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Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

"Who are you? Where is your home? ”

Since 2008, Zhang Jingxian has continued to search for answers to these two questions.

The "you" here refers to the 136 martyrs in the Zhanghezhuang Martyrs Cemetery in Heze City, Shandong Province. Who they were and where they came from was unknown.

Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

16 years ago, Zhang Jingxian embarked on the road of finding relatives for the martyrs, and has so far helped 43 martyrs find their hometowns and families. What kind of relay is it to make the nameless "famous" and let the heroes find their relatives? China Daily reporter Xiao Peng (video number: Xiao Peng Peng Yixuan) went to Heze and met Zhang Jingxian.

Sixteen years ago, Zhang Jingxian embarked on a journey to find relatives of martyrs, and has helped 43 back to their hometowns so far.

I'm waiting for you

Zhang Jingxian, a veteran, is currently the secretary of the Party branch of Zhanghezhuang Community, Heze City, Shandong Province. The Zhanghezhuang Martyrs Cemetery used to be a field hospital during the war, and after the heroes died, they were wrapped in white cloth and buried in this land.

Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

Zhang Jingxian said that behind every martyr is a bitter family, some heroes were only 18 or 9 years old when they died, and they had no offspring, and the only thing that cared about them was their parents.

Behind every martyr is a sad family. As some heroes sacrificed their lives at the age of only 18 or 19 with no descendants, the only ones who miss them are their parents.

How concerned are you? A father would go to the entrance of the village every day to wait, looking forward to his son's return, he always felt that he had sent his son off here in the past, so he wanted to bring people back from this place. Before a mother died, she called her son's name and shouted, "My son is back, my mother misses you." Zhang Jingxian shared these two true stories.

Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

Zhang Jingxian, who was born in a military family, knows the pain of waiting and expectation of the martyrs' families, "In my family, because of the war, I have also lost contact with soldiers, and my grandmother and grandfather have been like this, and they have waited for a lifetime. Therefore, he has a special affection for the search for the relatives of the martyrs.

I'm going to find you

In the past 16 years, Zhang Jingxian first found the list of martyrs in the army after several visits, and then sent thousands of letters to inquire on the spot and help the martyrs find their hometowns and relatives. Some of the letters reached their destination, while a large number were lost or returned.

At Zhang Jingxian's home, Xiao Peng saw a thick pile of returned letters, which were specially marked asking the postman to help find the martyr's home, and some letters showed that the postman had helped find the martyr's home more than 20 times. Helping the martyrs go home is not the effort of one person, but the relay of a group of people.

Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

Zhang Jingxian said that although the method of writing a letter is a bit stupid, it is quite effective. He also received a letter from other places requesting the families of the martyrs, which said that there was a martyr's cemetery between two villages in Xingtang County, Hebei Province, and that one of the martyrs, Zhang Junsheng, was from Dagaozhuang, the first district of Heze County, Shandong.

Zhang Jingxian said that although sending a letter is not the smartest way, it works. He has even received letters from other places asking to help find relatives of martyrs in Heze city, Shandong province.

Xiao Peng followed Zhang Jingxian to Dagaozhuang, asking door to door, trying to find someone who knew Zhang Junsheng. Although there were no direct clues in this search, the search was not interrupted.

Later, the secretary of Dagaozhuang Village called and said that there was a villager named Zhang Juncheng who had gone out many years ago and had not returned. Zhang Jingxian went to Dagaozhuang again and asked someone to collect blood samples from Zhang Juncheng's relatives, and sent them to a professional testing institution together with the DNA samples of martyr Zhang Junsheng.

Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

At the end of the filming, Zhang Jingxian received a call from Zhangjiajie, who said that he saw the name Huang Chengyun in the list of martyrs released, saying that he was his grandfather's own uncle, and that his family had been looking for him.

After confirming the relevant information, Xiao Peng and Zhang Jingxian went to Zhangjiajie together to send home the loess where the martyrs were laid to rest, fulfilling a wish of the martyrs' families.

Thousands of miles of heirlooms

Zhang Jingxian raced against time, crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, and sent a "family letter" to the families of martyrs, conveying the true feelings that blood is thicker than water for a long time.

He embarked on a journey of sacred mission. In the fog of history, there are always people who guide the direction, so that the family puzzle is constantly complete, so that the souls of the unknown martyrs have something to rely on, and protect the roots and soul of the Chinese nation.

Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

Remembering history and remembering the heroes and martyrs is a powerful spiritual force that unites the 1.4 billion Chinese. It will always shine in the spiritual firmament of the Chinese nation, guiding us to a brighter distance.

Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

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Are you still waiting for me? In 16 years, he sent thousands of letters on behalf of the Heroic Soul......

Producer: Qu Yingpu

Director Xing Zhigang

Executive Producer: Ke Rongyi

Coordinator: He Na, Zhang Ruoqiong, Li Changxiang

Choreographer: Peng Yixuan, Ge Tianlin

External producers: Zhao Ruixue, He Chun, Gan Lin

Special Adviser Zhang Xiao

Operated by Zhai Haoran

Cooperative Sector

China Daily Shandong Reporter Station

China Daily Hunan Reporter Station

Thanks

Propaganda Department of Heze Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China

Heze City Luxi New District Office

Heze Economic Development Zone Tenant Tun Street Office

Propaganda Department of Zhangjiajie Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China

Propaganda Department of Cili County Party Committee of the Communist Party of China

Cili County Veterans Affairs Bureau

Jointly produced by the New Media Center of China Daily and the Propaganda Center of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs

Produced by Xiao Peng Studio

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