Recently, I had the pleasure of staying in Jinggangshan for a few days, and tonight I ate the authentic "red rice pumpkin soup" (pictured).
The song "Commissar Mao and Us" seems to be ringing in my ears again, and here are some of the lyrics:
Red rice that pumpkin soup,
Dig up wild vegetables and use them as food,
Commissioner Mao is with us,
The meal tastes delicious!
During the period of revolutionary struggle at Jinggangshan, due to the blockade of the Kuomintang reactionaries, the officers and men of the Red Army were only paid five cents per person per day for food. Jinggangshan is rich in red rice, and the price is cheap, because red rice has become the staple food of the Red Army. Later, when the red rice was eaten, the Red Army cooked pumpkin and ate it. So much so that "red rice and pumpkin soup" became the "standard" of the red army officers and soldiers. It is precisely by virtue of this "red rice, pumpkin soup" cultivated by the Spirit of Jinggangshan that the Chinese revolution was able to go to the whole country and march toward victory with the momentum of sparks.
Today, our material life is already extremely rich and prosperous, but we must never forget Chairman Mao, the tens of thousands of workers and peasants, the Red Army, and the revolutionary martyrs who laid the foundation for us and brought us a happy life.
The spirit of "Red Rice Pumpkin Soup" lives on!
The spirit of Jinggangshan lives on!
