In 2009, a TV series called "Defending Yan'an" was broadcast on CCTV, which aroused enthusiastic responses from audiences across the country. However, for 70-year-old Aunt Wang Qingmei, this drama brought an unexpected surprise. When she saw a character named "Wang Chengde" in the play, tears couldn't help but burst out of her eyes. This name is the name of her father who died in the Battle of Huaihai.
Wang Qingmei's father, Wang Chengde, was a revolutionary martyr who bravely sacrificed his life in the War of Liberation. For many years, Wang Qingmei has been hoping to find her father's burial place to fulfill her mother's last wish. However, the search process is full of hardships and twists and turns. Until the appearance of this TV series, it seems to have opened a new door.
Is this a coincidence? Or is there a providence in the dark? How did Aunt Wang Qingmei find clues about her father through this TV series? What twists and turns has this journey of searching for his father spanned more than half a century?
1. Wang Chengde: The Transformation from an Ordinary Peasant to a Revolutionary Martyr
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender, and the 14-year War of Resistance against Japan finally came to an end. In China's vast rural areas, countless peasants rejoiced and looked forward to the arrival of an era of peace. However, the political situation in the country has not calmed down. The contradictions between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party have intensified day by day, and the flames of war have once again spread across the land of China.
Under such a historical background, 24-year-old Wang Chengde ushered in an important turning point in his life. As an ordinary farmer in Henan Province, Wang Chengde originally dreamed of living a stable life with his wife and newborn daughter. However, the approach of the Kuomintang army made him realize that peace and tranquility were not within reach.
In the spring of 1946, Wang Chengde made a decision that changed his fate - to join the army. This decision was not made lightly. He knew that he was carrying the burden of his family, but the crisis of the country made it impossible for him to stand idly by. After showing his heart to his wife, Wang Chengde packed his bags and embarked on the road to join the army.
When he first arrived in the army, although Wang Chengde did not receive formal military training, he quickly adapted to the life in the barracks by virtue of the spirit of hardship and hard work unique to rural youths and his enthusiasm for the revolutionary cause. He actively participated in various trainings, assiduously studied military knowledge and political theory, and established a good reputation among his comrades-in-arms.
In the summer of 1947, Wang Chengde's unit participated in the famous Battle of Lunan. This was the first time he had participated in a large-scale battle. In the face of the well-equipped Kuomintang army, Wang Chengde showed amazing courage and wisdom. During a surprise mission, he led his team to successfully blow up an enemy ammunition depot and win the initiative in the battle. This operation not only made a war achievement, but also made the superiors pay attention to this simple but brave young soldier.
In the months that followed, Wang Chengde performed well in many battles, not only fighting bravely, but also being good at uniting his comrades, and having strong organizational skills. In view of his performance, in early 1948, the organization decided to promote Wang Chengde to the company instructor. This appointment is both an affirmation of his ability and a test of his ability.
As a company instructor, Wang Chengde knows that the responsibility on his shoulders is heavier. He began to study political theory and military strategy more conscientiously and worked hard to improve his overall quality. In his daily work, he cared about the lives of the fighters, often talked with them and helped solve practical difficulties. This kind of work style with strong affinity and solid style has allowed him to establish a good prestige in the company.
In April 1948, the People's Liberation Army launched the famous Battle of Luoyang. As a participant in this campaign, Wang Chengde led his company and performed well in the fierce street battles. They not only managed to break through the enemy lines, but also to rescue the trapped masses. The six-day battle made Wang Chengde more profoundly aware of the hardships and greatness of the revolutionary cause.
After the battle, Wang Chengde wrote a letter to his wife, who was far away from home, telling her about the joy of the liberation of Luoyang, and at the same time expressing his longing for his family. In the letter, he invited his wife to bring their daughter to Luoyang for a reunion, hoping that they could witness the dawn of New China. However, considering the situation at the time and the difficulties of the journey, the wife politely declined the invitation. This decision has become a common regret for the couple.
As the war progressed, Wang Chengde's unit also continued to advance. In November 1948, they received an order to participate in the Huaihai Campaign. This is a major battle related to China's fate, and Wang Chengde feels a great responsibility. At the mobilization meeting before departure, he delivered an enthusiastic speech to his comrades-in-arms, encouraging them to march forward bravely for the cause of liberation.
However, fate tricked people. In this battle that changed the course of Chinese history, Wang Chengde unfortunately died on the battlefield in order to cover the retreat of his comrades. His sacrifice made an important contribution to the victory and changed the fate of his family forever.
2. The sacrifice in the Huaihai Battle and the waiting of the family
In November 1948, the Huaihai Campaign began. This large-scale battle, which lasted 66 days, not only decided the fate of China, but also changed the life trajectory of countless ordinary people. As a company instructor, Wang Chengde led his comrades-in-arms into this earth-shattering battle.
The Huaihai Campaign was divided into three phases, and Wang Chengde's unit mainly participated in the second phase of the operation. At this stage, the main goal of the PLA was to encircle and annihilate Huang Baitao's corps. In late November, Wang Chengde's company received an order to set up an ambush in the area east of Suxian County to block enemy forces that might break through.
On a cold night, Wang Chengde led the company to ambush at the designated location. The weather was unusually bad, with cold winds howling and sleet falling incessantly. However, not a single fighter flinched. They silently endured cold and hunger, waiting for the arrival of the enemy army.
In the wee hours of the morning, faint footsteps and the roar of vehicles could be heard in the distance. Wang Chengde immediately became alert, and he quickly gestured to the soldiers around him, signaling everyone to get ready for battle. When the enemy entered the ambush circle, Wang Chengde decisively gave the order to open fire.
Fierce battles broke out in an instant. Bullets rained down, shells slicing through the darkness. Wang Chengde calmly commanded and led the soldiers to compress the enemy's activity space step by step. However, towards the end of the battle, a lost shell fell near Wang Chengde. In the loud explosion, Wang Chengde fell.
In this way, in the flames of the Huaihai Campaign, Wang Chengde, who was only 27 years old, left this world forever. His sacrifice became a microcosm of the countless heroic stories of this great victory.
However, far from the battlefield, Wang Chengde's wife and young daughter have no idea of all this. They still hope that their husbands and fathers will return safely. Whenever he heard the news that someone had returned from the front, Wang Chengde's wife was always the first to run out to inquire about the news. However, the disappointments made her heart heavier and heavier.
On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded. The people of the whole country were immersed in the joy of victory, but Wang Chengde's family could not let go. They were not only happy at the birth of New China, but also bitter because there was no news of their loved ones.
It wasn't until the spring of 1950 that a comrade in military uniform came to Wang Chengde's home. He brought with him a martyr's certificate and a bright red martyr's flag. When Wang Chengde's wife took the items, her hands trembled. At that moment, she finally understood that the husband she had been waiting for day and night would never come back.
The martyr's certificate reads: "Comrade Wang Chengde, who died bravely in the Huaihai Battle in November 1948, sacrificed his precious life for the cause of people's liberation. Behind the simple words, there is the pain of a family falling apart.
Wang Chengde's wife endured her grief and told the news to her young daughter, Wang Qingmei. Although Wang Qingmei could not fully understand the meaning of "sacrifice" at that time, she knew that she would never see her father again. From that day on, Wang Qingmei began to learn to take care of her mother and take on the burden of the family.
In order to commemorate her husband who died bravely, Wang Chengde's wife hung the martyr's flag in the most conspicuous position in the home. Whenever someone asks about the origin of the flag, she proudly tells her husband's story. Despite the hardships of life, she insisted on educating her daughter, hoping to fulfill her husband's last wish.
As time passed, Wang Chengde's sacrifice gradually became known to more people. The local government gave special care to their families, and the neighbors often took the initiative to help the hero's family. However, for Wang Chengde's wife and daughter, none of this can fill the void in their hearts.
Over the years, Wang Qingmei has always had one wish: to find her father's burial place and see with her own eyes the place where her father is buried. However, due to the tense fighting at the time, many of the soldiers who died did not leave an exact burial location. This wish seems unattainable, but it has become the driving force that inspires Wang Qingmei to keep moving forward.
In this way, in the days without a father, Wang Qingmei grew up slowly under the care of her mother. She inherited her father's strength and bravery, and never flinched in the face of life's difficulties. Whenever she encountered difficulties, she would think of the bright red martyr's flag, as if her father was still by her side to give her strength.
3. The road to finding one's father: a difficult journey spanning more than half a century
With the passage of time, Wang Qingmei has grown from an ignorant little girl to a strong woman. She has never forgotten her father's sacrifice, and has always remembered her mother's entrustment: to find her father's burial place and fulfill the family's wish for many years. This seemingly simple wish has become a long and arduous journey to find his father.
In 1978, the spring breeze of reform and opening up blew across the land of China. This year, Wang Qingmei, who is already 40 years old, decided to start an official search for her father's whereabouts. She first contacted her local Department of Veterans Affairs, hoping to find some clues from the file. However, due to the age and the incompleteness of many wartime records, her efforts did not bear much fruit.
Unwilling to give up, Wang Qingmei began to run around. She visited many veterans who had participated in the Huaihai Campaign, hoping to find traces of her father from their memories. In the process, she heard many touching stories and gained a deeper understanding of the sacrifices and dedication of her father's generation. However, there is no clear answer as to where the father died and where he was buried.
In 1988, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Huaihai Campaign, the government established the Huaihai Campaign Memorial Hall in Xuzhou City. Wang Qingmei immediately went to visit, hoping to find some clues there. In the memorial, she saw many detailed accounts of the battle, and also found some information about her father's unit. However, there are very few records of the father personally. Although there was no direct gain from this visit, it made Wang Qingmei more determined to continue searching.
In the 90s, with the development of society, the search for the remains of martyrs received more attention. In 1995, Wang Qingmei learned that a volunteer organization had been set up to search for the remains of martyrs. She immediately joined the group, hoping to find her father with the help of the collective. Over the next few years, she traveled with a team of volunteers to the main battlefields of the Huaihai Campaign, where she participated in the exhumation and identification of the remains. Although her father was not found, she was relieved that she had helped other families find their long-lost loved ones.
In 2000, the Internet began to spread in China. Although Wang Qingmei is old, she decided to learn how to use computers and the Internet, hoping to find clues through this new channel. She posts missing people on various forums and websites, and also joins some veterans' online groups. In this way, she got to know more of her comrades-in-arms, and everyone supported each other in finding their lost relatives.
In 2005, Wang Qingmei received an exciting news. A netizen claimed that his father had served in the same company as Wang Chengde and might know some relevant information. Wang Qingmei, who was full of hope, immediately contacted the netizen and agreed to meet. However, when she traveled thousands of miles to the agreed place, she found that it was just a misunderstanding. Although the veteran did serve in the same unit, he did not know Wang Chengde. This disappointing experience made Wang Qingmei realize that she needed to be more cautious in the process of finding her father.
Despite repeated setbacks, Wang Qingmei never gave up. She continued to search for clues through various channels, and also began to collect and organize all the information about her father. She hopes that one day she will be able to write a booklet to record her father's deeds and the family's search process, so that more people can understand this history.
In 2008, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Huaihai Campaign, many commemorative activities were held in various places. Wang Qingmei was actively involved, speaking at a veterans' symposium about her years of searching for her father. Her story attracted media attention, with several newspapers and television stations covering her. These reports not only let more people know about Wang Chengde's deeds, but also brought new hope to Wang Qingmei's search for her father.
Just when Wang Qingmei thought that her path to finding her father might come to a standstill, an unexpected turning point appeared. At the beginning of 2009, CCTV began to prepare a TV series called "Defending Yan'an", and the crew collected real revolutionary hero stories across the country as creative materials. Wang Qingmei's story caught the attention of the screenwriters, and they decided to incorporate Wang Chengde's deeds into the script.
This news made Wang Qingmei both excited and apprehensive. She hopes that through this TV series, more people can know her father's story, but she is also worried about whether the description in the play is accurate. In order to ensure the authenticity of the plot, Wang Qingmei communicated with the screenwriter many times and provided a lot of detailed information about her father. In the process, she also re-sorted the information she had collected over the years and gained a deeper understanding of her father's deeds.
4. Looking for the footprints of heroes: the joint efforts of all sectors of society
With the wide spread of Wang Qingmei's father-seeking story, more and more people have begun to pay attention to the hero's daughter's father-finding road. This is not only a private matter of a family, but also a continuation of a living historical memory. In this process, all walks of life have reached out to help and worked together to find the footprints of martyr Wang Chengde.
In 2010, a retired military history researcher reached out to Wang Qingmei after seeing her story. The researcher said that while sorting through the archives of the Huaihai campaign, he found some clues that could be related to Wang Chengde. He invited Wang Qingmei to go to the archives of the Nanjing Military Region with him, hoping to find more information.
In the archives, Wang Qingmei and the researchers went through a large number of wartime records. Although they did not find any documents directly mentioning Wang Chengde, they found a combat report about Wang Chengde's company. The report mentions that in a battle in late November 1948, the company encountered enemy forces in the eastern area of Suxian and won an important victory. This is consistent with the information that Wang Qingmei has learned before, and provides important clues for further determining the specific location of her father's sacrifice.
In 2011, a local television station decided to make a documentary about the search for revolutionary martyrs, and made Wang Qingmei's story one of the main contents. The film crew followed Wang Qingmei back to the main battlefield of the Huaihai Campaign, and recorded her search for her father with the camera. During the filming, they visited a number of memorial sites related to the Huaihai Battle, and also interviewed some local elders.
An elderly man in his 90s recalled that he had participated in battlefield clean-up efforts after the war. According to his recollection, near a small village in the eastern part of Su County, a place was found where revolutionary martyrs were buried. Although it is impossible to determine whether there is Wang Chengde or not, this information still gives Wang Qingmei a glimmer of hope.
After the documentary was broadcast, it attracted widespread attention from the society. Many viewers were moved by Wang Qingmei's perseverance and offered possible clues through various channels. Among them, a retired teacher from Anhui Province provided important information. He said that his father also participated in the Huaihai Campaign, and once mentioned that there was a martyr's cemetery in a place called "Yangzhuang" near Su County.
In the spring of 2012, with the assistance of the local government, Wang Qingmei came to Yangzhuang. There is indeed a small martyr's cemetery here, but due to its age, the handwriting on many of the tombstones has been blurred. Wang Qingmei carefully examined each tombstone, hoping to find her father's name. Although she was not found in the end, she found the name of her father's company in the register of the cemetery. This convinced her that her father would probably be buried in this land.
Inspired by Wang Qingmei's deeds, some local youth volunteers organized a project called "Searching for Heroes' Footprints". They used their vacation time to conduct field investigations in the main battlefield areas of the Huaihai Campaign, collect oral histories of local elders, and sort out relevant historical materials. This project not only helped Wang Qingmei gain more information about the place where her father may have died, but also contributed to the preservation and transmission of this history.
In 2013, a retired soldier saw Wang Qingmei's father-seeking story on the Internet, and he remembered that his father had mentioned a comrade-in-arms named Wang Chengde. Although his father has passed away, some old photos and notes are kept in the house. He immediately contacted Wang Qingmei and sent her the information.
In these precious old photos, Wang Qingmei finally saw the appearance of her father. It was a group photo, and the back of the photo was marked "October 1948", which was on the eve of the Huaihai Campaign. Although the photo has been yellowed and blurred, Wang Qingmei still recognizes her father at a glance. That heroic young soldier was exactly as his mother had described. This photo not only fills in the gap of Wang Qingmei's image of her father, but also provides important evidence to confirm her father's experience.
In 2014, with the efforts of all parties, the local government decided to repair and expand the Yangzhuang Martyrs Cemetery. They invited Wang Qingmei to participate in the project, hoping to take the opportunity to find the identity of more unknown martyrs. During the restoration, the staff found some old military plaques buried deep underground. Although most of them have been corroded, one of them is vaguely recognizable as the word "king".
Although it is uncertain whether this belongs to Wang Chengde, this discovery gave Wang Qingmei great comfort. She decided to keep it carefully as a relic of her father. At the same time, she also expressed her willingness to donate the information about her father that she had collected over the years to the soon-to-be-established Huaihai Battle Historical Museum, hoping to help study this history.
In 2015, with the joint efforts of Wang Qingmei and many volunteers, a book titled "In Search of the Footprints of Heroes: Wang Chengde and His Comrades-in-Arms" was officially published. This book not only records Wang Qingmei's journey to find her father, but also collects the stories of many other martyrs who participated in the Huaihai Campaign. The book also contains a large number of precious historical photos and documents, and has become an important reference book for the study of the Huaihai Campaign.
5. The Return of Heroes: The Inheritance of the Memory of a Family and a Country
In 2016, on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the victory of the Huaihai Campaign, the state decided to build a large Huaihai Campaign Memorial Hall in Xuzhou. As part of this project, the relevant authorities began a comprehensive information gathering and identification process for the martyrs who died in the battle. Wang Qingmei's father-seeking experience caught the attention of the project team, who invited her to participate in the work.
In the months that followed, Wang Qingmei and the project team visited several major battlefields in the Huaihai Campaign. Not only did they collect a large number of oral histories, but they also used advanced archaeological techniques to explore some of the sites suspected of burying the remains of the martyrs. In a village in the eastern part of Su County, the archaeological team discovered a large mass cemetery. Through DNA comparison technology, they were able to identify many of the martyrs.
In the spring of 2017, an exciting piece of news came. In that mass cemetery, archaeologists found the remains of a small wooden plaque engraved with the name "Wang Chengde" among the belongings he was carrying. Although further DNA verification is needed, this discovery gives Wang Qingmei hope that the road to finding her father will soon have a happy ending.
In order to ensure the accuracy of identification, the relevant departments invited Wang Qingmei to provide a DNA sample. At the same time, they also contacted other relatives of Wang Chengde, hoping to get more comparison samples. The process lasted for months, and every day was a torturous wait for Wang Qingmei.
Finally, in September 2017, the results of the DNA alignment were in. Scientific evidence confirms that the remains indeed belong to the martyr Wang Chengde. When she learned the news, 80-year-old Wang Qingmei was so excited that she couldn't speak. Her persistence and hard work have finally paid off after nearly 40 years.
At the beginning of 2018, under the arrangement of the government, the remains of martyr Wang Chengde were buried in the newly built Huaihai Battle Martyrs Cemetery. The burial ceremony was solemn and solemn, attended not only by Wang Chengde's family, but also by many local people and student representatives. At the ceremony, Wang Qingmei solemnly put the rusted military badge found in the Yangzhuang Martyrs Cemetery many years ago into her father's coffin.
This burial ceremony is not only a consolation to the martyr Wang Chengde, but also a vivid classroom for patriotic education. Through this story, many young people have a deeper understanding of the sacrifice and dedication of revolutionary martyrs. The local school also organized students to visit the martyrs' cemetery and listen to Wang Qingmei's story of her experience of finding her father, so that the revolutionary spirit can be passed on to the new generation.
In 2019, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, CCTV produced a large-scale documentary "Footprints of Heroes", which devotes one episode to the story of martyr Wang Chengde and Wang Qingmei. Through a large number of historical video materials and on-the-spot shooting, the documentary comprehensively shows the magnificent scenes of the Huaihai Campaign, as well as Wang Qingmei's touching experience of searching for her father for decades. The broadcast of this documentary deeply moved the audience across the country and let more people know about the deeds of the revolutionary martyrs.
In 2020, the new crown epidemic broke out, and the whole country united to fight the epidemic. In this special period, the story of Wang Qingmei was brought up again. Many people have seen the indomitable spirit of the Chinese from her insistence on finding her father for decades. Some medical workers said that it is precisely because of the sacrifices and dedication of their ancestors that today's peaceful life has been achieved, and they must live up to their mission and go all out to defeat the epidemic.
In 2021, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Huaihai Battle Memorial Hall held a special exhibition called "Search and Inheritance". The exhibition focuses on the story of Wang Qingmei's search for her father, showing the efforts made by countless ordinary people to find and commemorate the revolutionary martyrs from the Huaihai Battle to the present day. The exhibition not only has a large number of historical relics and pictures, but also uses modern technology to allow visitors to experience the battle scenes of the year through VR technology.
In 2022, a movie "The Eternal Wave" based on Wang Qingmei's experience of finding her father will be released. The film truly restores the historical background of the Huaihai Campaign, vividly portrays the heroic images of revolutionary martyrs such as Wang Chengde, and also shows the touching stories of the descendants of Wang Qingmei and other martyrs who have been searching for their ancestors and inheriting their spirit for decades. The film caused a strong response after its release, not only won several awards in China, but also won the Best Documentary Award at international film festivals, allowing the world to understand this little-known period of Chinese history.
In 2023, Wang Qingmei, who is 86 years old, was invited to Beijing to participate in the heroic model symposium held by the state. At the meeting, she talked about her experience of finding her father and how she passed on his deeds and spirit over the years. Her speech touched everyone in the room. The state leader personally met with Wang Qingmei and praised her deeds as a vivid portrayal of the Chinese nation's original aspiration and mission.
In 2024, in order to pass on the revolutionary spirit from generation to generation, the Ministry of Education decided to compile the story of Wang Qingmei's search for her father into middle school history textbooks. This is not only another commemoration of the martyr Wang Chengde, but also an affirmation of Wang Qingmei's persistence for decades. In the new textbook, students can not only learn the historical knowledge of the Huaihai Campaign, but also understand the feelings of family and country and the spirit of perseverance from Wang Qingmei's story.