Political Work

A Brigade of the 78th Group Army Persists in Cultivating Officers and Soldiers' Martial Courage and Fighting Spirit Through the Deeds of Dong Cunrui

第七十八集团军某旅坚持以董存瑞事迹培育官兵血性胆气

PLA Daily (解放军报) 29 May 2026

Summary

On May 25, a brigade of the 78th Group Army marked the 78th anniversary of Dong Cunrui's death with garrison ceremonies, a video call to his surviving sister Dong Cunmei, field storytelling sessions along a northern frontier railway line, and a tribute formation at a Gobi Desert training site, all framed around cultivating 血性胆气 (martial courage and fighting spirit). The article also reports that the brigade recently deployed personnel to an undisclosed location to conduct a trial mission for a new type of artillery piece, with the oath ceremony before departure used to tie the equipment trial to the hero-unit tradition. This is standard political work content built around a named heroic-unit lineage; its value is as a record of how the 78th Group Army brigade frames combat motivation and unit identity for junior personnel, not as evidence of a capability shift—though the passing reference to a new artillery trial raises the question of which system and what stage of fielding, neither of which the article specifies.

Translation

A Brigade of the 78th Group Army Persists in Cultivating Officers and Soldiers' Martial Courage and Fighting Spirit (血性胆气) Through the Deeds of Dong Cunrui—— Carrying Forward the Bloodline of Heroes, Striving to Be Worthy Successors of Heroic Models

■ Hu Xi, Li Xuyang

"How have you been keeping? We have always been thinking of you, and we miss the old squad leader dearly…" On May 25, inside the garrison of a brigade of the 78th Group Army, "Dong Cunrui Squad" squad leader Hu Hailong connected via video call on behalf of all officers and soldiers of the company to extend sincere greetings to Dong Cunrui's younger sister, Dong Cunmei. On one side of the screen, officers and soldiers stood in neat formation before the statue of Martyr Dong Cunrui; on the other side, the elderly Dong Cunmei was deeply moved, and encouraged the officers and soldiers to render new meritorious service.

This year marks the 78th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dong Cunrui. On May 25, 1948, the unit in which Dong Cunrui served launched an assault on enemy positions and was suddenly subjected to withering fire from a bridge-type concealed enemy pillbox. Dong Cunrui appealed to his company commander: "I am a Communist Party member—please allow me to go!" With approval granted, Dong Cunrui resolutely took up a satchel charge and charged toward the enemy pillbox. During the advance, he was wounded in the left leg but pressed on tenaciously to reach the underside of the bridge. The bridge-shaped pillbox, however, was higher off the ground than his height, and there was no way to place the satchel charge at either end of the structure. At this critical moment, Dong Cunrui raised the satchel charge with his left hand, yanked the fuse cord hard with his right, and cried out: "For a new China—advance!" Smoke and fire engulfed the pillbox; it was destroyed, and the unit successfully broke through. Dong Cunrui opened a path to victory with his life, his own life forever frozen at the age of nineteen…

After Dong Cunrui's death, the unit posthumously recognized him as a Combat Hero and Model Communist Party Member, and named the squad in which he had served the "Dong Cunrui Squad."

"We treat the cultivation of officers and soldiers' martial courage and fighting spirit (血性胆气) as a foundational undertaking, and routinely carry out the activity of 'Study the Spirit of Heroic Models, Strive to Be Worthy Successors of Heroic Models,' continuously strengthening the officers and soldiers' will and spirit to fight," the brigade leadership explained. When new officers and new soldiers arrive at the company to which the "Dong Cunrui Squad" belongs, the first activity they take part in is a visit to the company's honor room; the first song they learn to sing is "Generation After Generation Cheering Dong Cunrui"; and the first film they watch is Dong Cunrui. The "Dong Cunrui Squad" preserves the old squad leader's bunk, which officers and soldiers tidy every day; when the company calls roll and the name "Dong Cunrui" is called, all officers and soldiers of the company answer "Present" together. The brigade routinely holds the "Dong Cunrui Cup" military skills competition, guiding officers and soldiers to strive to become steel warriors in the mold of Dong Cunrui.

In recent days, the brigade has carried out a series of commemorative activities in conjunction with its actual mission requirements. Inside the garrison, at a single command from the commander, officers and soldiers observed a collective moment of silence to honor Dong Cunrui and reflect on their founding mission (初心使命); along a railway line on the northern frontier of the motherland, a "Strengthen the Military" storytelling session themed "The Old Squad Leader in My Heart" unfolded during a break between tasks, with officers and soldiers sharing their thoughts and reflections on studying Dong Cunrui's deeds in light of their own duties; on the Gobi Desert in the northwest, officers and soldiers lined up at a field training site to pay tribute to the martyr, and the slogan "If you serve, serve like Dong Cunrui" rang out to the sky…

Seventy-eight years have passed, yet the hero's spirit grows ever more enduring. Not long ago, the brigade drew forces to travel to an unfamiliar area to carry out a trial mission for a new type of artillery piece. Before setting out, the mission's officers and soldiers solemnly took an oath facing the statue of Dong Cunrui. After arriving at the target area, officers and soldiers worked day and night, devoting themselves to studying the performance of the new equipment, repeatedly refining their tactics, overcoming multiple technical difficulties, and successfully completing the equipment trial mission.

Original Chinese

第七十八集团军某旅坚持以董存瑞事迹培育官兵血性胆气—— 赓续英雄血脉争当英模传人 ■胡玺李旭阳 “您最近身体可好？我们一直挂念您，也很思念老班长……”5月25日，第78集团军某旅营区内，“董存瑞班”班长胡海龙通过视频连线，代表全连官兵向董存瑞烈士的妹妹董存梅致以诚挚问候。屏幕这端，官兵在董存瑞烈士雕像前整齐列队；屏幕那头，董存梅老人感动不已，勉励官兵再立新功。今年是董存瑞烈士牺牲78周年。1948年5月25日，董存瑞所在部队向敌阵地发起攻击，突遭敌桥型暗堡火力封锁。董存瑞向连长请战：“我是共产党员，请准许我去！”得到批准后，董存瑞毅然抱起炸药包，冲向敌军暗堡。前进中，他左腿负伤，仍然顽强地冲至桥下。可桥形暗堡距地面超过身高，暗堡两头又无法放置炸药包。危急时刻，董存瑞用左手托起炸药包，右手猛地拉着了导火索，高喊：“为了新中国，前进！”硝烟弥漫，暗堡炸毁，部队成功突击。董存瑞用生命开辟了一条胜战通道，而自己的生命却永远定格在了19岁……董存瑞牺牲后，部队追认他为战斗英雄、模范共产党员，将他生前所在班命名为“董存瑞班”。 “我们把培育官兵血性胆气作为基础工程来抓，常态开展‘学习英模精神、争当英模传人’活动，不断强化官兵战斗意志、战斗精神。”该旅领导介绍，新干部、新兵来到“董存瑞班”所在连队后，参加的第一项活动是参观连队荣誉室，学唱的第一首歌是《代代高呼董存瑞》，观看的第一部影片是《董存瑞》；“董存瑞班”保留着老班长的床铺，官兵每日整理，连队点名点到“董存瑞”的名字，全连官兵一同答“到”；旅里常态开展“董存瑞杯”军事专业比武，引导官兵争做董存瑞式的钢铁战士。连日来，该旅结合任务实际开展一系列纪念活动。营区内，随着指挥员一声口令，官兵集体默哀，缅怀董存瑞，感悟初心使命；祖国北疆铁路线上，一场以“我心中的老班长”为主题的强军故事会在任务间隙展开，官兵结合岗位实际，分享学习董存瑞事迹的心得感悟；西北戈壁，官兵在野外驻训点列队向烈士致敬，“当兵就当‘董存瑞’”的口号响彻云霄…… 78载斗转星移，英雄精神历久弥新。前不久，该旅抽组兵力奔赴陌生地域执行某新型火炮试验任务。出征前，任务官兵面向董存瑞雕像庄严宣誓。抵达目标地域后，官兵昼夜攻坚，潜心钻研新装备性能、反复打磨战法，攻克多项技术难题，圆满完成装备试验任务。