That Military Salute Spanning 91 Years Moved Everyone Present
Representatives of the "Red First Company" of an Army brigade visit 105-year-old female Red Army veteran Wang Quanying——
A Military Salute Spanning 91 Years
■ Yan Xuhong, Li Shaoqing
105-year-old female Red Army veteran Wang Quanying renders a salute toward the camera. Photo by Qiao Zifeng.
"Old comrade, we've come to see you…"
On an afternoon in early summer, 105-year-old female Red Army veteran Wang Quanying, of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, welcomed a special group of visitors to her home — representatives of the "Red First Company" (红一连) of an Army brigade.
The "Red First Company" is a Red Army company born out of the Autumn Harvest Uprising. During the Sanwan Reorganization (三湾改编), Comrade Mao Zedong personally developed six Party members within the "Red First Company" and established the first company-level Party branch in our army, pioneering the practice of "building the Party branch at the company level" (支部建在连上). In June 1935, the First Front Army, in which this company served, and the Fourth Front Army achieved a victorious rendezvous at Xiaojin (present-day Xiaojin County), Sichuan. At that time, Wang Quanying was a medic in the Fourth Front Army's Women's Independent Regiment. Ninety-one years later, representatives of the company's officers and soldiers traveled more than 2,000 kilometers from their garrison to pay a special visit to this revolutionary forerunner.
Wang Quanying is of Tibetan ethnicity. Originally named "Guixiang," she was born in May 1921 in a small Tibetan mountain village. Orphaned in early childhood, she was sold into serfdom at age five and later resold, living a life of hunger, inadequate clothing, and constant abuse.
In 1935, the revolutionary spark illuminated Wang Quanying's life. "That night, I saw the Red Army's torches on a distant hillside and quietly followed them," the elderly Wang Quanying recalled with deep feeling. "At first I was frightened, but through contact with the Red Army officers and soldiers, I found a sense of being respected…" Watching the Red Army's wholehearted dedication to the common people, she resolved to join the revolutionary ranks.
After enlisting, Wang Quanying was assigned to the Fourth Front Army's Women's Independent Regiment as a medic. She studied nursing knowledge with an insatiable eagerness, attentively cared for the wounded, and actively served the unit as a guide and carried out propaganda and agitation work.
On one occasion, while Wang Quanying was moving with her unit toward Aba in western Sichuan, they were surrounded and attacked by a large enemy force, and the fighting was exceptionally fierce. "Many comrades were killed. While I was rescuing the wounded, bullets were whistling past my ears…" Wang Quanying recalled. In the intense battle, she and her comrades lost contact with the main force and were compelled to withdraw toward Dasang in Danba County, dispersing and breaking out in small groups.
Holding fast to her firm convictions, Wang Quanying and several comrades took a roundabout route through Xiaojin and Balang Mountain, following in the Red Army's footsteps and crossing two snow-capped mountains — Balang Mountain and Niutou Mountain — in succession. In May 1936, after enduring untold hardships and brushing with death countless times, they made their way to Sanjiang Town in Wenchuan to recuperate from their wounds. That year, Wang Quanying was 15 years old.
To evade enemy searches, Wang Quanying concealed her identity and settled in Sanjiang Town. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, she changed her name from the old name "Guixiang" — which symbolized her suffering — to "Wang Quanying." Wang Quanying never disclosed her experiences to her neighbors. It was not until 1984, when her identity was verified and confirmed by the Aba Prefecture People's Government, that the relevant authorities issued Wang Quanying a "Certificate of a Straggled Red Army Member" (流落红军证明书). She subsequently received commemorative medals marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
"Truly worthy heirs of the Red Army…" Upon learning that the "Red First Company" officers and soldiers had carried forward the red bloodline (红色血脉), trained hard to master the skills needed to win, had successfully transformed into an informatized armored infantry unit, and that the company had received honors including the Military Training Model Company, the Model Company for Party Branch Development, and "Model of the Era" (时代楷模), Wang Quanying nodded repeatedly with gratification and gave a thumbs-up.
"Old comrade, this is our company's flag." Just before the farewell, Political Instructor Wu took out the neatly folded "Red First Company" pennant from his bag and slowly unfurled it. Gazing at the flag suffused with glory, Wang Quanying's eyes grew moist; her fingers gently stroked the surface of the flag, as if touching those years of war and fire.
Then, Wang Quanying slowly raised her right hand and rendered a solemn military salute to the company flag. In that moment, this salute spanning 91 years seemed to silently speak of a loyalty and faith that will never fade, moving deeply every person present.