Military Camp Observation | "Guests from Eight Thousand Li Away" Set Foot on the Wind-Swept, Snow-Covered Plateau

"Guests from Eight Thousand Li Away" Set Foot on the Wind-Swept, Snow-Covered Plateau

■ Pu Jiehong; Information Support Force News reporter Ma Jing

Karakoram. The snow remains. The ice armor glistens.

At over 5,000 meters above sea level on the snow-covered plateau, Geng Shuai, political instructor of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station of a certain brigade of the Information Support Force, stood at the entrance to the garrison early in the morning, gazing into the distance. On this day, he welcomed a group of comrades-in-arms who had traveled from afar — officers and enlisted personnel led by Kang Le, political instructor of the 1st Company of a certain unit of the Information Support Force. This company, based in the capital, had crossed more than 4,000 kilometers to come specifically to the snow-covered plateau and walk the wind-and-snow line-patrol route together with the comrades of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station.

In the biting cold wind, the group stopped in front of a telegraph pole standing tall and firm. "This pole has been named 'Pole No. 1,'" Geng Shuai said with feeling as he recounted the story to the comrades who had come from so far away. "Years ago, a sudden blizzard struck Jieshan Daban, severing the communications line. Our predecessor Lou Zhicheng was swallowed by the wind and snow during the emergency repair and his young life was forever buried beneath the permafrost…"

"Standing on the ground where our predecessor gave his life, I have gained a far deeper understanding of sacrifice and dedication." Kang Le, standing nearby, ran her hand along the ice-cold pole, her heart deeply shaken.

Beneath "Pole No. 1," she also warmly recounted to the Hongshan River comrades the glorious history of her own company: "Our company was born in the smoke and fire of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. Generation after generation of officers and soldiers have held fast to their three-foot operating consoles, creating legendary chapters such as 'the telephone catching the airplane' and 'the telephone catching the train' through the work standard of 'not a single careless act, not a single wrong character, not a single mistake.' They distilled the weighty 'First Time' spirit (第一次精神) and were awarded the title of 'Model Communications Station.'"

Two companies — one in the capital Beijing, one on the snow-covered plateau, separated by eight thousand li — why would they engage in this kind of in-person "dialogue"? The story begins with a training session for grassroots Party organization secretaries organized by higher authorities.

During that training, Geng Shuai and Kang Le were placed in the same discussion group. In the course of their exchange, the two found their thinking in powerful resonance — the willingness to lay down one's life represented by "Pole No. 1" and the pursuit of excellence demanded by the "First Time" spirit, though different in geography and mission, share the same core: a communications soldier's ultimate pursuit of loyalty and responsibility. The idea of joint development and co-creation (联建共创) took root in the hearts of both political instructors.

Now, the vision has become reality, and the power of the spirit mingles and surges at the summit of the snow mountains. Pfc. Feng Zhichao of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station said with feeling: "To sacrifice and dedicate like the plateau heroes, to pursue excellence like the predecessors in the equipment room — that is the goal I strive toward!" For Staff Sergeant (Second Class) Lin Xiao, a telephone operator of the 1st Company making her first trip to the plateau and participating in the activities together, the responsibility on her shoulders took on deeper meaning: "The character '一' (one) — laid horizontally, it is a carrying pole, bearing the mission of our generation; stood vertically, it is a ruler, setting the highest standard we should pursue!"

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The "Joint-Development Pledge" Across Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers

■ Pu Jiehong, Wang Shimeng; Information Support Force News reporter Ma Jing

*Officers and soldiers of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station of a certain brigade of the Information Support Force on a line-patrol. Photo by Geng Shuai.*

*During the joint-development activity, officers and soldiers from both sides hold a discussion and exchange. Photo by Gong Lantao.*

At the Hongshan River Maintenance Station of a certain brigade of the Information Support Force, a special document is kept with great care. On its cover, one side shows the silhouette of officers and soldiers of the 1st Company of a certain unit of the Information Support Force, based in the capital, focused at their duty posts; the other side shows the Hongshan River Maintenance Station's officers and soldiers in fine form on a plateau line-patrol. A red silk ribbon tightly connects the two scenes separated by eight thousand li — this is a "Joint Development and Co-Creation Agreement" (《联建共创协议》).

It is more than a piece of paper. It symbolizes the convergence and fusion, across a thousand mountains and rivers, of two strands of red heritage — born on different battlefields, yet equally ardent. How was this "joint-development pledge" conceived and born, and how did it ultimately bind the two collectives tightly together? What kind of co-development journey did the signing of the agreement set in motion? Carrying these questions, this reporter went to the Hongshan River Maintenance Station to seek out the story.

**A "Mutual Pursuit" Born of Complementary Needs —**

**Seeing "the scenery on the other bank" is not enough; you must also find "the bridge to cross the river"**

The Hongshan River Maintenance Station, at 5,120 meters above sea level, was once a celebrated honor company and showcase unit in the brigade. Yet when Geng Shuai took up his post as political instructor a year ago, what greeted him was the growing pains of a period of transformation.

In the tide of reform and military strengthening, this "old model unit" garrisoned in a life-threatening zone was gradually being surpassed by the "rising wave." When the brigade organized a "Three Meetings, One Good" (三会一好) political instructor competition, Geng Shuai was full of confidence, weaving into his lesson plan the moving stories of the company's predecessors who had struggled tenaciously and relied on their own efforts on the wind-swept, snow-covered plateau — only to fail to place. The judges pointed out: "You cannot talk about tradition for tradition's sake. The lesson plan lacks content to inspire officers and soldiers to create new achievements in the new era."

Honor belongs to the past. Where does the future path lie? Geng Shuai led the branch committee in deep reflection, digging out the root of the problem. Years of garrisoning the plateau had gradually produced a pattern of building the unit that was rigid, mechanical, and locked into tradition; "self-contained cycling" was severe, with a lack of the vision and perspective needed to "step outside the plateau and look at development"… The crux gradually became clear: the halo of honor had become an invisible shackle, and outdated thinking was blocking the pace of transformation. The branch committee reached a consensus: only by renewing their thinking could they break through the bottleneck and allow the "old model unit" to radiate "new brilliance."

Seeing "the scenery on the other bank" is not enough; you must also find "the bridge to cross the river." Geng Shuai sought experience from sister units in multiple directions, trying to find a way to break the impasse.

At a training session for grassroots Party organization secretaries organized by higher authorities, the remarks of Kang Le — political instructor of the 1st Company of a certain unit of the Information Support Force, based in the capital — instantly captured Geng Shuai's attention.

On the platform, Kang Le demonstrated an application software they had independently developed, handing over previously time-consuming manual operations to an intelligent system, making the process fast, accurate, and efficient. "Emerging technology empowers traditional operations, driving a qualitative leap in combat effectiveness (战斗力)." Kang Le's words were like a beam of light illuminating Geng Shuai's heart: "Isn't this kind of thinking — keeping pace with the times and boldly innovating — exactly what our plateau officers and soldiers need?"

When it was Geng Shuai's turn to share, he displayed a set of photographs of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station's officers and soldiers: surrounded by snow-capped mountains, they built a national flag platform with their own hands, constructed a vegetable greenhouse, and made emergency repairs to water and heating pipes… Every face radiated a smile of fearlessness in the face of hardship and self-reliance.

These images also deeply moved Kang Le. Stationed in the capital Beijing, the officers and soldiers could faithfully fulfill their duties, but Kang Le keenly sensed that, compared with the tenacious fighting spirit and surging passion for work that the Hongshan River Maintenance Station's officers and soldiers displayed in extreme conditions, something seemed to be missing from her company.

"What you have is precisely what I need." In that moment, two companies — connected by the same heritage yet strikingly different in character — found resonance in the collision of ideas.

As the training drew to a close, higher authorities called for the signing of a "joint development and co-creation" agreement. Geng Shuai and Kang Le, without prior consultation, both solemnly signed their names on the agreement. A "mutual pursuit" born of complementary needs had thus set out.

**A "Cloud Story Session" That Broke Down Barriers —**

**Not a one-way illumination of one by the other, but a mutual nourishment of each other's spirit**

Once the agreement was signed, some voices of doubt arose at the Hongshan River Maintenance Station.

When Geng Shuai brought the news of the joint development and co-creation back to the company, the officers and soldiers reacted in various ways, full of misgivings: "Separated by thousands of kilometers, we can't even meet face to face — how do we build jointly?" "Our missions are worlds apart — how do we co-create?"…

The concerns of the officers and soldiers were not unfounded. Staff Sergeant (First Class) Zhang Jinhai of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station still remembered a joint-development exercise from years earlier, when representatives from the Hongshan River Maintenance Station traveled far to a certain location, emotionally recounting stories of guarding the border on the plateau, and were warmly received by the other side. "The atmosphere was very warm; both sides were moved at the time," Zhang Jinhai said candidly, "but afterward, the impression left in the depths of our thinking was not deep." Later, as personnel changed, the enthusiasm gradually faded.

This "lesson from the past" weighed on Geng Shuai like a stone. He realized: joint development is not simply an exchange of visits and condolences, or a sharing of stories; its essence lies in igniting the fire in each other's hearts and laying a solid foundation of genuine feeling.

At this point, a phone call became the opportunity for the two companies to break down their barriers. After a survey of morale and thinking, Kang Le sensed that the officers and soldiers of her company were "in a somewhat low state" and was preparing to conduct education around the theme of "views on striving," but was struggling because the available materials were stale and lacked fresh ideas. She called Geng Shuai for help. On the other end of the line, Geng Shuai was also worried about a slide in the thinking of his officers and soldiers and a drop in work standards. The two spoke frankly, not shying away from shortcomings. Very quickly, an idea emerged from the exchange: share photographs and hold a story session "in the cloud."

The story session opened as planned. Zhang Jinhai was the first to produce a yellowed photograph — himself at age 19, fair-skinned, with clear eyes. Compared with his now weather-darkened face, carved by the plateau's wind and frost, he looked like a different person. "The plateau is like a carving knife, but I have never regretted it!" He recounted his fifteen years of resolute perseverance on the plateau.

When the officers and soldiers in Beijing, through their screens, "encountered" those faces etched with wind and frost and those lips purple from the cold, tears blurred many eyes. Private Wang Yurui said: "In that moment, I truly understood what dedication means."

The story session continued. Staff Sergeant (Second Class) Wu Tong also shared with the Hongshan River comrades a story about supporting a major mission. The entire company fought continuously for three days and three nights, holding fast to their consoles, connecting tens of thousands of calls without a single error, ensuring that orders flowed without obstruction. On the other side of the screen, the officers and soldiers of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station listened with rapt attention, their expressions solemn, deeply moved.

One true story after another opened the hearts of the officers and soldiers and also dissolved the initial barriers and doubts. Geng Shuai said with feeling: "This 'cloud story session' was not a one-way illumination of one side by the other, but a mutual nourishment of each other's spirit."

Last year, a special gift crossed eight thousand li and arrived at the Hongshan River Maintenance Station — a scroll painting of the Temple of Heaven, hand-painted by the officers and soldiers of the 1st Company. In the upper right corner of the painting, a line of small characters read: "We send this scroll across ten thousand li, to together guard the spring of our mountains and rivers."

Geng Shuai had the painting carefully mounted and framed, and placed it prominently on the company bookshelf. Looking at the majestic Temple of Heaven in the painting, he knew that the true bond between the two companies — built on understanding, trust, and resonance — had, like this gift that had reached the plateau, already taken root.

**A Joint-Development Agreement That Keeps "Expanding" —**

**Our "empowerment network" must be woven larger and denser still**

"How to efficiently implement Party organization life under dispersed and mobile conditions (动散条件下)…" Geng Shuai's phone screen lit up; several messages from Kang Le appeared. He quickly called back and shared the mature experience he had worked out, speaking from the heart. Similar "online consultations" between the two companies grew increasingly frequent, covering an ever-wider range of areas.

To facilitate communication, Kang Le used military software to establish a dedicated "joint-development empowerment work group," incorporating all officers and key personnel from both companies.

At the Hongshan River Maintenance Station, Staff Sergeant (First Class) Zhang Jinhai is the "living route map" in the minds of the officers and soldiers, yet he was troubled by his inability to bring along his apprentice, Xiao Du — Xiao Du simply could not memorize the complex circuit identification codes. At a loss, Zhang Jinhai posted a request for help in the group.

Soon, a suggestion traveled from the capital to the plateau. Corporal Yu Zihan of the 1st Company shared: "You can draw on the telephone operator 'four-skill' (四功) training method and turn the dry codes into vivid, easy-to-remember mnemonics and rhymes." When tried, Xiao Du's learning efficiency indeed improved.

Similar "golden ideas" emerged in the group in an endless stream: innovative methods for organizing military training, cutting-edge concepts for combat readiness empowerment, fresh forms of Party member education… "Sometimes there are over a hundred messages in a day," Geng Shuai explained. "We 'digest and absorb' them in light of our own actual conditions, then 'upgrade and adapt' them for use in our work, with immediate results." Joint development is accelerating its transformation from a "bridge connecting hearts" for spiritual inspiration into an "empowerment network" for improving the quality and effectiveness of company building.

At the end of last year, higher authorities organized a regulations and laws competition. As soon as the notice was issued, the two companies began "sparring" online, with officers and soldiers serving as each other's "examiners" and "training partners," chasing each other and continuously breaking score records. Staff Sergeant Liu Yiyang of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station kept burning the midnight oil even after winning the championship. He said: "There is not a moment to relax — far away, there are even more driven 'opponents' competing hard!" This healthy competition born of joint development ignited in both companies the vigorous spirit of "fall behind or forge ahead — seize every moment."

The two companies' vibrant joint-development practice attracted the attention and support of the organs of both units. With coordination from the organs, a carefully arranged in-person visit and study tour was carried out. Company Commander Zhang Xiaoqiang of the Hongshan River Maintenance Station led a delegation to Beijing.

The scene before them delivered a powerful impact: a benchmark of refined management, an efficiently operating intelligent system, Party member vanguard posts everywhere… "I never imagined that a company could have such a large space and such high standards for independently building itself!" Zhang Xiaoqiang was deeply impressed. He looked, asked questions, and took notes as he went, determined to return with "solid takeaways" and drive the company's development to a new level.

After returning from the visit, a special "cloud" joint branch committee meeting was convened. Both sides systematically reviewed the experience and practices accumulated since the joint development began, and formally incorporated into the joint-development agreement the "golden ideas" and "good mechanisms" that had been tested in practice and proven effective. That agreement, which carries the original aspiration, grew from its initial 1 page to 5 pages. The agreement's "expansion" is a vivid footnote to the continuously enriching substance of joint development.

As the pace of the force's transformation accelerates, the Hongshan River Maintenance Station is making the leap from a traditional maintenance station to a regional empowerment center. Geng Shuai often stands at the window, his gaze passing over the towering snow-capped mountains, contemplating a more distant future.

"Our 'empowerment network' must be woven larger and denser still!" Geng Shuai explained that Hongshan River's joint-development "circle of friends" is accelerating its expansion, and joint-development exploration spanning multiple domains and multiple services and arms has quietly begun.

At the end of last year, the Hongshan River Maintenance Station was awarded a collective second-class merit citation, and its overall development level rose markedly. Sister units called one after another to seek experience, and Geng Shuai replied with a smile: "You're welcome! But this story has to start with that joint-development agreement that keeps 'expanding'…"

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**Advance Together, Win New Honors**

■ Geng Shuai, Political Instructor, Hongshan River Maintenance Station, a certain brigade of the Information Support Force

When the "Collective Second-Class Merit" plaque was hung on the wall of honors, the eyes of every officer and soldier in the station filled with tears. This gleaming military citation embodies the wholehearted dedication of all the station's officers and soldiers, and also bears the inscription of the deep support of comrades-in-arms far away.

Last September, on the platform of joint development and co-creation, I engaged in deep exchange with our Beijing comrades in my capacity as Party branch secretary. The solemn conferral of duty designations, the moving sharing of stories, the resounding collective oath — their "induction ceremony" (入台仪式), sustained continuously for 13 years, deeply moved me. This ceremonial education, steeped in a sense of honor and mission, is the "golden key" to igniting the fighting spirit (战斗精神).

At the time, plateau exercise and training missions were dense and of unprecedented intensity, and some officers and soldiers were physically and mentally exhausted. We rapidly drew on their experience and, combining it with the rich red resources of our garrison location, seized every available moment to carry out short, direct, and highly penetrating ceremonial activities such as "dialogue between new and veteran soldiers" and "reporting to our predecessors." The officers and soldiers' morale soared, and they successfully completed every mission.

The ice and snow melt, the red willows put forth green shoots, and the spring of Hongshan River teems with life. Standing at a new starting point, we will continue to advance hand in hand, constantly expanding the breadth and depth of joint development, unlocking the potential for cooperation across more domains, and together driving the company's development to a higher level — winning new merit for our era!

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**Separated by a Thousand Li, Advancing Side by Side**

■ Kang Le, Political Instructor, 1st Company, a certain unit of the Information Support Force

From fellow trainees to joint-development comrades-in-arms, from cloud exchanges to walking the plateau together — the more than one year of joint development and co-creation has become a precious memory. The most indelible experience was setting out from the capital and traveling far to the Hongshan River Maintenance Station for an in-person visit and study.

Headaches, shortness of breath, difficulty eating… Here, "sacrifice and dedication" is no longer an abstract concept, but a steadfast commitment that the officers and soldiers measure out day after day with their lives.

At the garrison gate, twelve large red characters — "Lacking oxygen but not lacking faith; the higher the mountain, the higher the fighting spirit" (缺氧不缺信仰、山高斗志更高) — are the resounding oath of the Hongshan River spirit, and also like a flowing spring, nourishing our forward march.

Walking the line-patrol route together, raising the Five-Starred Red Flag together, speaking together of mission and responsibility… During those days, my bond with the Hongshan River comrades deepened through genuine understanding; through the sharing of experience, we each made up for what the other lacked. In just a few short days, hearts separated by a thousand li pressed tightly together.

For the first class for new soldiers joining the company this year, I chose to have the new soldiers "meet in the cloud" with their same-year counterparts at Hongshan River. This seed of joint development — we must tend it with care, so that it takes root and grows in the hearts of the new generation of officers and soldiers.

Distance cannot block the resonance of hearts. As long as hearts are connected and aspirations aligned, a thousand li of separation is also a smooth road of advancing side by side.

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**The Military Camp Observation Section Editor in Dialogue with the Political Commissar of a Certain Brigade of the Information Support Force —**

**Make Good Use of the Treasure of Joint Development and Co-Creation**

Joint development and co-creation between units is a treasured tradition of our military for the strong to support the weak, to learn from each other and advance together, and to consolidate strength. Entering the new era, information and network technology has advanced rapidly, and many new things, new situations, and new problems continue to emerge. How can we keep pace with the times and make good use of the treasure of joint development and co-creation to drive force development? Around this topic, the Military Camp Observation section editor held a connected exchange with the political commissar of a certain brigade of the Information Support Force.

**Editor:** The two companies have different missions and distinct characteristics, and their garrisons are separated by thousands of kilometers. What was the thinking behind carrying out joint development and co-creation?

**Political Commissar:** The process of joint development is a process of updating knowledge, broadening horizons, and stimulating thinking. Being confined to one place for a long time can easily lead to rigid thinking. These two companies have distinctive characteristics in terms of garrison environment, mission nature, and collective character. Carrying out joint development and co-creation activities between them allows them to examine themselves and compare their understanding within a larger frame of reference, which can better stimulate the intrinsic drive to strive forward and compete to surpass.

**Editor:** How can we uphold the fundamentals while innovating to give joint development and co-creation greater vitality?

**Political Commissar:** The essence of joint development and co-creation is actually person-to-person exchange and heart-to-heart interaction. Only by investing genuine feeling and truly opening one's heart to each other can a chemical reaction and aggregation effect be produced, achieving the leap from "formal connection" (形联) to "spiritual connection" (神联). On the other hand, we must closely align with the era's characteristics and behavioral traits of young officers and soldiers — by organizing "cloud story sessions," establishing "mutual ideological support groups," and building "online competition platforms" to ignite enthusiasm for training, using methods that officers and soldiers enjoy and welcome to activate the "stagnant pool" of traditional models.

**Editor:** How can we keep pace with the times and drive joint development and co-creation to achieve better practical results?

**Political Commissar:** In joint development and co-creation, "joint" (联) is the key — the focus is on determining well what to connect and how to connect, and achieving good integration at the institutional level. "Development" (建) is the landing point — the emphasis is on building strong organizations and giving full play to their role, with a focus on strengthening political and organizational functions. "Creation" (创) is the driving force — the emphasis is on integrating into the "Dual Competition" (双争) activities and jointly striving to be first-rate. Party committees and organs must further improve their guidance, give full consideration to actual conditions and individual factors, clarify the key emphases and specific requirements for carrying out joint development and co-creation, advocate creative implementation and open-ended implementation, and allow joint development and co-creation to truly become a "new engine" driving grassroots development.