As night falls, the lights come on. At the head of Orange Island, the audience held their breath in anticipation.
Suddenly, a roar pierced the silence, and brilliant fireworks swept across the night sky like thousands of meteors.
At the scene of the "Splendid Xiaoxiang" theme fireworks show, everyone enjoyed a unique audio-visual feast, and it was He Jirong, a retired soldier who founded a fireworks manufacturing and display enterprise in Liuyang, Hunan, who created this beauty.
The name is Jirong, and he inherits the glory
He Jirong's grandfather died due to the revolution, and his father hoped that He Jirong could continue to carry forward this glory and defend his family and the country, so he named him "Jirong". In 1978, 18-year-old He Jirong joined the army and became a border soldier. Less than two months after joining the army, he went to the battlefield with the army.
In a battle to attack the high ground, He Jirong braved the rain of bullets and bullets to shuttle through the battlefield to carry out communication tasks, and was accidentally hit by a bullet in his left leg. There were only 20 minutes before the troops launched a general attack, and at the critical moment, He Jirong crawled nearly a kilometer in severe pain and successfully delivered the instructions from his superiors.
After the battle, He Jirong was awarded a second-class meritorious service, but the leg tribe was disabled for life. Unwilling to admit defeat, he chose to continue to stay in the army, and in his subsequent missions, he received many awards for meritorious service.
He Jirong wiped the trumpet and missed his comrades-in-arms.
In He Jirong's military career, there is a comrade-in-arms who he will never forget, his name is Guo Huahui. The two were born and died together, but Guo Huahui died heroically in a battle, and before he died, the person who held him was He Jirong. He Jirong brought home the military horn used by Guo Huahui, and also remembered the last wish of his comrades-in-arms - wanting to see Liuyang fireworks, deeply in his heart.
"Only by understanding technology can we have the initiative."
In 1982, due to physical reasons, He Jirong retired and returned to his hometown. He did not forget the last wishes of his comrades-in-arms, and took the initiative to choose to work in the fireworks factory with difficult conditions and poor efficiency, and grew step by step from an ordinary worker to a deputy factory director.
In 1998, the wave of enterprise restructuring hit, and the fireworks factory was forced to shut down. "The experience and technology are still there, it's a big deal to tear down and start over and open another fireworks factory." Just do it, He Jirongdong scraped together a sum of money and founded Hunan Celebration Fireworks Manufacturing and Fireworks Co., Ltd.
"Only by understanding technology can we have the initiative." In He Jirong's view, the key to the survival and development of enterprises lies in mastering the core technology and producing competitive products. To this end, he recruited technical talents and constantly tackled new technologies. In order to make fireworks more beautiful, He Jirong began to study the art of fireworks, and in the past few years, he has published a number of academic papers and authored the book "Time and Space for the Development of Fireworks Art", becoming an expert in the field of fireworks art.
At the Liuyang Sports Center, the "Fireworks National Flag" composed of 60,000 fireworks tubes was successfully set off, setting a Guinness World Record; At the head of Orange Island, fireworks flying in the sky lit up the night of Star City...... It is precisely because of "hardship and brutality" that in Liuyang, the world-famous "hometown of fireworks", He Jirong has created many classic fireworks works and has obtained 26 patents.
Among them, the "Double Explosion Special Effect Fireworks Bomb" won the gold medal of the National Invention Exhibition, filling the technical gap in the industry. In the night sky, fireworks shined, blooming not only He Jirong's love for this career, but also the most sincere friendship of this veteran to his comrades-in-arms.
A comrade-in-arms, a lifetime of feelings
"People who have been in the army can understand each other, and I am especially willing to recruit retired soldiers." Since its establishment, He Jirong's enterprise has absorbed more than 50 retired servicemen for employment. Many retired servicemen who have learned technology and production and management methods in his enterprises have embarked on the road of starting their own businesses.
Cultivating talents and helping veterans find employment is what He Jirong values most. In 2021, He Jirong founded a company focusing on education and training, specializing in cultivating rural revitalization talents and various technical talents. Not long ago, in the fireworks making skills class opened by He Jirong, 40 retired military trainees completed a three-month technical training for fireworks displayers.
During the training, the trainees mastered the operation and maintenance of fireworks display equipment, fireworks design, arrangement and innovation, as well as fireworks display technology in various scenarios such as high-rise buildings, gardens, and water. Up to now, the education and training enterprise founded by He Jirong has trained more than 1,200 veterans and helped more than 600 veterans to find employment.
In 2023, at the "One Heart Dream Chasing Love Double Support" celebration of "August 1st" and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Yan'an Double Support Movement held in Liuyang City, the "Military Flag" fireworks with red as the background color and the combination of yellow five-pointed stars and the words "August 1st" slowly rose into the sky, which shocked many veterans at the scene and couldn't help but salute the flag.
"It is necessary to let the 'military' fireworks light up the night sky of each city, and let the Liuyang fireworks bloom more brightly." When it comes to the future, He Jirong, who is over the age of six, is still full of energy.
In the process of joining the army and starting a business
Many comrades-in-arms have experienced setbacks
But we veterans are never afraid of failure
As long as there is a way, courage, and determination
All difficulties can be overcome
On the road to endeavor
There are many comrades-in-arms like He Jirong
Enrich yourself by learning without interruption
While learning technology
Dive headlong into the cause you love
Here, the old squad leader blesses Lao He
It is possible to design fireworks that are more ornamental
Let the brilliant Chinese fireworks light up the night sky
I also wish every comrade-in-arms
can light up the dreams in their hearts
Article source: Chinese veterans (ID: zgtyjr). The reprint must be indicated from the WeChat public account of "Chinese veterans", otherwise it will be regarded as infringement.
Source: China Veterans Comprehensive "China Veterans" Magazine Issue 6, 2024, Liuyang Veterans Affairs Bureau