When you think of Ali, what comes to mind?
Pure blue sky, clear lake water
Rolling snow-capped mountains, turquoise meadows...
But you may not know
It was also peacefully liberated by Tibet
The first piece of land
71 years ago
For the peaceful liberation of Tibet
The soldiers of the advance company entering Tibet crossed the Kunlun Mountains
An epic expedition was undertaken
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Cold, lack of oxygen, no roads...
It was impossible to stop the advance of the advance company
After the founding of New China in 1949, the Party Central Committee made a strategic decision to march into Tibet and liberate Tibet, and formulated a policy of peacefully liberating Tibet.
On July 31, 1950, the Advance Company of the Independent Cavalry Division of the Xinjiang Military Region entered Tibet with the task of exploring the way for the large troops, and set out from the village of YutianPulu in Xinjiang and embarked on a journey.
This company of 135 soldiers of 7 nationalities also became the first people's army to set foot on the snowy plateau.
Tibet and Xinjiang are separated by the Kunlun Mountains, with an average altitude of 5,500 to 6,000 meters. Snow all year round, high cold and lack of oxygen, there are no roads at all. When the advance team set out, there was not even a map that could indicate the route.
For the soldiers of the advance company, the cold weather of minus 40 degrees did not stop their progress, and severe altitude sickness was the biggest challenge. The soldiers' symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and difficulty breathing became more and more severe.
After entering the northern Tibetan plateau and starting a snow march, the soldiers suffered from severe snow blindness, and many people's eyes were tearful and they could not see anything. Eventually, they walked out of the snow by smearing their eye circles and ponytail woven eye masks with pot ash.
On September 9, 1950, after more than a month of arduous marching, the advance company arrived in Jieze County, Ali Region, Tibet, and continued to advance to the hinterland of northern Tibet, and on October 30, it was stationed at Zamamang Fort, where there were many Tibetans.
Lack of food, lack of water, lack of salt, lack of medicine...
The advance company of fighters held out for seven months
Zama is a thorny plant that grows in the Gobi Desert, Mumpau means "many" in Tibetan, and Zamamongbow means "where a lot of zama grows". Zhamamang Fort is 4571 meters above sea level, with cold, lack of oxygen, lack of water, and extremely harsh conditions. After entering the winter, the northern Tibetan plateau is completely covered with ice and snow, and the warriors live in cold nests, relying on hemp to cook and heat, and survive the harsh winter.
During their presence at Zamamang fort, the Advance Company engaged in three days of peace talks with Plenipotentiaries sent by the Ali authorities, Tsedam Pengjie and Tashi Tsejang, which resulted in a Five-Point Agreement between the two sides, including:
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) pledges to respect Tibetan customs and religious beliefs, practice ethnic equality, and protect the interests of Tibetans;
Do not interfere in local government administration and internal affairs.
From the arrival of the advance company at Zamamang fort on 30 October 1950 to the arrival of the follow-up troops on 28 May 1951, the soldiers of the advance company held out here for seven months.
In late October, the Kunlun Mountains were closed by heavy snow, and supplies from the direction of Xinjiang were completely cut off, and the warriors had to rely on hunting for a living.
Faced with hunger, cold, and a lack of medicine and salt, many warriors suffered from severe altitude sickness, and soldiers continued to die. According to the soldiers' recollection, the advance company held a total of 11 funerals on the most day.
When the commander-in-chief of the advance company, Li Disan, was critically ill, he still refused to use the only penicillin, becoming the last person in the advance company to die at Zamamang fort.
It was not until May 1951, with the arrival of follow-up troops and the connection of the supply transport line, that the advance company broke free from death threats.
In 1951, the advance company was awarded the title of "Advance Company of Heroes Entering Tibet" and made a great contribution to all comrades.
"Even if there is only one person left
Also stick it on Ali's ground like a steel needle."
On August 3, 1951, the Advance Hero Company and the follow-up troops arrived in Kadak, Ali's former capital, and held a grand flag-raising ceremony.
After a year and three days of arduous marching, the heroic advance company fulfilled the oath of "even if there is only one person left, it will be rooted like a steel needle on the land of Ali; even if there is only one person left, it will be planted with the red flag in Kadak", and completed the mission of "advancing into northern Tibet and liberating Ali".
On the northern Tibetan plateau, a total of 63 martyrs of the advance company are left loyal, and they will always guard Ali and this snowy plateau. Unable to obtain accurate home address information, the martyrs' certificates of more than 20 pioneers have not yet been issued.
On October 1, 2019, at the military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the banner of the "Advance Company for Entering Tibet" and the battle flags of heroes such as the "Dadu River Company", the "Pingxingguan Battle Assault Company" and the "Tashan Hero Regiment" walked through Tiananmen Square and accepted the inspection of the party and the people.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet
The hero is gone
But the hero's story will forever live on in the snowy highlands
Hats off to the heroes
Producer/Wang Xingdong Editor-in-Chief/Ma Weilu
CCTV reporter /Li Wei Yang Jin Consultant / Yu Jiang
Editor/Leung Wai Shing Editor/Du Xianhan
© CCTV News