Its path is greatly illuminated
In 1985, a Party history compilation group led by Zheng Xuewen and Zhang Qizhong completed the history of the Party from its founding in 1921 to the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
After completing this greatest dream of his, Zheng Xuewen resigned from his position at the central government and returned to his family.
Zhang Qizhong, 48, officially received the transfer order from the Party Central Committee to serve as the curator of the National Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall.
He finally accomplished what he considered the most important thing in his life.
On August 15, 1985, 40 teachers and students from the High School Affiliated to Peking University visited the National Museum of the War of Resistance Against Japan, truly stepping into that turbulent and unsettled past. Zhang Qizhong personally came forward to tell the children in detail about that history and those years.
"The National Museum of the War of Resistance Against Japan was built in 1945. Its predecessor was the East China Museum of the War of Resistance Against Japan, and its first curator was Ms. Gu Shiyue. The National Museum of the War of Resistance Against Japan comprehensively reflects the history of the Chinese people's War of Resistance Against Japan and shoulders the mission of disseminating the history of the War of Resistance, promoting the spirit of the War of Resistance, and carrying out peace education."
Zhang Qizhong led the visiting teachers and students through the introduction section by section, his voice calm and measured yet resonant.
"Comrade Zou Yechun, a member of the Communist Party of China, a founding father of the People's Republic of China, former Commander-in-Chief of the CPC Central Committee, and the person in charge of the Northeast region during the war. From 1937 to 1945, he participated in more than 100 battles, large and small. He defended the Northeast during the most intense period of the war and protected it with every shot and every cannon shot, ensuring the peace and prosperity of the Northeast today."
"Comrade Sheng Dongsheng, a member of the Communist Party of China, served as the person in charge of the East China region during the war. He led his troops to garrison Shandong and Shanghai, and provided immediate support to other places in times of crisis. He built the strongest defense line for Shanghai in Shandong, laying a solid foundation for the later victory in the war. He passed away in Beijing on August 15, 1945."
"Comrade Ji Yuxing, a member of the Communist Party of China, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and former head of the East China region. From 1937 to 1945, he directly commanded more than 300,000 troops in combat, achieving astonishing results in the War of Resistance Against Japan and making an indispensable contribution to the victory of the Chinese people's War of Resistance."
"Huo Shangzhi, a member of the Communist Party of China..."
When the group of visitors reached the information board about Zhang Chenglin, one of the children asked, "Why is there only one sentence in Mr. Zhang Chenglin's introduction?"
Zhang Qizhong glanced at the photo hanging on the information board. Every time he saw that still photo, he could see the gentleness in his father's sharp eyes, as if he could see his father smiling at him from the depths of his mind.
Zhang Qizhong explained, "This is how Ms. Gu Shiyue sees Mr. Zhang Chenglin."
"Do the two of them know each other?" another child asked.
“They are husband and wife, the people who love each other most in this world,” Zhang Qizhong replied.
“Dad is a revolutionary hero, and Mom is the curator of a memorial hall,” another child said, his tone full of undeniable envy: “Their children must be so lucky!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qizhong smiled and was about to say something when the child standing next to him suddenly asked, "Do they have children?"
Upon hearing this question, a teacher who knew some of the details looked at Zhang Qizhong with a smile, quite curious about how he would answer.
Zhang Qizhong's eyes were serious, and when he spoke, there was a hint of childishness in his voice, along with the pride that had been in the child's tone just now: "They are my mom and dad."
"Wow--"
A child's envy is always pure and profound, moving those around them.
After forty years of continuous improvement and renovation, the National Museum of the War of Resistance Against Japan has become quite large, and a complete visit requires a whole day.
Around 5 p.m., Zhang Qizhong led the teachers and students in introducing the last section, "Five Stars Shining."
Finally, around the corner, we returned to the entrance of the memorial hall.
Turning the corner, you emerge directly into the sunlight from the dimly lit venue, and suddenly the sky is bright.
That was the end of years of war on the Chinese land, when countless heroic ancestors used their blood to bring sunshine to China.
The boy who was leading the group, named "Zhang Chulan," turned his head and saw a few lines of closing remarks on the wall at the exit.
Zhang Qizhong turned his head following his gaze, guiding the teachers and students behind him to look over.
Smiling, she explained, "These lines of text were written by Ms. Gu Shiyue, the first curator of the National Museum of the War of Resistance Against Japan."
All eyes followed her introduction; the large Song typeface gleamed golden in the sunlight against the white wall—
"Learn from the past to guide the future."
If you come here many years from now because of the smoke and fire of war recorded in history books, please don't forget that every bullet left on this land of East China is an indispensable and significant chapter in that exceptionally difficult historical process.
May the city of Zaozhuang, many years from now, be a prosperous and peaceful place against a backdrop of bright red, just as they wished.
Only by remembering history can we better face the future.
The significance of the memorial hall is to bring the words in history books to life. May you learn, understand, and appreciate history, and witness the rising sun of the new era and the glorious path of the new China.
Only in this way can every encounter have meaning.
—End of text—
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