Ou Xingtian - This 86-year-old man single-handedly built a cemetery for fallen heroes. He gave up the joy of being with his close family, endured injuries and illnesses, spent nearly 30 years on this project, and invested over one million yuan. Some people thought he was foolish, but he said he was merely fulfilling a promise made over 60 years ago —— the "bugle call" in the cemetery.
Can an 86-year-old man still clearly remember the names of his comrades-in-arms who sacrificed their lives over 60 years ago?
"Men Qingping, loved to sing, had dark skin, liked girls, was killed by Japanese soldiers at the age of 24, missing one arm." "Li Wenzong, the last scholar of the Qing Dynasty, joined the army in his old age to fight against Japan, and died while covering the retreat of his comrades." "Ou Minghai, nicknamed 'Ou Tiger,' the folk rhyme about him says: 'Not a tiger but like a tiger, Ou Tiger, no trace, the Japanese were chilled to the bone.'"... In the Huabei West Gate Anti-Japanese Martyrs Cemetery, Ou Xingtian, with silver hair, pointed at the tombstones on the 23 graves, talking incessantly as he recounted each story.
The names on these tombstones were carved by Ou Xingtian, word by word. Moreover, the entire martyrs' cemetery, which cost over one million yuan out of his own pocket, was also constructed by the elderly man. Not only that, he has been guarding it for almost 30 years.
The cemetery is located in Qingliang Village, Renqiao Town, Guzhen County, Anhui Province. It is in a remote area; after walking for over 40 minutes through vast green wheat fields, you can finally catch a ride. The car will then bump along for another 50 minutes to reach the county town.
This more than 20-mu (about 1.3 hectares) large martyrs' cemetery did not spend a single penny from public funds. It is not registered in the official records of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The 114 Inquiry Service cannot find it, and the postman from the post office has never been here. The only connection the old man has with the outside world is a mobile phone that either has poor signal or is often out of credit.
But in the eyes of the old man, this remote place is "the purest sacred land." During the War of Resistance against Japan, this was an important traffic artery. Ou Xingtian, who joined the revolution at the age of 14 and served as a secretary to General Zhang Aiping, and later held various positions such as staff officer, lieutenant colonel chief of staff, and head of the administrative department of the Central Military Commission's First Artillery School, witnessed over 2,400 New Fourth Army soldiers bleeding and sacrificing their lives to protect this artery. The most tragic time was when 60 soldiers fought against hundreds of Japanese soldiers. The battle lasted for a day and a night until they ran out of ammunition and food, resulting in all of them being killed. The blood of the soldiers dyed the nearby Tu River red.
After the victory in the War of Resistance, Ou Xingtian's unit built the Huabei West Gate Anti-Japanese Martyrs Cemetery in Qingliang Village. However, it was destroyed during the Huaihai Campaign. In the 1980s, the retired old man began to rebuild the cemetery.
The cemetery does not have much design beauty. Although the decorated gatehouse cost over ten thousand yuan, the monument was specially designed in a triangular shape, symbolizing the commemoration of the martyrs from three counties: Sulingshan, Lingfeng, and Suchuai. However, most people who have visited here think that the cemetery is dilapidated and desolate, "not worth the money."
But every morning, as the old man stands in front of the graves of his comrades-in-arms, he feels that spending almost 30 years, devoting all his energy and money, is worthwhile.
These graves were not there from the beginning; they were moved here one by one by the old man. Some were convinced by the old man to move the remains of the martyrs here. Others were found by the old man after much effort, "low, flat, neglected, and unmanaged," and were moved here.
Each time he "invited" his comrades back, it was a grand affair for him. He would hire four people, paying each 500 yuan per day, to carry the coffin, accompanied by fireworks, making a lively scene as he welcomed his comrades to their "new home."
No one could explain why this old man, enjoying the benefits of a division-level retired cadre, earning six or seven thousand yuan a month, chose to leave the good life in the city to be a "gravekeeper" here.
"I live happily, but when I think of my fallen comrades, what meaning is there in my own life?" He rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a tattoo of his name.
"When I first joined the revolution, our sharpshooter squad consisted of nine people. Each of us used needles and ink to carve our names on our arms. We swore in a broken classroom of a school that whoever survived would take care of the graves of those who fell. Since I promised, I must fulfill it." The old man said calmly.
That promise made long ago, the old man has almost spent his entire life fulfilling.
Bringing these heroic souls "home" has always been his intention. Before rebuilding the cemetery, many people came to him crying, asking, "How did my father or uncle die? Where are their remains? Are there any relics? Why didn't the government issue a martyr certificate? You joined the revolution together, so you're the only one I can ask."
For years, people have come to him seeking letters of certification or introduction to prove that their ancestors were martyrs who died for their country. Some descendants knew their fathers had died in the Tu River without leaving a body, so they dug mud by the riverbank, shaped it into a figure, placed it in a coffin, and buried it.
All these things strengthened Ou Xingtian's determination: no matter how difficult, he must build the cemetery well to commemorate these over 2,400 heroic souls.
At the beginning of building the cemetery, he and his wife lived in a shack in the wasteland for two years, without water or electricity, burning oil lamps, digging wells, and carrying 60 buckets of water daily to irrigate over 2,000 pine and cypress trees.
To find and collect the remains of the martyrs, he spent over two years riding his bicycle fifty to sixty kilometers a day, covering all the towns and villages in three counties. Some martyrs' families had no descendants, some were not registered by the government and disappeared. Despite numerous difficulties, he repeatedly verified the information. Finally, he recorded over 2,400 names and entered them into the archives one by one.
Sometimes, to find a grave, he had to make multiple trips. The roads were slippery and dark, and he fell into ditches many times. Others mistook him for a fortune-teller or a quack doctor, "a charlatan." To restore the identities of the unregistered martyrs, he went to relevant departments to get letters of introduction, enduring much disdain: "This is something the government should handle. How dare you, an old man, come here without even a phone call?"
To raise funds for building the cemetery, the old man traveled four times to Beijing and visited six provinces to seek donations. He successively found 36 old leaders, including former Defense Minister Zhang Aiping and former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Zhen.
Ou Xingtian bluntly told these old comrades-in-arms: "Look, everyone else has given 500, how much will you give?" Each old leader took out a substantial amount of money. General Zhang Aiping handed Ou Xingtian a coarse cloth quilt cover used during the war and specifically inscribed words for the exhibition hall of the cemetery. General Zhang Zhen gifted a horsewhip used over 50 years ago.
Through donations, Ou Xingtian raised 130,000 yuan and added all his lifetime savings and monthly salary of over 6,000 yuan. But many problems still arose.
Some merchants thought it was a public matter and sold the old man 45 truckloads of inferior bricks, leading to substandard construction quality. They tried to involve the old man in corruption, calling him a liar and threatening him with gangsters. Some companies openly demanded kickbacks, saying, "It's the state's money, why are you so stupid?"
Villagers didn't understand the old man either. The walls he built were full of holes, and villagers frequently stole "state-owned" steel bars and cement. When villagers held weddings or funerals, they brazenly took two truckloads of bricks right under the old man's nose. Ou Xingtian chased after them demanding they return the items. Villagers said, "Why return the bricks for the dead? Anyway, your bricks are free."
The old man thought the efficiency of the villagers in doing the project was too low, so he hired people from outside, angering the villagers. Relations became so strained that villagers blocked the road, preventing the old man from bringing in materials.
During the hardest times, no one greeted the old man on the road. Some villagers pointed at him and said, "Even if you die, I won't burn a piece of paper for you." His wife also complained, "We can't live here anymore." Eventually, she got so angry that she stopped cooking for the old man. His grandson grumbled, "Grandpa endures so much humiliation for nothing."
"Eight years of resistance against Japan wasn't as painful as this!" The old man sighed as he walked through the graveyard, which was about half the size of a football field, under the sunlight.
The children in the city didn't understand him either, calling him "too unsentimental." For years, he left nothing behind for the next generation, almost investing all his money and energy into building and maintaining the martyrs' cemetery. Regarding his children's employment and military service issues, he refused to use his "connections" to "smooth things out." His laid-off son resented him and hated him, not speaking to the old man for many years.
After his wife passed away, the children broke the lock on his living quarters in the cemetery, moved his quilts and clothes back to the city, hoping he would enjoy a few years of happiness in the city. But the stubborn old man returned to the cemetery the same day. He said, "I will die before I leave."
The old man lived extremely simply. The only appliances in his house were a refrigerator and a TV that couldn't receive signals. He ate steamed buns dipped in chili sauce all year round. His woolen undershirt, frayed at the edges, was over 20 years old, and his pants were over a decade old. The only item that looked somewhat fashionable was a stylish straw hat bought for "more than ten yuan" during the Spring Festival.
Currently, the old man is bending over, busy planting peppers and eggplants. He said the vegetable prices were too high, and the saved money could be used to carve another tombstone.
In the eyes of this stubborn old man, only stones are eternal. For years, he kept carving tombstones. Among the 23 graves, each grave has a tombstone inscription of several hundred words, and every character was carved by him stroke by stroke.
He planned to build a 40-meter-long stele corridor, with 12 meters dedicated to the names of over 2,400 martyrs, "This time, not a single one can be missing!" Under the sun, he leaned on his cane, tapping this stone and that. In his spare time, he read books and practiced calligraphy, hoping that the words engraved on the stones would become "better and better."
Last year, the story of the old man guarding the cemetery was uploaded to the internet, touching countless netizens, and he was voted as one of "China's Good People." Officials started coming, first in small cars, then switching to off-road vehicles when the roads became impassable, finally reaching the cemetery.
But Ou Xingtian said he never intended to move others or expect a commendation certificate. He just wanted "when I arrive there, to meet my comrades and have something to say."
Nowadays, when the old man walks in the village, some villagers call him "Old Man Ou," and some even throw him a few vegetables over the wall. Many people came to visit during this year's Tomb Sweeping Day, and the memorial hall received over 90 wreaths and flower baskets, which was something the old man "dared not dream of before."
This old man, who feared death during the peaceful years and risked his life during wartime, now fears death. He only drinks milk without sugar, eats no meat, and no fruit, constantly worrying about rising blood sugar and cholesterol levels. He fears that if he leaves, no one will take care of this memorial hall.
Indeed, he has already planned his final resting place. Among the 23 graves, the one resting at the southernmost point is his late wife. She was severely injured during the Anti-Japanese War and later wounded again during the Korean War. She passed away shortly after returning home. After building the cemetery, the old man moved her grave here. He carved a long epitaph for her, ending with the words: "You were a hero in life and a citizen in death, truly worthy of admiration."
Now, the pine tree in front of his late wife's grave has grown from a sapling shorter than the grave mound to over 10 meters tall. The old man, with rough hands, caressed the gravestone and said that after his death, he would be buried with his late wife. There would be no gravestone for him, and his name would not remain in this cemetery.
"I am just an ordinary person, not a martyr. Resting here at last is actually a favor to me." He smiled.
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