In autumn, at the junction of Chongqing and Guizhou, the Dalou Mountains become even more verdant.
In Qijiang District, Chongqing City, in Shihao Town, where the headquarters of the First Red Army is located, Liu Yunqian, a post-90s female owner of the "Liu Liushun" restaurant on the street, not only cooks delicious dishes, but also knows the stories of the Long March like a treasure, "Eat something, and I will take you up the mountain to find Teacher Zhao!"
The reporter followed Liu Yunqian to Miaoer Mountain and climbed hundreds of steps. In front of the Shihao Red Army Martyrs Monument, Zhao Fujian was giving a lecture to the teachers and students who came to study. Everyone listened with great concentration. After retiring from his post as director of the Shihao Town Comprehensive Cultural Service Center, Zhao established the "Shihao Red Soul Explanation Group" to tell red stories to everyone. In August this year, Zhao Fujian was awarded the title of "China's Good Person".
——There is a three-generation relay of persistence here.
"91 years ago, the Red Army soldiers borrowed kitchen utensils to cook from the small restaurant run by my grandfather. They always washed them clean when they returned them, and helped fill the water tanks and chop firewood." Zhao Fukian recalled that some Red Army soldiers died and were buried nearby. "My grandfather guarded and visited the tomb of the Unknown Soldier throughout his life. My father was also inspired by this and resolutely joined the army. After being demobilized and returning home, he continued to guard the tomb for more than 20 years."
As the tombs of the martyrs were relocated and protected, Zhao Fuqian, who had been working in his hometown, took up the responsibility to visit, excavate, and sort out the Long March relics and stories in Shihao Town, "keeping the red memory passed down orally, time waits for no time!"
In the town's 20 villages and communities, Zhao Fujian visited elderly people who had seen the Red Army one by one, recorded oral histories and looked for clues to the ruins.
With a sickle and a flashlight, Lao Zhao traveled all over Shihao Mountain. More than 20 pairs of rubber shoes were worn out, and 60 work notebooks were filled with information. I found the stories of "The Secretary-General's blood stained Maobaping" and "Li Shuqing risked his life to save the wounded"; Luochangyan warning post, Caotou Pass rest area, Qiushiba campsite... There are more than 50 Red Army Long March relics rediscovered and verified by Lao Zhao.
——This is a continuous inheritance from one person to a group of people.
It not only excavates and protects, but also lives and inherits. With the support of departments at all levels, Zhao Fujin took the lead in forming the "Shihao Red Soul Explanation Group" and has successively trained more than 50 preachers and more than 300 "red little commentators" to allow the story of the Shihao Long March to reach more people.
Xiong Sisi, a post-90s staff member of the Shihao Town New Era Civilization Practice Service Center, is now the backbone of the team. This year, she joined hands with children from Yaolongshan Town Central School in Tongzi County, Guizhou Province to tell the story of the Long March in Shihao Town.
Red casts the soul, empowering the integration of agriculture, culture and tourism. One of the preachers, Zhang Qilin, a young entrepreneur who has returned to his hometown to start a business, led surrounding villagers to plant alpine rice and operate rice fields to raise fish in Xiangshui Village. He also vividly told the story of the Xiangshui Cave Battle Site.
"Tourists come here because they can not only taste farm food and buy specialties, but also enrich their spiritual world. They all say that their trip is worthwhile." said Zhang Qilin, who recently served as secretary of the Party branch of Xiangshui Village.
"We have also built a red visiting and learning loop around core points such as the former site of the First Red Army Headquarters and the Tomb of the Red Army Martyrs in Shihao, and developed immersive red education courses to form more red check-in points." Sun Zhenying, secretary of the Party Committee of Shihao Town, said that the local area has formed a "red culture + rural tourism" development model, and will receive more than 120,000 tourists in 2025.
Before leaving, Zhao Fujian told reporters that the "Compilation of Explanatory Materials on the Red Stone Trench" edited by him will be published in October, "to pass it on to future generations, so that the spirit of the Long March will last forever."
