These "Successors" in Camouflage Continue the Glory in the Name of Heroes
In the Name of Heroes, Assembled on the Land of Longyuan (陇原大地)
— Reflections on Gansu Province's Military-Civilian Joint Initiative to Establish Red Militia Model Units
■ Mo Fuchun, Liu Kai, China Defense News reporter Jia Baohua
Photo ①: The Nanliang Women's Militia Company enters a local school to carry out red education. Photo by Zhang Jianping.
Photo ②: Militia members of the Wu Huanxian Militia Company clear road silt during disaster relief operations. Photo by Ren Changhua.
Photo ③: Militia members of the Luo Shengjiao Militia Platoon visit the "Luo Shengjiao Company" of a garrison unit for study. Photo by Dou Haoliang.
Photo ④: The Chen Hongjun Militia Company organizes militia members to patrol the mountains and investigate fire hazards. Photo by Li Yisheng.
Photo ⑤: The Huining Red Army Long March Victory Memorial Hall. Archival photo.
The Nanliang Revolutionary Memorial Hall. Archival photo.
The land of Longyuan is a red and fertile soil soaked in the blood of revolutionary martyrs. From the spark of Nanliang to the Grand Junction at Huining, from the Western Route Army's (红西路军) bloody battles along the Hexi Corridor to the decisive charge of the Lanzhou Campaign, one stirring revolutionary story after another is scattered like sparks across these mountains, plains, and loess hills. In recent years, Gansu Province's military and civilian authorities have fully excavated their "red heritage," naming and establishing 16 Red Militia Model Units after heroes. Inspired by the spirit of martyrs and heroes, how do these new-era "successors" (后来人) in camouflage forge the soul of their convictions, temper their capabilities, and shoulder their responsibilities? In late spring, reporters traveled into the land of Longyuan to seek out the moving stories of the Red Militia Model Units.
Engraving the Heroes' Names into the Spiritual Bloodline
On a spring day at Shenjialing in Lanzhou, the greenery was deepening. In front of the memorial pavilion at the site where Martyr Wang Xueli fell, all militia members of the Wang Xueli Militia Company stood in neat formation as a special education session—a dialogue across time and space with the martyrs—was underway.
"Old Regimental Commander, Shenjialing, where you once charged forward carrying the battle flag, is now guarded by us. Your battle flag has not faded; your soldiers have not fallen behind…" The voice of political instructor Li Weimin echoed through the valley. He told reporters that the company had distilled a 16-character company motto: "Unwavering loyalty to the Party, skilled at fighting hard battles, courageous and tenacious, daring to win (铁心向党、善打硬仗、勇猛顽强、敢于胜利)." "This is a true portrait of Wang Xueli's life, and it is also the spiritual core of our company."
To brand this spiritual core into the heart of every militia member, they regularly visit the Shenjialing battle site to absorb the heroic spirit, have established a joint education and study mechanism with the unit in which Wang Xueli served, and invite the hero's descendants to recount the deeds of their forebears. "Every time I hear the stories of our predecessors, it is like a baptism of the soul," one militia member wrote after a session.
"The smoke of battle has long cleared, the mountains and rivers are at peace; the heroic soul abides forever, the founding aspiration endures. Naming units after heroes and educating people with the spirit of martyrs is not a simple act of 'putting a name on something'—it is about passing the red genes (红色基因) down through the militia ranks like a torch." So said a leader of the Lanzhou Garrison Command.
This concept runs through the entire process of establishing Gansu Province's 16 Red Militia Model Units. A leader of the Provincial Military District's Political Work Bureau introduced that, following a "one unit, one policy (一队一策)" approach, they planned along the red resource systems of the Red Army Long March, the Red Western Route Army's campaigns, and the liberation of Gansu, relying on major historical sites within the province, the places where heroic models fell, and the birthplaces of revolutionary predecessors, to name and establish 16 Red Militia Model Units—actively building a mobile "red classroom" (红色课堂) that cultivates loyalty and sows faith.
In Gaotai County along the Hexi Corridor, militia members of the Dong Zhentang Militia Company are bringing red stories to life in ways the masses love to see and hear. The company selected talented core members to form a red culture propaganda team, adapting the Western Route Army's combat history and stories of martyrs into catchy clapper ballads (快板) and widely sung folk songs, and going from village to village on a touring lecture circuit.
Militia member Wang Liping was originally a shy young woman who was so nervous during her first lecture that she repeatedly forgot her lines. Today, she can stand before hundreds of people and deliver her account with composure and deep feeling. Whenever she recounts General Dong Zhentang's heroic fight to the death at Gaotai, the audience invariably falls into solemn silence, visibly moved. "It is not that we lecture vividly—it is that General Dong's deeds are too weighty and his spirit too overwhelming," Wang Liping said with emotion. "Every time I reach the moment of the general's death, I can truly feel the weight of the responsibility on my shoulders."
"Though I have heard the stories of revolutionary martyrs many times, every time I revisit them it is a baptism of the soul, and every act of remembrance makes me feel the mission pressing down on my shoulders all the more." Militia backbone Zhao Jiangting said with deep feeling that inheriting the spirit of martyrs is never just a slogan—it is a solemn promise to be fulfilled for a lifetime.
Tempering the Ability to Win with Courage and Fighting Spirit (血性胆气)
"Evacuation of residents in the landing zone is complete." "Communications lines are connected and normal." "Landing point location has been confirmed." … Not long ago, a spaceflight launch and return search-and-rescue emergency exercise was launched on the Hexi Gobi. At the commander's order, the Jinta County Aerospace Militia Company (航天民兵连) rapidly deployed and swiftly reached its designated positions.
"The ultimate measure of the results of red inheritance is, in the end, combat effectiveness." A leader of the Jinta County People's Armed Forces Department (人武部) cut straight to the point.
Jinta County is one of the key hosting and support areas for spaceflight launches and return search-and-rescue operations. The county's Aerospace Militia Company bears responsibility each time for security alert, route patrol, communications support, and emergency search-and-rescue missions. To ensure nothing goes wrong, before every mission they conduct repeated live-force, live-equipment drills throughout the support area, fully anticipate all types of contingencies, and then spend consecutive days and nights grinding away at their skills at their posts.
"We have a tradition: before every major mission, we organize militia members to go to the Dongfeng Revolutionary Martyrs Cemetery and report to the aerospace martyrs who rest there." Company Commander Wei Chengjun said solemnly. "Marshal Nie Rongzhen and more than 700 martyrs are watching us—who would dare to let them down?" For them, every support mission is a battle, and the high-spirited posture of sleeping with weapons at the ready (枕戈待旦) and ensuring nothing goes wrong is the finest inheritance of the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" (两弹一星) spirit.
"The martyrs, looking back, should smile with satisfaction; those who carry the banner forward will always come." A leader of the Provincial Military District's War Readiness and Construction Bureau introduced that the 16 Red Militia Model Units established from the outset a clear orientation of "orienting toward war and fighting (向战为战)," adhering to the approach of "mission-driven, combat-oriented, specialized and intensive training, strengthening the force through science and technology (任务牵引、实战导向、专业精训、科技强兵)," and continuously enhancing their capacity to fulfill new-era mission tasks in areas including aerospace support, road clearance, reconnaissance and early warning, and emergency rescue.
The Wushaoling Road-Protection Tibetan Militia Company (乌鞘岭护路藏族民兵连) is stationed year-round in high-altitude mountain areas at over 3,500 meters elevation, bearing responsibility for road protection and support along key transportation arteries including the Lianhuo Expressway and the Lanxin Railway. At the time of its naming and flag-presentation ceremony, this unit faced the practical difficulties of a shortage of specialist backbone personnel and a weak training foundation. The Wuwei Military Sub-District (武威军分区) joined with local Party committees and governments to tailor a training and capability-building "package" for the unit: given the high proportion of ethnic minority members, Tibetan officers and militia instructors were selected as training backbone personnel, and bilingual Tibetan-Chinese professional course lesson plans were compiled; paired assistance-training relationships were formed with garrison units and highway traffic police brigades in the area, specialist instructors were regularly invited to guide the unit, and militia backbone members were sent to partner units for on-the-job training.
After this customized "training checklist" was implemented, the company's training participation rate and course pass rate steadily improved. Early this year, a sudden heavy snowfall struck Tianzhu County, leaving many vehicles stranded on the expressway due to the weather disaster. Upon receiving the call for help, the Wushaoling Road-Protection Tibetan Militia Company responded to the order and handled the situation efficiently, earning unanimous praise from military and civilian leaders and local residents.
"Inheritance is not about polishing the glory of the past over and over again—it is about using today's solid capabilities to let the heroic spirit continue to shine into the future." A leader of the Provincial Military District's War Readiness and Construction Bureau said that, with an eye toward the trends of informatized and intelligentized (信息化智能化) warfare, they have fully introduced advanced science and technology, equipping each militia unit with high-tech equipment including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), infrared reconnaissance, and emergency communications systems, and establishing joint education and training mechanisms with defense industry enterprises and high-technology units, so that the courageous fighting spirit (血性胆气) to take on hard battles and the intelligent power (智慧力量) enabled by science and technology illuminate each other.
At the foot of the Qilian Mountains, a live-force exercise was underway. "The mission force is about to pass through. It has come under enemy attack; the road ahead is damaged. Order your unit to organize rapid clearance!" Upon receiving the order, the Liu Liyun Militia Platoon (刘理运民兵排) moved out swiftly. Multi-rotor UAVs took to the air, transmitting real-time footage of the damaged road section, the extent of the damage, and available detour routes back to the command vehicle. Simultaneously, local transportation engineers embedded in the militia platoon rapidly retrieved the three-dimensional model of the road section, used survey UAVs to generate a terrain map of the landslide area, and loaders and excavators carried out precision operations guided by "data navigation"… A road clearance mission that would normally require at least three hours was completed in just two hours, ensuring the mission force passed through on schedule.
Making "Camouflage Green" a Reliable Presence
The ultimate test of a unit's development is whether it can step up when the people need it.
Last summer, a severe rainstorm struck Longnan without warning. Upon receiving the rescue order, the Chen Hongjun Militia Company (陈红军民兵连) assembled at lightning speed and rushed through the rain to the stricken villages. The rain was too fierce for vehicles to pass, so militia members waded through waist-deep water on foot toward the villages. That night, they searched house by house and successively evacuated more than 70 stranded residents; many members were covered in mud, their lips purple from the cold. An elderly person who had been rescued gripped a militia member's hand and would not let go: "Now that you're here, we're saved."
"At the time I wasn't thinking much—I just felt that I'm a militia member, so I should be the first one to go in." Militia backbone Ma Jianjun said. Standing beneath a banner bearing a hero's name, "being the first to go in" has become an unspoken instinct for action—the oath that Martyr Chen Hongjun fulfilled with his life has now been transformed into the red gene (红色基因) that this unit passes down without end.
In December 2023, after the Jishishan earthquake struck, the Linxia Ethnic Unity Militia Platoon (临夏民族团结民兵排) responded to the order and rushed to the disaster area at the first moment. They set up tents in the rubble, unloaded supplies, established hot food distribution points, and rapidly erected a tent school at the resettlement site, helping more than 110 students in the disaster area resume their studies… For four consecutive days and three nights, the militia members did not get a single full night's sleep.
Able to step up at critical moments, reliable in ordinary days. The Gulang County Babusha Forest Farm (古浪县八步沙林场) is located on the southern edge of the Tengger Desert. Once, yellow sand blanketed the sky here, and the drifting sand devoured farmland and villages at a rate of 7.5 meters per year; because one stepped into sand within eight paces of leaving home, the place was named "Babusha" (Eight-Step Sand). In the 1980s, the "Six Elders" (六老汉) declared war on the desert through a joint household contracting arrangement, building a green barrier across the vast sea of sand over three generations. Today, the Babusha Militia Company (八步沙民兵连) stands beside the sandy hollow that the "Six Elders" reclaimed, taking up the shovels of the older generation and continuing the fight against wind and sand.
Spring here has none of the gentleness of apricot blossoms and spring rain—only gales strong enough to knock a person off their feet and sand grains that sting the face. The window period for sand suppression and afforestation each year falls precisely during the two windiest months. Militia members dig trenches, lay straw, and press down grid squares (草方格) into the sand against the wind; by the end of a day, their mouths, ears, and hair are full of sand. Since its establishment, the Babusha Militia Company has completed the laying of straw grid squares over 800 mu of land and planted nearly ten thousand trees of various species, building a solid sand-prevention barrier on the southern edge of the desert.
"At first I felt it was hard—the sand stinging my face was painful—but watching this forest grow bit by bit, I felt it was worth it." Militia Company Commander Kui Guofa pointed to the oasis behind him and said, "The 'Six Elders' dared to turn desert into oasis. If we young successors can't hold it, we'd be letting down our predecessors and letting down this company banner."
During this year's "May Day" holiday, the site of the Red Army's Grand Junction at Huining welcomed wave after wave of visitors. Among the flowing crowds, flashes of camouflage green moved back and forth. Militia members of the Grand Junction Militia Company (大会师民兵连) stood under the blazing sun, directing traffic at the scenic area entrance, supporting elderly visitors in the corners of exhibition halls, reminding tourists to watch their step on steep staircases, and from time to time pointing out the mountain paths the Red Army once walked and recounting the stories of the Red Army's grand junction that local residents know well.
"I came here to trace the roots of red history, and I didn't expect that the moment I stepped off the vehicle, this 'camouflage green' would become the most reliable guide." Mr. Liu, a visitor from Nanjing, Jiangsu, stood beneath the Junction Tower and reflected: "On this red land, seeing these young people, I feel that the predecessors from the stories have not gone far."
From Shenjialing to Babusha, from the Qilian Mountains to the Hexi Gobi, the banners of 16 Red Militia Model Units flutter in the wind across the land of Longyuan. Beneath those banners are every tactical movement refined again and again on the training ground; the unhesitating "I'll go first" when disaster strikes; the straw grid squares laid year after year at the edge of the wind and sand; the cup of hot water handed to a visitor at a scenic area, the helping hand extended. The bloodline of heroes is quietly carried forward in one concrete and minute act after another; the red seeds take root and sprout in the steadfast perseverance of a group of ordinary militia members.
Across a thousand li of Longyuan, red and fertile land. In those years, the martyrs transformed their lives into the last starlight before dawn on this ground; today, these "successors" in camouflage are, in the name of heroes, continuing to write the glory that belongs to this era—when the motherland and the people need them, those resounding cries of "Present!" are the finest answer.
Layout design: Hu Shuo