First the cemetery, then the campus: the first lesson of Yezhai Middle School

First there is the cemetery, then there is the campus

Going to school requires passing the tombstones of the anti-Japanese heroes.

The first lesson of this school

What exactly do you want to teach your children?

Its answer is:

Jing Zhong Adult

September 3, 2026, Anhui Qianshan Yezhai Middle School.

The freshman class of 2026, wearing olive green clothing with the national flag printed on the chest, gathered in front of the Anti-Japanese Martyrs Memorial Tower.

They faced the memorial tower and solemnly swore:

"Keep in mind the War of Resistance and learn from history about China; admire the loyal and martyrs, serve the country and protect the family; now I am here, keep faith and pursue dreams; the fire will continue, and I will work hard..."

This is their first lesson of the new semester.

But in this class, there is no textbook or blackboard.

What they need to answer may be two more important questions before entering the classroom:

Why study? What kind of person do you want to become?

△Opening ceremony of Yezhai Middle School on September 3, 2026

The story begins 83 years ago

In 1943, the anti-Japanese war was raging.

On the anti-Japanese battlefields in Anhui and Hubei, 985 soldiers died.

In order to commemorate these fallen soldiers, people from 13 counties in Anhui and Hubei provinces initiated an initiative to build a mausoleum in the Savage Village at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain.

△Yezhai Anti-Japanese War Fallen Soldiers Cemetery and Martyrs’ Shrine

In order to protect the cemetery and train orphans of soldiers and outstanding local youth, a school was set up next to the cemetery.

On one side is the loyal martyr who sleeps forever;

On one side is a growing boy.

The school took the meaning of "admiring the loyal and martyrs" and was originally named Jingzhong Middle School and later renamed Yezhai Middle School.

There are martyrs’ tombs first, and then there’s the campus.

This school has been connected with this land of loyal souls since its birth.

When the Martyrs Cemetery becomes part of the campus

In 2019, the Anti-Japanese War Cemetery on campus was designated by the State Council as the eighth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

In 2020, it was selected into the list of national anti-Japanese war memorial facilities and sites.

△Yezhai Middle School holds Qingming Festival in 2026

So, here, history is not far away.

Martyrs' Shrine, Memorial Tower and Relief Wall are just next to the teaching building.

Students pass by Haoran Pavilion to go to class every day.

They might have been memorizing words and doing math problems just now, but then they turned around and passed by the monument.

History jumps out of the reading book here and falls on the way to school every day.

The campus itself is an open textbook.

△Students of Yezhai Middle School stroll on campus

Seventeen years old, what are they thinking?

In 2023, Yezhai Middle School will cooperate with the National University of Defense Technology to launch the first "National Defense Science and Technology Education Class".

This year, 46 people from the first Yuying class took the college entrance examination, and 10 of them were admitted to the military academy. From 2023 to 2026, a total of 140 people from Yezhai Middle School will be admitted to the military academy.

Some people choose military camps, some yearn for the blue sky, and some go in different directions in life.

Cheng Shuwan, who scored 681 points, chose the National University of Defense Technology. She said: "In the future, I will be able to protect others, which will be cool!"

△Cheng Shuwan (middle) and classmates

Yu Zicheng was admitted to the Rocket Force Engineering University this year. He remembers standing in front of the Monument to the Anti-Japanese Martyrs at the beginning of his first year of high school.

The moment he took the oath, bowed, and raised his head, he was touched.

Before that, he knew almost nothing about applying for military school.

△Aerial panorama of Yezhai Middle School

More than 80 years ago, when they were young, they faced war, life and death.

More than 80 years later, they are still young and facing study and the future.

Times have changed, but youth has not.

This may be the first lesson Yezhai Middle School wants to teach its children. It’s not about telling them who they must be.

But let them know why they set out and what kind of person they want to be.

Jing Zhong became an adult and wrote his own answer in the name of youth.

Producer｜Zhang Ou

Producers｜Wang Zhu Guan Qingfei Wei Song

Editor｜Chu Xuan Li Ziyi

Information｜Liang Mingxing, Cui Yulin, Ren Xinyu

Acknowledgments｜Anhui Headquarters Anhui Radio and Television Station Qianshan Media Center

Source: CCTV News Client