90 years on, Red Army stories inspire squadron

On a July morning, 120 new recruits and 20 members of the Ruijin squadron stood in formation at Yunshi Mountain in Ruijin, Jiangxi province, a place closely associated with the departure of the Central Red Army on the Long March more than nine decades ago.

After a floral tribute was laid, they raised their right fists and recited the servicemen's oath.

Among them was Huang Zhijie.

Six months earlier, Huang had struggled to adjust to the demanding pace of guard duty and training. An ankle injury sustained during tactical training forced him to take a break, adding to his frustration.

Shen Guohao, the squadron's political instructor, noticed Huang's low spirits and spoke with him after training.

"In 1934, Red Army soldiers left their families here and set out on the Long March," Shen told him. "Many were about your age. Compared with the snow-covered mountains and marshlands they crossed, the difficulties in front of us are not that great."

The words stayed with Huang. In his notebook, he wrote: "Miracles come from persistence and hard work. The predecessors did it. I should give it a try."

After recovering, Huang returned to training. Within months, his performance had improved markedly.

For servicemen stationed in Ruijin, stories from the Long March have become part of their training and daily lives.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, which took place from 1934 to 1936. Ruijin was an important starting point, with the Central Red Army beginning its strategic transfer from the area in October 1934.

The Ruijin squadron of the Ganzhou detachment under the Jiangxi Corps of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force has been rated an advanced unit for 26 consecutive years.

In Huawu village, 17 tall pine trees stand on a hillside. In 1934, the young men from the village set out with the Red Army on the Long March. Before leaving home, they planted pine saplings and hoped to return after victory. None of them did.

More than 90 years later, the trees have become living memorials and a regular stop for new recruits.

Recruit Peng Xiang was deeply affected when he first stood beneath them.

"Standing on the land where our predecessors once fought, you can truly feel the power of faith," he said.

The visit is part of a routine for newcomers. They also drink water from the Red Well, a historic well dug under Chairman Mao Zedong's leadership in 1933 to provide clean water for local residents; learn revolutionary songs; attend short classes on the Long March; and walk part of the route at Yunshi Mountain.

In 2019, the squadron introduced an "honor number" system. Numbers 1 through 70 were collectively reserved for generations of servicemen who had contributed to the squadron during its first 70 years, while current members began receiving numbers from 71 onward.

In early July, the squadron's Communist Party of China branch was commended by the Central Military Commission as an advanced grassroots Party organization of the armed forces.

For decades, generations of servicemen from the squadron have maintained ties with a local nursing home in Ruijin, visiting during holidays and helping elderly residents with daily tasks.

"The servicemen have changed generation after generation, but this bond has never been broken," Shen said.

The squadron has also supported a local student, Gu Jiawang, since 2021, after a major change in his family circumstances put his education at risk. Its members set aside money from their allowances to support him and helped him with his schoolwork.

In 2024, Gu was admitted to Beijing Normal University, where he majors in physical education.

This summer, he returned to the squadron, using what he had learned at university to help servicemen with training techniques.

"The squadron gave me a second home," Gu said. "In the future, I want to become a physical education teacher and pass this warmth on to more children.

"I think that, too, is a kind of inheritance."