves labor, or we will change it. Lu Gui smiled and teased: "Dad, can you operate it when you buy it, now you use a tablet and a mobile phone to operate agricultural machinery." My father's answer was firm: "I won't use it, but I want to learn it too." ”
Three generations have cast the history of development and construction of the Great Northern Wilderness
"Inherit it, our descendants! It's an eternal possession –
Eternal and new; Work hard, master of the future world!
It's a magical land – hard to find on earth. ”
Guo Xiaochuan wrote in the famous poem "Engraved on the Land of the Great Northern Wilderness".
Some people also say that the historical changes of the Great Northern Wilderness are a magnificent epic. Every inch of land is engraved with shining verses, and the authors of this epic are none other than those thousands of people who reclaim the wilderness.
The three generations of Lu Dao's family are one of the thousands of people who have reclaimed the wasteland. Generation after generation of people in the Great Northern Wilderness have built the reckless wasteland into the "Great Granary of China" and become the largest commercial grain base in the country. The grain output of Beidahuang Group has exceeded 40 billion catties for 13 consecutive years, and the grain output of Beidahuang Group will reach 45.589 billion catties in 2023, and the grain production will achieve "twenty consecutive harvests".
At present, the annual grain transfer volume of Beidahuang Group is stable at more than 40 billion catties, accounting for about 60% of the transfer volume of Heilongjiang Province, and the grain commodity rate is more than 95%, which can meet the annual ration supply of 160 million urban and rural residents.
In the past 77 years, there have been great changes, but what has not changed is the spirit of the Great Northern Wilderness of hard work and selfless dedication of the reclamation people.
According to statistics, since its development and construction in 1947, Beidahuang Group has produced a total of 1,047.8 billion jin of grain and supplied 897.8 billion jin of grain to the country, becoming the "ballast stone" of China's food security and keeping the Chinese's rice bowl firmly in their hands.
Since 2012, Beidahuang Group has developed rapidly in agricultural mechanization, intelligence, and informatization. Nowadays, "5G + Beidou navigation" has made the people of Beidahuang from farming to "smart" farming, and agricultural production is becoming more and more "scientific and technological". Up to now, the comprehensive mechanization level of cultivation and harvesting of major crops of Beidahuang Group has reached more than 99.7%, and the contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress has reached 77%.
With the blessing of good seeds, good recipes and good skills, the land production will increase and the income of farmers will increase......
Today's Great Northern Wilderness has undergone earth-shaking changes, and the only thing that remains unchanged is the love of the three generations of farmers for the Great Northern Wilderness, like a flame quenching the most loyal background.
"Now I feel that 'planting good land, growing more grain, and making good food' is my goal in life. Especially after meeting the general secretary, my heart is very steady, and that pride and sense of accomplishment support me every day. At the end of the interview, Lu Gui said with emotion: "Chinese grain, Chinese rice bowl!" Every person in the Great Northern Wilderness is working hard to secure this 'Chinese rice bowl'. ”
In the Great Northern Wilderness Museum, there is a huge relief wall with a height of 8 meters and an area of more than 200 square meters, called "Ode to the Great Northern Wilderness", which is engraved with the story of the Great Northern Wilderness. The wasteland is made of paper and blood, and the magnificent picture scroll in the history of human reclamation spreads out across time and space.
The new story is not finished to be continued, and the people of the Great Northern Wilderness in the new era have become the writers. The pride of "China's big granary" is being written.
Reporter's Notes
Walking into Lu Shiran's home, he was resting in his bedroom, and he was obviously inconvenient to be interviewed when he was over ninety years old. His son Lu Shumin has an introverted personality, and in his memories, the story of the three generations of the Lu family slowly replays back. In a conspicuous place on the sofa at home, there is a photo of the third-generation Lu guide.
From the 50s of the twentieth century to 2024, more than 70 years of history of the development and construction of the Great Northern Wilderness are also presented in the eloquent stories of the Lu family father and son, and the fate of the three generations of the Lu family is closely linked to the magnificent modern agricultural development process of the Great Northern Wilderness. During the interview, Lu Shumin and Lu Gui's tone not only had infinite emotion for the hardships of the vast wasteland, but also great pride in the Great Northern Wilderness turning into a magnificent fertile field.
As a young man on the side, when Lu Shiran first arrived at Seven Star Farm, there was only a rare Dongfanghong tractor on the farm. The Great Northern Wilderness, which was born for the national strategy, was composed of a reclamation army composed of border youth, demobilized soldiers, urban intellectual youth, and college graduates, and gathered into a majestic force to make unlimited efforts to conquer all the difficulties of the wasteland. Lu Shumin's life has formed an indissoluble bond with agricultural machinery, and the changes in farming have also made Lu Shumin see the changes of the times. The land guide has witnessed the rapid development of smart agriculture in the Great Northern Wilderness, and the high-tech technologies of the Internet of Things and big data are shifting agricultural production from the plane of land to the three-dimensional space.
The Great Northern Wilderness has become a representative of the mainland's agricultural modernization productivity.
The pioneer's ploughshare looks small in front of the vast wasteland, but it is from the "first plough of the Great Northern Wilderness" that the people of the Great Northern Wilderness have deeply integrated themselves into this wasteland.
In the Great Northern Wilderness Museum, there is a "Great Northern Wilderness Old Man Wall" composed of 100 copper plates, and the names of more than 10,000 deceased people are engraved on the wall. "Dedicated to youth and life, dedicated to children and grandchildren", the builders of the stars, each of them is a vivid epitome of the thick history of struggle in the Great Northern Wilderness.
A kind of spirit, a kind of faith, let the black land of the Great Northern Wilderness burst out with vitality and vitality, no matter when, whenever the melody of "The Song of the Great Northern Wilderness" sounds, they will always burst into tears.
In the Great Northern Wilderness in July, the wind blows the rice waves and the fragrance of rice grows stronger. Guide Lu began to look forward to another harvest year in the golden autumn.