Students from Guyuan No. 2 Middle School and Hongwen Middle School climbed over Huangmao Mountain.

People's Daily reporter Liang Hongxin

Students from Guyuan No. 2 Middle School held chrysanthemums in their hands and observed silent observation.

People's Daily reporter Kuanrong photo

On April 3, at 4:30 in the morning, a gathering whistle sounded on the playground of Guyuan No. 2 Middle School and Hongwen Middle School in Guyuan City, Ningxia.

More than 2,000 students lined up in an orderly manner. What awaited them was a hike to and from the mountainous areas of 108 miles, a walking along the battle footprints of the revolutionary martyrs, and a "walking ideological and political course" that recorded inheritance and faith.

"Set off!" At 5 o'clock, with an order, the young men raised their bright red flags and headed towards the Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery in Pengyang County.

Baoyan is a junior high school student at Hongwen Middle School. He is small, but his eyes reveal a sense of unyielding spirit. "I have full confidence that I will definitely finish it!" In order to participate in this hike, in addition to the physical training organized by the school in advance, he also got up half an hour early to run and practice for himself.

"Unity is strength, this strength is iron, this strength is steel..." The students left the city and walked on a dark mountain road. Without street lights, you can still see stars when you look up. But the students were brisk in their pace and were full of fighting spirit.

Two hours later, it was getting brighter and the team entered the most difficult section of Huangmao Mountain. This section of the road is also the path that revolutionary martyrs have walked. The mountain road winds, sand and soil are mixed in the mountain wind, and footsteps are intertwined with breathing. The students' pace gradually became heavier, and many people's faces were sweating down.

Nevertheless, the reporter asked the students if they were tired at this time, and their answers were very consistent: "Not tired! I can do it!"

The journey was only 1/3 after crossing Huangmao Mountain. Although the road ahead was not as steep as Huangmao Mountain, it was a protracted battle to test endurance - it was surrounded by mountains, the mobile phone signal disappeared, and the pain from the soles of the feet became more and more obvious.

Students take the initiative to help each other. "Touch your hand over, I'll pull you", "I'll carry your schoolbag for you", "You pull my clothes, don't let go"... Everyone helps me, I help you, cheer each other up, and throws beams and mountains behind you.

After 6 hours of trekking, the team arrived at Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery at around 11 a.m. The mountains and forests are quiet, with 396 blue-gray tombstones standing in the middle, of which 158 are the tombs of the unknown heroes. The average age of these martyrs was 17 years old when they died, and the youngest was only 14 years old.

The memorial ceremony began, and all the staff watched silently. The students came to the tombstone and carefully wiped the tombstone. "I want to wipe the martyr's tombstone cleaner and cleaner." Li Shangcheng, a first-year junior high school student at Hongwen Middle School, stood in front of the tombstone and repeatedly described the ravines of the martyr's inscriptions with his fingers.

At around 1 pm, the return horn sounded. Although many people had blisters on their soles, teachers and students insisted on walking back. As the flag-raising bench of Guyuan No. 2 Middle School, Ma Ruiqi has been walking in front of the team. "The ancestors carried the burden and brought us a better life today. Although the journey was difficult, when I thought that this was the path the martyrs had walked, I felt strength in my heart." Ma Ruiqi said.

The "Trekking for the Heroes of Hundred Miles" activity began in 1995. For 30 years, every year on the eve of Qingming Festival, students from Guyuan No. 2 Middle School will step on this rugged mountain road to the Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery to pay homage to the martyrs. To this end, the school checks students' physical condition in advance and continuously improves various plans.

30 years of persistence not only inspired the teachers and students of the school, but also deeply touched all sectors of society. From the beginning, Guyuan No. 2 Middle School organized itself, and now, the local government and all sectors of society have taken the initiative to escort and guarantee, and teachers and students from many schools such as Xinhua College of Ningxia University and Yinchuan No. 1 Middle School participated spontaneously. This "walking ideological and political course" has sowed the seeds of faith-

Before the day, the police lights of 7 police motorcycles flashed, illuminating the road ahead for the students;

When walking on difficult sections, they are responsible for the blue sky rescue of each class respectively. The members of the aid team used clear and powerful commands to guide students to adjust their pace and breathe, "Breathe with your mouth, focus forward, and walk in small steps...";

When the team arrived at Gucheng Town, Pengyang County, the villagers also walked out of their homes to cheer for the students;

………

At around 8 pm, the team returned to Guyuan City's urban area, and parents and enthusiastic citizens had already gathered here to welcome them, and the voices of encouragement and blessings were heard one after another.

"A thousand preachings are worse than a heart-wrenching walk." Ren Hao, principal of Hongwen Middle School, said, "We will continue to pass on this ideological and political course."