Joined the army at 14 and began the revolutionary work

After the Lugou Bridge incident in 1937, Shanghai and Nanjing were successively occupied by the Japanese aggressors. Based on his analysis of the situations in the war zone, my father believed that northern Jiangsu would also be affected by the warfare. Therefore he decided to send me and my four cousins to Xi’an for the sake of study, but we knew that we were actually taking a refuge. In Xi’an we were taken care by my aunt.

I was admitted to the Leyu Middle School in Xi’an. There was an instructor Huang Zhujun, who was sent to work at the school from Yan’an. He arranged some students to rehearse shows with the theme of resisting Japanese aggression and saving the nation, and staged performance in the downtown and suburban areas. He asked me to act as an Eighth Route Army soldier in several shows, because he saw a lot of potential for me to develop in the field of performing art.

One day the instructor told me that the Eighth Route Army’s Xi’an office was leading a professional art group “Northeast Salvation Association’s War Area Service Group”. I told him that the art group presented a large stage play The Offspring of the Chinese People at a theatre, and the show received a lot of praises from the audience (including me). He said he was familiar with the group and played helpful roles for their shows, and he could take me to visit the group. On a Sunday he brought me to the art group and we were warmly received by the group’s leaders and members. They said that teenage actors and actresses like me were badly needed at the group.

After returning home from the visit, I was kept awake by what I saw in the day, and finally made up my mind to join the group. I later told my decision to the instructor. He said, “Little boy, you are joining the revolutionary force, and that’s a rare and commendable decision.” Two days later, I was accompanied by him to sign up for becoming a member of the Eighth Route Army. Huang Zhujun was my mentor guiding me to join the revolutionary force, and I would never forget him.

Lifetime Honor to Be Serving the Founding Ceremony

In 1948 I was transferred to work at the General Hospital of the North China Military Area. I was a political coordinator in the Department of Internal Medicine and was later transferred to be director of propaganda at the hospital’s Department of Political Affairs.  

One day a hospital leader told me that the founding ceremony of the new China would be held on October 1, 1949 at the Tian’anmen Square, and our hospital was mandated to send a medical team to be stationed at the inspection stand. He appointed me as the team leader. The team would have two ambulances with two doctors and four nurses at each ambulance. The two vehicles were supposed to be parked at the Imperial Ancestral Temple (now the Working People's Cultural Palace) and the Zhongshan Park. We were ordered to arrive at the designated locations at 9 A.M., and no error was tolerable.

For me, it was a lifetime honor to serve the founding ceremony.

It was sunny and cloudless at the day of the ceremony. We arrived on time and made full checks around the inspection stand. There were two doors behind the stand and they were guarded by security guards, and distinguished guests were seated according to the number on their passes. There was a wood bench behind the door, on which there were some flowers, snacks and fruits; next to the door were two ward beds.

Shortly after our arrival, a guest came down from the stand. He told us that the founding ceremony is a grand event in a lifetime, and he was so excited and came too early to the scene, and he felt dizzy and unwell due to long-time exposure to the sunlight. We measured his blood pressure, and it was 140/95mmHg. We gave him a pill of hypotensive drug and asked him to take a break on the bed.  

Later a female guest came to us for help. She fell down at the stairs and her right leg was injured and bleeding. We put some ointments and bound up the wounds, and asked her to take a rest on the bed with the right leg being lifted up.

The founding ceremony kicked off at 3 P.M. The guard of honor and the military band were singing the national anthem and marching from the main entrance of the Tian’anmen toward the national flag base.

Tank units at the founding ceremony (photo: Xinhua News Agency)

Lin Boqu, secretary general of the ceremony, invited Chairman Mao Zedong to raise the national flag. Chairman Mao smiled and pressed the button, then the five-star red flag was rising up slowly and flaunting in the wind. Afterward, Chairman Mao made a solemn announcement to the entire world, “the Central People’s Government of the People’s Republic of China is founded today!” The crowd was jubilant and cheerful, and hailed “Long live the People’s Republic of China”, “Long live the Communist Party of China”, and “Long live Chairman Mao”. The earthshaking cheers were still lingering in my ears.

The much-anticipated military parade finally started. Accompanied by General Nie Rongzhen, Zhu De, the Commander in Chief, went into an open car that was running slowly from the east to the west. The infantry squares were leading the way, followed by the square of military vehicles and equipment. When the people were staring at the squares, the sound of airplanes was getting louder. A group of planes were performing aerial acrobatics in the air to pay tribute to the ceremony, to the state leaders, and to the people of the nation. After the conclusion of the military parade, college students and some audience paid tribute to the rostrum. Various forms of celebrations had continued until about 9 P.M..

The medical team did not do a lot of work during the ceremony, but what we did was politically important. “Bitter sacrifice strengthens bold resolve, which dares to make sun and moon shine in new skies.” The founding of our new country has smashed the imperialistic alliance’s defense line in the East, changed the political landscape in Asia and even the whole world, put an end to China’s 100-year history of humiliation, and opened a new chapter for the revolution of China.

Time elapses very quickly, and we are now celebrating the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic. In retrospect, I joined the Eighth Route Army at 14 and the Communist Party of China a year later, and I witnessed the eight-year war against the Japanese aggression and the three-year war of liberation. From the warfare to victory, from catastrophe to peace, and from the tough times to today’s happy and peaceful life, I would truly cherish the hard-earned great victory.