Reclamation is a miracle in the history of human land creation, and it is also a spiritual monument that will never go out of style. Haohao soup fights the waves and dares to ask for land to the sea, which is the common memory of several generations of Xiaoshan people, and condenses the Xiaoshan spirit of "running endlessly and standing bravely at the head of the tide", and the "reclamation spirit" can be called the essence of Xiaoshan's contemporary culture.
In the mid-60s of the 20th century, the people of Xiaoshan put forward a sonorous and powerful proposal: "Seize land from the tide and ask for grain from the seaflats". The large-scale reclamation of Xiaoshan County began in October 1965 and ended in December 2007, which lasted 42 years, organized and initiated 33 phases of reclamation, enclosed 546,100 acres of land, and built a Xiaoshan version of the "Great Wall" by the Qiantang River, which was praised by FAO officials as "this is a miracle in the history of human land creation". The resulting "reclamation spirit" is an indelible cultural symbol in the hearts of Xiaoshan people.
Today, let's follow Hu Guanxian, a retired teacher from Yinong Town, to "The First Phase of Waitu: My Seven-Day Memory", and walk into that period of reclamation.
The First Episode of Wai Tu: My Seven Days of Memories
Author: Hu Guanxian
In 1966, I had the privilege of participating in the first phase of Yinong's enclosure. It was an ordinary and special day, the sky was bright, and 25,000 members of the three societies of Jiazao, Dangshan and Changsha carried iron rakes, flat shoulders and earthen baskets from different directions, and rushed to the northeast of Yinong Gate and the east side of Nansha Embankment. When the eastern sky was filled with the mist of winter, and the morning sun was dyed into a sea of brilliant golden clouds, the tidal flats of the Qiantang River, where the tide rose and fell in the past, sounded the war drums of grabbing land and asking for food from the tidal flats. On the construction site, the red flags are displayed, the crowds are surging, the black pressure is overwhelming, the front is not the beginning and the tail is not seen, and the labor scene can be described as spectacular and in full swing. That year, I was sixteen years old. It's been almost 60 years, and those people, things, and stories in the first phase of reclamation are still in front of me, vivid, and have become my inexhaustible spiritual strength.
Day 1
And the man fell apart and deflated
November 19, 1966, the eighth day of the tenth lunar month.
In the early morning, in the midst of the cold, frost and thick fog, I hurried to the construction site with tools and lunch bags on my back, constantly wiping the fog and moisture and chill from my eyebrows and cheeks with my hands along the way. Fortunately, in the first phase of the encirclement, in order to facilitate the work of the members of the Jiazao Commune, the reclamation headquarters divided the task of digging the bay and building the embankment at the beginning and the end. As soon as he arrived at the construction site, the captain gave an order, and the labor scene spread out instantly. The new embankment and rescue bay are all built on flat land, and the bay is dug to take soil to build an embankment, and the bay becomes an embankment, and the embankment becomes a bay and is open to water. The rescue bay of flat excavation and mud is more than 30 meters wide, and the new embankment is built at 30 meters from the mud to the bay shore, and the bottom surface of the embankment is more than 10 meters wide. On the first day, the earth was raised to build an embankment, and the labor intensity was not large. With my youthful vigor and the production team's promised labor at the mobilization meeting, I added 2 points a day, riveted enough energy to rush to be the first pick, and the load walked quickly, competing for the first and rushing to do it in the grand and lively labor atmosphere. At noon, two estimates hurt me for an afternoon: one is that the warmth of the lunch is not good, in the cold winter tidal flat sea breeze, open the slightly hot lunch box, and it will become raw and frozen after a while, the brown rice cold rice, the moldy dried vegetables under the rice are difficult to chew and swallow, which is really boring, and the anorexia mood rises; The second is that the amount of boiling water is insufficient, two one-pound salt water glass bottles of boiling water, the bottom of the bottle is facing the sky in the morning, and the salty tide water in the fluidized ditch is used many times in the afternoon to quench the thirst, and the mouth full of salty mud foam can't be stopped, making the belly gurgle for a long time. The burden on his shoulders, the rapid walking of his legs, the lack of food, and the inability to quench his thirst, in just one day, the whole person fell apart and became sickle. I vividly remember that the sky was dark, and I dragged my tired body home to drink gruel, sorted out the list of laborers around that day, and fell asleep.
The next day
Gritting his teeth and enduring it, persevering, and looking forward to it
November 20, 1966, the ninth day of the tenth lunar month.
In the morning light, a new day was ushered in, and the lunch was filled with fried eggs, boiled water, and some oil and coal for physical combustion. Enclosing the land, planting cotton and rice, competing for labor, dividing grain and exchanging money, and imagining the future makes farmers who are eager for food and clothing grit their teeth and stick to the faith and efforts of labor to change the status quo and pay in exchange for harvest. On the construction site, the bay is half a meter deep, the embankment is half a meter high, the load of labor has increased, and the physical overdraft is beyond imagination. The work of loading soil seems to be easier, but it is not easy at all. The tide of the tidal flat rises and falls, and it precipitates into a clear plate. Loading soil depends on the pulse force of the wrists of both hands, and the wrists will be painful and swollen after a while; Picking soil, carrying more than the weight of the mud to walk, and the loading of soil exchange, a day will not be less than 150 loads of soil. Our 4-person 2-outfit and 2-pick partner is a two-hour reversal. But whether it is loading soil or picking mud, it is a real heavy labor, and it is the work of dismantling the skeleton. Because he was wearing homespun pants and carrying the burden, the friction between the inner thighs seemed to ooze blood; The lumbar spinal cord seems to be breaking at any time. Broken bones and ruined bodies, dangers are everywhere, but how can I be allowed to have a "sorrowful" word. I gritted my teeth and endured, persevered, hoping that time would soon pull down the night in the sky......
Day 3
First acquaintance with the construction worker - Uncle Xu Rong
November 21, 1966, the tenth day of the tenth lunar month.
In the haze, my father woke me up, ate breakfast, and prepared to go to work, when I felt that my shoulders were numb and painful. On the way to the construction site in the early morning, I constantly changed the food bags and labor tools I carried on my shoulders. I am aware of and worried about how to cope with the new day after my exhausted body.
As soon as they arrived at the construction site, they mechanically repeated yesterday's labor, digging mud and loading soil, picking up soil and building embankments. The loudspeaker at the construction site scrolled to broadcast various information such as the notice of the reclamation headquarters, the progress of digging and embankment, advanced cases, and the quotations of Chairman Mao and the red songs of the times that inspired people's morale. The simple and heavy labor of encircling the painting, the magnificent and enthusiastic grand scene, and the beautiful and energetic loudspeaker broadcasting, you can not tolerate your unbearable physical worries, and you can only wholeheartedly integrate into the labor atmosphere of "making up your mind, not afraid of sacrifice, eliminating all difficulties, and striving for victory" and "for the sake of sacrifice and ambition, dare to teach the sun and the moon to change the sky".
Unconsciously, I heard the cry of "uncle", and following the prestige, an elderly man about fifty years old with a kind face walked along the shore of the embankment with two offspring, carrying a red and white pole. In the greeting of "Uncle, Uncle Xu, Uncle Xu Rong", he came to the construction site of our production team, watched the new embankment and newly dug bay river built by our team, and instructed the team leader and members to take the lead in dealing with the gap between the two teams and the remaining ridge (soil) in the bay, as long as each production team each person picks up an extra load of soil every day, the gap between the two teams will disappear and be strong, and the remaining ridge of the bay will descend into a bay river. Everyone unanimously agreed to Xu Rong's instructions and promised to do their work well and not to delay or cause trouble to the project. Before leaving, Xu Rong also came to our team, pointed to a few of us and said, you are still young, the soil is shallow (less), and you are tired for a while. It is said that our hearts are warm, and the fatigue of a few days is melted. When I first met Xu Rong, he left a deep impression on me that he was approachable and rigorous in his work. Decades later, due to the need for work, I had many contacts with Uncle Xu and his children, chatting, discussing, interviewing, and writing books for him. Although this is a later story, I would never have thought that I would become a friend after a chance encounter, which is really a miracle and a big coincidence.
Xu Rong and other construction workers walked to the construction site of the neighboring team, leaving us with the topic of how to complete the project task on time and ensure the quality of the project, and everyone was full of confidence in completing the task. At the instigation of the captain, we quickened the pace of labor. The bay river is one meter deep, and puddles have accumulated on the bay bed, and the captain uses a dung to pluck the water on the newly built embankment, which is not only convenient for the bay bed to take soil but also compacts the embankment, and the Liwan embankment kills two birds with one stone. Before we knew it, the afterglow of the setting sun sank into the western sky, and we called it a day and returned home. It was still a heavy physical exertion and an extraordinary overdraft of physical fitness, and I felt a little used to it, and my legs were a little brisk when I got home.
Day 4
Witness the "straw sandals secretary" getting off the team to work
November 22, 1966, the eleventh day of the tenth lunar month.
Another day began, and our team started earlier than the neighbors on both sides. Due to the elongation of the slope of the newly built embankment, the shift of labor has been changed from two people to two people to two people. The shoulders are still so red, swollen and painful, the human body is still so tired and fragile, but the hope of success and the desire for happiness after food and clothing offset the fatigue and worries of the body, and gradually adapt to the physical overdraft beyond the limit.
After 9 o'clock, Zhao Wuba, secretary of the commune party committee, passed by our construction site with three cadre-like people, and I called "Uncle Zhao" hoarsely. He nodded, came to my side, patted me on the shoulder and said, "Take smaller steps, don't flash your waist, and rest for a day when you're tired." I promised, and I opened my legs again; Secretary Zhao and his colleagues also walked to the neighboring team next to them. When I poured soil on the embankment and returned to the bay shore, there was applause on the construction site of a certain team of the neighboring brigade 20 meters away from us in the east. They helped to carry the mud and did a great job. At the suggestion of Secretary Zhao and the captain, there was a boom on the construction site to learn from the gang, and the hands loaded with soil raked and danced, filling the soil to the full; The mud pickers fly quickly, and the mud is lifted lightly. The sound of cheers, slogans, and encouragement came and went, and its warm atmosphere infected both sides, soaking the entire enclosure project. At noon, Secretary Zhao and his colleagues walked to the Yinong Gate Headquarters with muddy trouser legs and coats in their hands. Seeing their backs, everyone said in unison: "What a good cadre, the cadres and the masses are united and will succeed in reclamation from the sea." "In the afternoon, everyone on the construction site chased after me, continuing the enthusiasm and atmosphere of the morning, not feeling tired and sleepy at all, and working until the end of the day. The cadres worked under the team to drive a large area, and the production team that helped pick up the mud was the first to complete the task of digging the bay and building the embankment. Secretary Zhao interprets the role of cadres with actions, and is known as "Secretary of Straw Shoes" and "Jiao Yulu of Nansha Reclamation District".
Day 5
Conquered the bottom of the old fluidized ditch
November 23, 1966, the twelfth day of the tenth lunar month.
The bay is deep again, the embankment is high again, our production team is the advanced of the whole brigade, the depth of digging the bay, the height of the embankment are the example of the whole brigade. Since the bottom of the bay is deeper than that of the production teams on both sides, muddy water from both adjacent sides will seep into the bottom of our team's bay. As soon as I got to work, a terrible thing happened, the bottom of the bay was watery, and it was impossible to dig up the mud and fill the soil, so I had to have two pairs of dung to scoop up the water and two people to pick it up, and the rest were temporarily rested and worked in turns. The captain also had something to say first: "Chop wood without mistake and sharpen the knife, and wait to work harder to take back the time." At nine o'clock, the water scooped up the dry can dig the mud, but encountered a new trouble, the foot stepped on the bottom of the bay to dig the mud and take the soil, the whole bay bottom riverbed is soft and shaking, move a footstep, a large piece of soil at the bottom of the bay will sway and sway, an iron rake down, the soil will bounce the iron rake up, the shock of the arm and hand Wan pain, really sad to death, anxious to die. Uncle Wang, an experienced old tidal flater, stepped on it a few times and said, "I have encountered the bottom of the old Liuhua ditch, and the only way to get the soil is to dry the water in the soil." "At his suggestion, we dug holes at intervals in the centre of the bottom of the bay to drain the water. Scooping water, taking mud at the same time, this method is really feasible, digging mud and loading soil, picking up soil and building embankments have returned to normal, scooping water, digging mud, picking soil have added soil to speed up the rhythm, and time, and the neighbor team racing. The sky was gray and cold, but we were all in full swing. At lunchtime, our progress returned to the first place in the whole team. The labor in the afternoon is still scooping water, digging mud, and picking up soil at the same time, compared with the past, and the neighboring team, today our team spent more than ten labor. Its scooping water is used by its neighbors, and it has contributed six or seven labors to the neighboring team. Everyone had no complaints, and the thinking of people in that era was so simple.
Day 6
Regrets before completion
November 24, 1966, the thirteenth day of the tenth lunar month.
The bay is deeper, the embankment is higher, and the hope of success in the encirclement is coming to us, closer, closer, and the intensity of labor has reached its peak. The bay is deep, the embankment is steep, the slope is long, and the tall people filled with soil are all submerged at the bottom of the bay, and they can only look up at the sky at the four corners; Pick up the soil after climbing the bay slope and walk the bay bank embankment, walk the bay shore embankment and then climb the embankment slope, heavy burden, double slope, steep slope, every step is next to each other. At this time, the mud pickers have become the "mountain pickers" of Mount Tai Scenic Area, short and strong, shouldering heavy loads, bowing their heads and backs, and moving towards the slope. The boundary ridge between the bay and the neighboring teams on both sides of the river stands high, and the gap between the embankment and the neighboring teams on both sides is deeply sunken. After consultation between the leaders of the brigade and the neighboring teams of both sides, they sent personnel to each other to specialize in the cracks of the embankments on both sides of the bay boundary, this side in the morning; Over there in the afternoon. In the meantime, the principle of self-centeredness made a mistake, and both sides had several quarrels, which made people see jokes, and then under the mediation of the security directors of the brigades of both sides, the danger was turned into safety, and the boundary ridge of the Bay River was gone, and the gap in the embankment was flattened. The lower the slope of the Wanhe River is, the smaller the slope is, the smaller the embankment is to the top of the ridge, and the effect is more and more obvious when digging a load of soil and a load of piling ridges. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Gao Jingshui, Xu Rong and other construction personnel led by the headquarters inspected our construction site, first visually inspected, and then tested with a benchmark and level, encouraging us to work harder and strive to complete the project in the evening. As soon as these words came out, more than 20 people in the whole team were excited, and their faces were full of joy of victory, which also injected motivation into the second half of the day's labor, and everyone worked hard like never before.
The sunset has sunk, the sky has darkened, the sky is getting darker and darker, and after all, I have not been able to complete the task, leaving regrets. As a last resort, the captain ordered the work to be called to a halt, and assigned the deputy captain Chen Bo to lead eight people to complete the sweeping work tomorrow.
Day 7
Working less and earning more work
November 25, 1966, the fourteenth day of the tenth lunar month.
On a cold winter morning, the sky is filled with haze, the dead grass and leaves on the roadside are stained with cold and mist, and there are obviously fewer migrant workers rushing to the construction site. We arrived at the construction site an hour later than usual to make the rectification before the completion of the project. Another hour passed, and the acceptance team came, measuring the depth of the bay, calculating the slope, and measuring the height of the embankment. The eight of us worked for another half an hour, and all the self-measured indicators exceeded the requirements, so we stopped working and ate lunch early. After eating, sit and lie down in the sun. On a special day, there is very little work, but the fatigue of the body is higher than yesterday and the day before yesterday, which is equivalent to the first day and the second day. Chen Bo, who led the team, said: "This is the return of overdraft, it is not in the way, and it will recover naturally after a few days of rest." In the afternoon, the acceptance passed. At two o'clock in the afternoon, I and two other young men were called by the leaders of the brigade to help the neighboring team accept and rectify it, and earned 3 more team social work points. That day, the work was not heavy, but there was less work, and we earned more work, and the three of us were happy for a long time. After finishing work and going home, we walked on the newly built embankment and looked at the Yinong Gate in the south, to the double-branched bamboo in the north, the semi-circular newly dug rescue bay, and the majestic tidal embankment, and sighed sincerely: "Miracle, miracle in the world - the Great Wall of tidal flats to block the tide", no wonder it was later included in the "Qiantang River Chronicles", called "unveiled the prelude to the mass encirclement of the river and the control of the river." ”
In the first phase of Yinong, there are 9 hairy boys in our production team who are adjacent to me, 3 at the age of 16, 4 at the age of 17, and 2 at the age of 18. I have been learning to read since I was a child, and my body is small and weak, and the farm work is not as good as theirs, only I can persevere, be willing to endure hardships, and be able to read and write a small account is better than them, so the labor base is divided into the same grade. In addition to 2 people, the remaining 7 people participated in the whole process of digging and building the embankment in this encirclement labor, and became the main force of the production team charging at the encirclement site. In September 1970, I was recommended to be a private teacher in the brigade school, and later admitted to the normal school to become a public teacher. Although he sometimes participated in some enclosing land, cultivating seeds, dredging rivers, building sluices, and emergency rescue work, he never participated in the enclosing or a certain reclamation project in a complete way.