Thinking of the Sages of Old

The wind brushes against my cheeks, and the rain nourishes all things. Recalling the past, I seem to see the revolutionary martyrs shedding their blood and heads, willing to die for the country and the people. They cast aside thoughts of life and death, dyeing the earth red with heroic blood, forging immortal monuments with their great lives, and upholding the hope of a New China with their unyielding souls. History will surely remember you.

The sun rises in the morning glow, and dewdrops refract colorful brilliance. Breathing in the fresh air quietly and feeling the beauty of all things in the world, how fortunate it is to live in such a peaceful country. I understand that this was exchanged for your lives, yet you never had the chance to enjoy such happiness. Two lines of tears fall, and sorrow surges in my heart. It makes me think of a quote: "In the face of true heroes, any sadness or pity is an insult to them; all we can do is admire." Indeed, this was your choice, your faith, and even more, it was for the happiness of over a billion Chinese people.

"Life is what I desire; righteousness is also what I desire. If I cannot have both, I will choose righteousness over life." Every time I read the stories of the red martyrs, I think about how Mencius made such a choice thousands of years ago, and thousands of years later, the martyrs made the same historical decision during the survival of the Chinese nation. Amidst the shouts of charging, there were the solemn oaths on the Red Boat of Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, and the resolute figures of young students in the May Fourth Movement. There were the footprints of soldiers crossing snow-capped mountains and grasslands, and even more, the national sentiment of countless benevolent people who held the world as a common cause. This is the great righteousness you passed down, a righteousness filled with patriotic passion, and the precious spiritual wealth you left for generations to come.

A single spark can start a prairie fire. Establishing a socialist New China was the lifelong ideal that the Chinese people, having endured a century of humiliation, fought for. It was this revolutionary ideal that inspired countless martyrs to endure the countless hardships and dangers on the Long March, survive the White Terror of the Kuomintang reactionaries, and embark on the path of the Chinese nation standing tall in the East. Under the leadership of the great Communist Party of China, even when facing constant harassment from Western hostile forces, even when facing various irresistible natural disasters, and even when facing sudden epidemic catastrophes, we are not afraid. Standing at the forefront of reform and opening up, singing the "Story of Spring," and holding high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, we are striding toward becoming a strong socialist country. How could all these achievements be completed without your sacrifices? With your single sparks, you ignited a raging flame across the entire land of China.

Time will not forget, history will not forget, and the people will certainly not forget. We will not forget those shining names, we will not forget the prairie fire that burned incessantly in the darkness, and we will not forget every hero who shed every drop of blood for the revolution, or even sacrificed their lives. On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Party, may the souls of the revolutionary martyrs be comforted. And we will take up your torches and complete your unfinished dreams with the power of our lives!

Author's Note