Source: Yangguang Military, Chinese Military
Cold side off hot blood. On the snowy plateau at an altitude of more than 5,300 meters, border guards braved the cold and persevered day and night to dedicate the clearest love to the motherland. On the occasion of the Spring Festival, Mu Lianglong, a reporter from the Central Radio and Television Bureau, came to the forbidden area of life to listen to the stories of the military growth of border guards officers and men, recorded their ordinary and great youth years, and meticulously produced the special program "Snow Youth Toward the Future" of "Military Life" and "New Year Walking in the Barracks."
Mu Lianglong (right), a reporter from the Central Broadcasting Corporation of the Taiwan Central Broadcasting Corporation, interviews Xu Jiajia (left), a female tank soldier, on the Karakoram Plateau at an altitude of more than 5,300 meters. (Photo by Zhang Haowen)
Early in the morning, at the training station of a certain regiment of the Xinjiang Military Region on the Karakoram Plateau, the snow fell very heavily, and the cold wind rolled snowflakes, making people's cheeks hurt. On the way to the tank garage for an interview, the reporter met Xu Jiajia, a female tank soldier. She wore a camouflage dress, a cotton hat, a black mask covered with white frost flowers, only two eyes exposed, and walked with wind and fire.
Reporter: Do you have to take this road every day when you are stationed in the plateau?
Xu Jiajia: Yes, we have to go along this road every morning to the tank yard. The weather on the plateau is relatively cold, the temperature is often as low as minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius, we must heat the vehicles every day to prevent the tanks from being frozen.
Reporter: Tanks are very bulky and large equipment, is it not that male soldiers will be more comfortable to operate?
Xu Jiajia: Indeed, it is a bit difficult to drive the tank to pull the joystick. But our female soldiers will never accept defeat - male soldiers can pull, we must also pull. Strength can be trained, whether it is a male soldier or a female soldier, we are first and foremost a soldier, in the dictionary of Chinese soldiers, there is no "impossible".
Reporter: In terms of driving tanks, do you have your own advantages over male soldiers?
Xu Jiajia: The advantage of our female soldiers is that they are careful. For example, every time you need to check the equipment before driving a tank, male soldiers sometimes check it based on experience, but we will be much more meticulous. When it comes to maintaining the vehicle, I feel that our female soldiers will be more focused on doing it.
Xu Jiajia is on the Karakoram Plateau at an altitude of more than 5300 meters. (Photo by Zhang Haowen)
People with dreams are amazing, and joining the army was a dream that Xu Jiajia had when she was in middle school. In September 2020, Xu Jiajia was 22 years old, and when she graduated from Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, she signed up for the army. There were more than 100 girls enrolled with her in the school, and in the end, only two of them realized their dreams of military service, and Xu Jiajia was one of them. Because her hometown of Guizhou is far from Harbin, when she set out, her parents did not come to the station to send them off.
Xu Jiajia: I remember when I was in the first year of high school, the class teacher asked each of us to write down three wishes, and my first wish was to write "joining the army", although everyone said that it would be very hard in the army. When I joined the army, my first choice was in the hardship and remote areas, and the reason why I did this was actually to realize my own value.
Reporter: What do you think is your value?
Xu Jiajia: I think that there must always be someone to guard the plateau area, and I hope that I will guard this hot land. When I signed up for the army, the recruitment office called me and said that it was possible to go to the western region to become a soldier, and asked me if I would like to go? I said, "I'd like to go!" ”
Reporter: Where did you start when you joined the army?
Xu Jiajia: From Harbin, Heilongjiang, take the train to Urumqi. At that time, we had 10 female soldiers, and everyone else had mom and dad to send them off. While waiting at the station, their parents set up a WeChat group. Someone asked, "How come there is one less parent?" "When a comrade-in-arms told me, I cried with a "wow" sound.
Reporter: I see that when you talk about this matter now, do you still have tears swirling in your eyes, and then tell your parents about this matter?
Xu Jiajia: I told them, but in a joking way. Because I don't want them to worry too much about me. When I actually came to the plateau, I found that the impact of the plateau environment on my body was still relatively large. I remember that on the third day of my altitude, I suffered from pulmonary edema and couldn't sleep all night. It's a strange feeling, like someone squeezing your lungs, having trouble breathing, and then having a headache. At that time, even oxygen inhalation could not be relieved, and only injections and infusions could be given every day.
Reporter: Scared?
Xu Jiajia: I was quite scared at the time, thinking, "Will I really fall on this plateau?" "Later, after surviving, I felt that that time was also very precious to me.
Xu Jiajia (first from right) with his comrades-in-arms. (Photo by Zhang Haowen)
Followed Xu Jiajia to the dormitory, pushed the door in, and a warm current came to the face. Xu Jiajia took off her cotton hat and mask, revealing a neat short hair, and the green mountains and green waters of her hometown of Guizhou nourished her fair face. Xu Jiajia said that she is a warrior and a girl, who loves tanks and beauty.
Xu Jiajia: On the plateau, ultraviolet radiation is very strong, so my comrades and I usually do a good job of facial protection, for fear of tanning the skin. We have four steps we must do when it comes to skincare, taking a toner, applying a skin cream, sunscreen and a barrier cream.
Reporter: Do some masks on a regular basis?
Xu Jiajia: Yes, basically a mask is applied once every two or three days, collectively. The weather on the plateau is relatively dry, we send a highland skin cream, after applying it, the skin will get better.
Reporter: When you first arrived at the plateau, did you think this place was bitter?
Xu Jiajia: When I first arrived, I thought it was OK, but after a while, I would feel that there was no grass here, and the conditions were really hard. However quickly adapted and we were easily accommodated here. For example, when the service car sent by the superior comes to sell things, we will buy some small cookies, sugar and other snacks, and we can eat them for a long time. Every time you share a snack, everyone will be happy and feel especially satisfied. It is in this small satisfaction that we slowly reap happiness.
Reporter: When you come to the plateau, the opportunity to wear beautiful clothes is gone.
Xu Jiajia: No, we wear military uniforms all year round.
Reporter: Now is the age of youth and the most beautiful, do you feel sorry to be a soldier?
Xu Jiajia: Every time I see the photos sent by my classmates in the circle of friends, they are dressed beautifully and fashionably, and they travel to various places, and to be honest, they will still be a little envious. But in fact, my classmates will also envy me and become a glorious border guard. During the break, the sisters in our class would discuss "Let's go down the mountain to buy this, buy that, let's become beautiful together", and they would also exchange these things. Although these ideas will not actually be implemented, it will be beautiful to think about it.
Reporter: When is it most difficult for you to be a soldier in the plateau?
Xu Jiajia: The saddest thing is the first tactical training. At that time, we didn't understand very well, wearing very thin clothes, climbing tactics through the barbed wire, everyone's legs were all blue and purple. At that time, I looked at the bruises on my legs and thought, "What if this can't be eliminated, I won't be able to wear beautiful little skirts in the future." "I was sad at the time, but now that I think about it, I don't think it's a problem.
After the training of the recruits, Xu Jiajia, who graduated from medicine, was assigned to the health company. A few months later, when she heard that a tank women's class was to be formed, Xu Jiajia actively signed up, changing from a hygienist with a needle to a tank driver. Talking about the experience of driving a tank, Xu Jiajia was radiant and had light in her eyes.
Xu Jiajia: At that time, the squad leader told me that driving a tank was the most tiring, but I wanted to challenge myself. I learned my driver's license at the place, and the first time I saw a tank, I thought, "Wow! This car is so big, so majestic! "The squad leader drove the tank and let us sit on it and feel the circle. The sun was fine that day, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, sitting on the tank, I felt a word - "value"!
Xu Jiajia (right) is interviewed by Mu Lianglong (left), a reporter from the Central Broadcasting Corporation of the General Taiwan Administration, in a tank garage. (Photo by Zhang Haowen)
Reporter: How did you drive when you originally learned your driver's license?
Xu Jiajia: At that time, the driving was quite smooth, because it was a small car, but it was as big as a tank, and it was not easy to maneuver.
Reporter: What is the biggest difference?
Xu Jiajia: The tank does not have a steering wheel, but relies on the joystick to turn left and right. The joystick is heavier, the clutch and brake are also heavier, and sometimes one hand cannot be changed, and both hands must be used together to change it. If the change is slow, the tank will be turned off, and the return of the game is basically breathless. At the beginning, I was always afraid that I would not be able to drive well, and I was nervous as soon as I got on the car. Go through the process in your head before going to bed at night and after you wake up.
Reporter: What do you think is the greatest sense of accomplishment in learning to drive a tank?
Xu Jiajia: When changing from second gear to third gear, mastering that point, not turning off, you will feel: "I'm so handsome, too cattle!" ”
Reporter: After hanging up the gear, will the tank accelerate?
Xu Jiajia: Yes, as soon as I stepped on the accelerator tank, I accelerated, and I was very proud. The first time I hung up the third gear, I was happy for a day, and I "showed off" every time I was very proud. Since then, I've been looking forward to going to the depot every day.
Becoming a qualified tank driver is not just about driving a tank. For Xu Jiajia, the ensuing challenges are everywhere. But after unremitting efforts, Xu Jiajia has turned this tens of tons of steel beast into a close comrade-in-arms, and she herself has gained confidence and happiness in the transformation from a hygienist to a tank driver.
Xu Jiajia: The maintenance and troubleshooting of tanks are the driver's work. During the driving process, it is necessary to be able to hear in time where the tank has failed, such as if the fan does not turn, it must be disposed of in time.
Xu Jiajia (left) asks the squad leader for tank repair knowledge. (Photo by Zhang Haowen)
Reporter: How to learn this, the average girl is not particularly interested in machinery, right?
Xu Jiajia: Mechanical things are really boring to learn. I am a liberal arts student and have a difficult understanding of mechanical structures. At the beginning, I asked the class leader more, little by little. For example, in the beginning, I didn't know that the nuts were numbered. Now after slowly familiarizing yourself, when you see the nut, you can probably know what number it is, and you know which tool to use to twist.
Reporter: When you first fired live ammunition, your mood was still different from driving a tank in daily training, right?
Xu Jiajia: Yes, everyone was very nervous, and I played the drum in my heart and thought, "Can I hit it?" "The first time I went to play liveball, the results were OK, and everyone's evaluation of us at that time was quite high."
Reporter: When the live ammunition is fired, the "bang" of a cannon sound, are you afraid?
Xu Jiajia: When the first cannon went out, it was "buzzing" tinnitus, and it kept ringing. The moment I saw the shell go out, it came out with the sound, and the scene was really shocking. The shell was fired out to produce recoil, and the tank shook backwards, feeling that I had personally experienced this moment, which was very happy.
Xu Jiajia is exercising upper limb strength. (Photo by Zhang Haowen)
Chatting with Xu Jiajia, you can feel that she has a calmness that is rare for girls of the same age, full of passion for the tank driver position, and full of expectations for the future.
Reporter: After driving a tank for so long, what is the biggest change in you feel?
Xu Jiajia: In terms of strength, there has been a strengthening, and things have been more efficient than before. For example, the speed of getting on the tank, if it is into the combat state, every minute and every second is precious, and you must grab the time to get on the tank. I used to be slow when I first came, but now I can go up in three steps.
Reporter: Running up?
Xu Jiajia: Yes, rush up. The first step is to step on the skirt, the second step is directly to the board, and the third step is directly inside the cab.
Reporter: Aren't you afraid of getting hurt? The tanks are full of iron guys.
Xu Jiajia: Everyone is very fast, you yourself are slow, and you must not be convinced in your heart. At the beginning of the practice, wearing gloves is useless, often bruises and bruises, feet directly bruised, come back to take medicine spray and then practice.
Reporter: Do you plan to keep driving tanks in the future?
Xu Jiajia: I plan to study this major well and work hard. Although there are fewer girls in this profession, I still want to be a leader. Let the people behind see that female soldiers can also become good tank drivers.
Reporter: If there is really a war, have you ever thought about this kind of thing, what to do?
Xu Jiajia: I thought about it, and I also wanted to rush to the front line and defend my family and country. Many people's concept of girls is gentle, but what I ask of myself is to "not accept defeat" and dare to rush ahead.
Tank female squad in the Karakoram Plateau. (Photo by Zhang Haowen)
In the company, at the head of each soldier's bed, a life motto was written on a red note. Xu Jiajia wrote "Don't choose comfort at the age of hardship" Constantly climbing the peak is Xu Jiajia's understanding of youth, she found happiness in her military experience, chasing her dreams.
Xu Jiajia: "Don't choose comfort at the age of hardship", this sentence was what I saw in high school and has always been remembered in my heart. If you blindly choose comfort, the future life will give you a heavy blow. For me, from the health company to the tank company, this was a very rare opportunity, and I seized this opportunity. Although I may have lost something when I came here, I have gained something that many people would not have been able to get in this lifetime. I think that when you are young, you must dare to fight, do what you like to do, and do something that makes you feel incredible. Now that there are choices and challenges, we must continue to climb the peaks.
Xu Jiajia and his comrades in the tank women's class displayed the national flag on the Karakoram Plateau. (Photo by Zhang Haowen)
(Produced by Yangguang Military and China Military)