The Green Little Island, Our Home
■ Zhou Jinyi, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Liao Xiaobin, Special Correspondent Chen Hongbin
A scene from the island.
A small boat moves leisurely through the blue sea, cleaving a white wake. The little island in view draws ever closer; seen from a distance, it resembles a green jewel suspended between sea and sky.
In early summer, this reporter traveled by boat to Qingyu Island, garrisoned by the "Island Steel Fourth Company" (海岛钢四连) of an Army brigade. Walking forward from the dock, trees stand everywhere, vegetation grows thick, flowers in the garden bloom brilliantly, and melons, fruits, and vegetables in the fields grow vigorously.
Barracks and watchtowers built along the hillside are nestled amid lush greenery. The summer sun scorches the earth, yet standing beneath the dense shade, this reporter distinctly felt a breath of cool air enter through the nostrils and fill the lungs, and a mind dulled by seasickness instantly cleared.
"Welcome to the green little island!" The company's officers and soldiers told this reporter with pride that over the course of decades, the green that represents hope, steadfast duty, and dedication has grown bit by bit on this once-barren island, until it joined into an unbroken expanse.
Qingyu Island amid the blue waves of the sea.
"Qingyu, Qingyu — I have not yet left you, and already I have begun to miss you"
"It's hard to imagine, isn't it — there was once not a blade of grass here." Company Political Instructor Chen reflects with feeling that in the past, Qingyu was not green; green was a rare color. This island, only 0.06 square kilometers in area, was covered everywhere in stone rubble, and the people nearby all said the place was "where birds won't rest and boats won't dock."
The company's officers and soldiers took on the task of transforming the natural environment and building an island fit for garrisoning and habitation, transporting soil and seeds from the mainland. But the merciless sea wind swept through all day long, and of the first batch of more than one hundred acacia trees and casuarinas planted in the thin soil, only a few survived.
Water scarcity was another major problem. To address it, the officers and soldiers fought continuously for more than ten months, excavating and constructing a large reservoir of nearly 1,000 cubic meters to store water for irrigation and daily use.
How arduous the process was. Facing hard granite, everyone used simple tools to chisel out more than 400 cubic meters of rock; many sledgehammers were beaten flat, shovels and pickaxes were ground to points, and steel crowbars two to three meters long were worn down to just a few dozen centimeters.
Black-and-white photographs in the company's honor room recreate those times — sea wind slapping faces, blazing sun scorching skin, officers and soldiers swinging picks and shovels, great beads of sweat flowing without cease. Yet not a single soldier thought of giving up; everyone believed that as long as one tree could survive, there was hope of planting green across the entire island.
Political Instructor Chen knows the stories of his predecessors by heart: Old Political Instructor Zhang Jiefang took root on Qingyu for 17 years and was honored as the "Iron Pine of the Island"; in the first decade after his marriage, he saw his family only five times, dedicating the best years of his youth to this island. Old Company Commander Zhang Liangtai suffered from multiple "island diseases" (海岛病); for the sake of his health, his superiors transferred him off the island, but he repeatedly requested to return, and in total he fought on Qingyu for 15 years. Veteran soldier Cao Yuansheng, after being discharged, simply could not bring himself to leave this patch of green, and chose to take root on a nearby inhabited island, keeping watch over the island to which he was so deeply attached...
Under the great banyan tree, soldiers share stories of guarding the island.
There are many more such moving stories; Political Instructor Chen has long since engraved them in his heart, and whenever new soldiers arrive on the island, he tells them to everyone at the first opportunity. Among these stories are also the personal experiences of many of the new generation of officers and soldiers.
When Typhoon Mekkhala made landfall in 2020, heavy rain and strong winds triggered multiple landslides, lighting and electrical facilities were severely damaged, and most heartbreaking of all, 13 large trees were snapped by the violent wind. Facing the devastated island, the company's officers and soldiers worked in round-the-clock shifts to repair collapsed road sections, restore electrical equipment, and prop up fallen plants. To prevent the large trees from being blown down again by wind and rain, everyone promptly braced and reinforced them, tamping down soil, safeguarding the green that had been won at such great cost.
Today, Qingyu's vegetation coverage rate has exceeded 85%. Banyan trees, bougainvillea, candlenut, Buddha's belly bamboo, silver oak, masson pine — these salt-alkali-tolerant, sea-wind-resistant plants were planted by generation after generation of officers and soldiers and have been watered by the years into a forest.
Many years ago, the officers and soldiers composed a company song, titled "The Green Little Island" (绿色的小岛): "The green little island, the green soldiers, youth merges into the sea, a man's ambition lies in the military camp..." Tides rise and fall, years pass, the precious green spreads inch by inch across the island, and beautiful Qingyu has become home in every person's heart. One veteran soldier wrote with deep feeling as he was about to depart: "Qingyu, Qingyu — I have not yet left you, and already I have begun to miss you."
Inscriptions carved in red on stone.
"To stand on the island like a tree — the deeper the roots, the better one can withstand the baptism of wind and rain"
Compared to six months ago, Private Zhu Yushuai is much more composed.
At that time, Zhu Yushuai had just arrived on the island, and as a newcomer he often found himself missing the warmth of home amid the sea wind and the sound of the tides. Staff Sergeant First Class Chen Lang, in the same squad, perceived what was on his mind; at the end of one patrol, Chen Lang deliberately took Zhu Yushuai up a hillside.
There, bougainvillea as brilliant as a red glow covered the stone wall. Chen Lang said: "This flower can be seen everywhere in our hometown; when I miss home, I come here to look at it a while longer." Both men were from Guizhou, and the familiar accent of their home region drew their hearts closer together.
Chen Lang told Zhu Yushuai that on this island with a perimeter of only 800 meters, training conditions are limited, and the company's officers and soldiers have adapted to local conditions, building a miniature firing range, a scaled-down obstacle course, a circular running track, and other training facilities. "No matter what environment we find ourselves in, we must maintain our true character — just like this bougainvillea: the more the wind and rain beat down on it, the more ardently it blooms," he said.
Later, Zhu Yushuai learned that Chen Lang had won the top prize multiple times in the brigade's marksmanship competitions, and had also served as a coach, guiding two non-commissioned officers to outstanding results on the competition field. "I'm going to become a 'sharpshooter' too!" Zhu Yushuai, his confidence gradually firming up, set a goal for himself.
Political Instructor Chen observed that, like Zhu Yushuai, many new soldiers were not accustomed to the island environment and inevitably experienced psychological fluctuations. He felt that with so many plants on the island, they held different meanings for different people. Why not have everyone choose a plant and serve as its dedicated caretaker? "Adopt a plant, guard an island."
The officers and soldiers took action one after another, traversing every corner of the island, carefully comparing the morphological characteristics and growth habits of each tree, flower, and plant. Before long, each squad had its own maintenance area, and each officer and soldier had a favorite plant of their own.
On this day, a special garden party grew lively, as everyone gathered before the plants they had carefully tended and spoke freely from the heart.
Private First Class Cao Changran explained the characteristics of the casuarina while sharing his own story with everyone. In 2020, he enlisted for the first time, becoming a radar soldier in a certain unit in Tibet. Two years later, he was discharged and completed his university studies. After graduating, he signed up to serve again. When the recruitment officer asked where he wanted to go, he said: "Before, I guarded the land border; this time I want to go to the maritime defense." In the end, he got his wish and came to Qingyu Island.
However, not long after arriving on the island, Cao Changran accidentally sprained his ankle during training, suffering a serious tendon strain. Watching his fellow soldiers of the same year advance rapidly in their training results one by one, he was desperately anxious. As squad leader, Staff Sergeant Second Class Zhang Runzhi drew up a rehabilitation training plan for him and frequently sought him out for heart-to-heart talks. Cao Changran pushed hard to catch up and quickly rejoined the others' training pace.
The resilient casuarina fears neither wind nor sun and grows in dense, overlapping layers on the island. This reminded Cao Changran that when he was a soldier in Tibet, he had seen a plant called membranous-fruited ephedra (膜果麻黄), which could grow extremely well and spread into a continuous expanse even in sandy, saline-alkaline soil. "To stand on the island like a tree — the deeper the roots, the better one can withstand the baptism of wind and rain." Cao Changran's words greatly inspired everyone.
Private First Class Wang Chao trained hard, bringing multiple physical fitness and skills subjects from the edge of the passing line up to the good standard; the sago cycad he tends has grown ever more lush and upright. Private First Class Li Yongze, who originally could not do a single pull-up on the horizontal bar, recently broke through to successfully complete more than one hundred muscle-ups, and the dragon fruit plant he has tended for many days has also bloomed... The sea wind remains, the green grows denser, and the stories of the officers and soldiers guarding the island have become a moving echo across this expanse of blue sea.
Patrolling the shoreline.
"The green little island is your post, the distant place in my heart, and our shared home"
If not for her son serving as a garrison soldier, Qingyu would be nothing more than a distant little island to the mother of Staff Sergeant Second Class Zhou Linwei.
But now, the green seedlings in the island's vegetable garden occupy her thoughts even more than the crops in her own fields at home. When summer arrived and the island faced sustained high temperatures, she anxiously called her son: "Water the vegetable seedlings more."
Earlier, upon learning that the green on the little island had been won at great cost, his mother took advantage of the Spring Festival visit to the island and deliberately brought along bags of seeds: "There are cucumbers, tomatoes, and watermelons — all heat-tolerant and moisture-tolerant varieties."
She wrapped the washed and drained seeds in damp gauze, placed them in a small bowl to germinate. After one night, the seeds had sprouted white shoots. She then covered them with soil and film, waiting for the seeds to break through the earth. "Next comes transplanting." In the blink of an eye, the day to leave arrived; unable to set her mind at ease, she specifically instructed Zhou Linwei to pay attention to the temperature and light conditions for the seedlings as they emerged.
Afterward, the vegetables, melons, and fruits in the garden became a topic that mother and son frequently discussed in their phone calls. The mother hopes the island gets better day by day; the son and his comrades guard the island with peace of mind.
Points of green, linking small families to the great nation.
A soldier waters the vegetable garden.
Not long ago, Company Commander Qiu's wife, Zhou Ling, also came to the little island she had long yearned to see. Looking at every blade of grass and every tree there, she thought of the days when the two of them watched over each other from afar.
Because they are together so rarely, in ordinary times the two express their concern and longing for each other by sharing the everyday details of their respective lives. A few years ago, after graduating, Zhou Ling realized her wish of becoming a middle school Chinese language teacher. At first, as difficulties and challenges arose in her work, a measure of pressure quietly welled up in her heart.
To comfort Zhou Ling, in his spare time from training and work, Company Commander Qiu photographed the grasses, flowers, and trees around him and shared them with her. Wild grass in the crevices of the reef, climbing vines at the corner of the barracks wall, hackberry trees and Norfolk Island pines standing tall after fierce winds, a garden full of morning glories, agave, and yellow oleander... The little island stands isolated at sea, and every touch of green is a symbol of steadfast duty. Company Commander Qiu encouraged Zhou Ling: "You can be like them — stand into the wind and grow tenaciously."
Over the phone, Zhou Ling would often exclaim in admiration at how brilliantly the bougainvillea bloomed on the island, and Company Commander Qiu sent her seeds. Some time ago, Company Commander Qiu participated in a key-personnel competition organized by his superiors and placed second; he reported the good news to his family at the first opportunity, and Zhou Ling said happily: "What a coincidence — the bougainvillea at home has bloomed too."
Later, the middle school where Zhou Ling works specifically invited Company Commander Qiu to serve as an off-campus counselor and participate in the school's patriotic education activities. Company Commander Qiu enthusiastically recounted the stories of the island-garrisoning officers and soldiers planting green and their experiences of hard struggle, deeply moving the teachers and students present.
For this family visit, Zhou Ling specially brought along a photo album. She filled it with photographs of the various plants on the island, and on every page she wrote a sentence she wanted to say to Company Commander Qiu, encouraging him to stand his post well and guard the island well for the motherland. One of the sentences reads: "The green little island is your post, the distant place in my heart, and our shared home."
Soldiers of the "Island Steel Fourth Company" of an Army brigade stand guard and perform duty.
Photography: Ding Xingjun
Layout Design: He Changming