Walk too far to see Changzhi

The picture shows the Taihang Mountains in Changzhi.

Image China

In the middle of the summer of 1997, I went to visit the home of the old poet Nguyen Cheung Khin. The old man wore a large white vest, shook a large fan in his hand, drank tea, listened to music, and was leisurely. Seeing my arrival, he smiled and said that if this season is in the Taihang Mountains, it must be extremely cool.

I know that Elder Ruan was the leader of the Taihang Mountain Opera Troupe of the Eighth Route Army. As soon as the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out, he went up the Taihang Mountains from Lingchuan County, began his literary and artistic career in the revolutionary base area, and created famous works such as "Chiye River" and "Zhanghe Water". When I came this time, I wanted to hear the revolutionary story of the Taihang Mountains in those years, and second, I wanted to ask Elder Ruan to write an article for us.

Elder Ruan smiled and said that although I have been away from Taihang Mountain for decades, I often think of those unforgettable years. In 1938, when I was only 24 years old, I was working as an artistic instructor at the Taihangshan Opera Troupe in the Jinji-Hebei Yu Border District of the Eighth Route Army.

I quietly listened to Elder Ruan say "Our Taihang Mountain" and talked about "the hardships and difficulties of the War of Resistance Against Japan in those years", and I had more respect for the old poet in front of me. Although he was a native of Zhongshan, Guangdong, he had a special love for the Taihang Mountains, which were full of ravines and wars. He not only learned to speak Shanxi dialect, but also learned to speak the local language from the local villagers, and many of his works were written in the local dialect. The 12 years in Taihang Mountain were the period in which his works were the most produced in his life.

"You should find an opportunity to go to the Taihang Mountains for a walk, experience the life there, meet the people there, look at the landscapes there, the Taihang Mountains have a majestic spirit, do not see regrets, see will be fascinated." It was in this fiery land that I created many works that even I was surprised by, which were the indomitable character of Taihang Mountain, the parent-like kindness of the taihang people, the patriotic feelings of the Eighth Route Army troops who went to the soup and the fire, and the brutal aggression of the Japanese devils. ”

Elder Ruan's eyes shone with excitement, and he seemed to have returned to that era of surging blood.

"Comrade Yan Biao, I am almost 90 years old, and I can no longer go to Taihang Mountain. If you have the opportunity, when you go to Shanxi, you must go to Changzhi to see, go to the old site of the Eighth Route Army headquarters, walk around the Taihang Mountains, taste the water of Taihang, eat a bowl of fragrant millet, and remember to say hello to the villagers there on my behalf..."

5 years, 10 years, 20 years have passed, I have been to Shanxi several times, but I have never had the opportunity to go to Changzhi. Until May 2021, I suddenly received an invitation to go to Changzhi, Shanxi. At that time, my heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and I thought, this beautiful day has finally arrived!

Overlooking Taihang from the porthole, the mountain is wild and continuous, and it is indeed a majestic atmosphere. After getting off the plane, our first stop was to visit the Changzhi Museum to learn about the history of Changzhi. Wandering among more than 1,200 precious cultural relics, Fang Zhi Changzhi is known as the "Museum of Ancient Culture and Ancient Architecture" and has a history of more than 2,300 years of founding.

According to the narrator, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the General Headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, the Headquarters of the 129th Division, the Northern Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and other leading organs were stationed in Wangjiayu Village, Wuxiang County, Changzhi, where Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, and Zuo Quan all fought and lived.

The weather in those days, although it did not rain, has been thunderous, as if to let us feel the grandeur and fierceness of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in North China. The 115th Division fought the first battle at Pingxing Pass, the 120th Division set up Fuyan Gate Pass, and the 129th Division surprised Yangmingbao, fighting the mighty power of the Eighth Route Army. In 1938, the ShentouLing ambush annihilated 1500 enemy troops. In the Battle of Loess Ridge in 1939, he killed the Japanese "Flower of Famous Generals" Norihide Abe. In the "Battle of the Hundred Regiments" in 1940, in the ambush battle of Hanluo Village in 1943, more than 120 officers below the level of major general of the Japanese "Field Visiting Regiment" were annihilated... The Eighth Route Army broke the myth of the invincibility of the Japanese army and greatly encouraged the fighting spirit of the Chinese military and people in the War of Resistance.

During an interview with Changzhi, an old man said to me: "Changzhi is a very enthusiastic place for joining the Eighth Route Army, and there are young people in every family who join the army." When he said this, the old man's face was full of pride. Yes, I know that what the old man said was true, at that time, there were 135,000 people in ChangzhiWu Township, and 90,000 people participated in the anti-Japanese resistance. Many families sent all their children to join the army. Changzhi is indeed the hometown of heroes, the bones of the people of Changzhi are as hard as iron, and the hearts of the people of Changzhi are hotter than fire.

This time when I came to Changzhi, I also visited the former site of the Huangyadong Arsenal of the Eighth Route Army. This arsenal is hidden in the mountains, surrounded by strange peaks and cliffs, majestic and majestic. Although there were only more than 200 people in the arsenal at that time, mainly producing rifles, grenades, horsetail shells, 50 guns, etc., it was the main military base of the Eighth Route Army at that time. From November 11 to 19, 1941, more than 5,000 Japanese troops invaded Huangyadong in an attempt to destroy the arsenal. More than 900 commanders and fighters of the Special Task Force regiment of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters were ordered to defend the arsenal, relying on natural dangers to fight with the enemy's blood for eight days and nights, and annihilating more than a thousand enemy people.

In Changzhi, there is also the story of Yugong moving mountains. The people of Huguan County, Changzhi City, planted trees on The Dry Stone Mountain, after several generations of continuous efforts, have turned the Dry Stone Mountain into an ecological oasis, known as the new "Taihang Miracle". The Huguan people are not only able to endure hardships, but also have wisdom, and they use the technique of "lifting stones to build stone walls" to build a spectacular forest firewall with stones.

Nowadays, Changzhi has been selected as the first batch of resource-based urban industrial transformation and upgrading demonstration zones in the country. Standing on the top of the hill overlooking the downtown area of Changzhi, you are full of new high-rise buildings, neat and wide roads, verdant trees and flower-studded neighborhoods. The urban agglomeration supports the southeast of Jin, and the new countryside is all over the Taihang Mountains...

From the eighth route army's heroic effort to fight against the Japanese Kou in blood, to the struggle of people in the new era to build a beautiful Changzhi, the heroic style of Taihang has been deeply integrated into the blood of the people of Changzhi. I remembered what Elder Ruan once said: "You should find an opportunity to go to the Taihang Mountains for a walk... See the people there, look at the landscape there, Taihang Mountain has a majestic courage, do not see regrets, see will be fascinated. "Sincerely! (Zhao Yanbiao)

Source: People's Daily