In 1982, during the period of armed friction on the China-Vietnam border, in order to implement the strategy of fighting in the south and defending in the north, the situation on the China-Soviet border also slightly eased. It was at that time that I came to Jiayin. In mid-January, after graduating from the Dalian Army School of the PLA, I was assigned to the Sixth Frontier Defense Regiment stationed in Jiayin under the Yijun Military Sub-district of the Heilongjiang Provincial Military District as a staff officer. I was only 21 years old at the time.
Jiayin is near 50 degrees north latitude, located in the northeastern part of Heilongjiang Province, in the middle section of the Xiaoxing'an Mountains. It is famous for its abundant production of red pine and salmon. The first complete dinosaur fossil skeleton was discovered here. Poet Guo Xiaochuan's famous poem "Three Songs of the Forestry Area" was also created here: "The landlord got drunk because of his black heart; the bailiff got drunk because of bribery; we got drunk only because life's wine is too strong and beautiful!" The currently popular song "Birch Forest" may have been inspired by this place, as there are vast birch forests here. Our regiment's boundary was the Heilongjiang River, which served as the boundary river between China and the former Soviet Union.
Northeast China belongs to the cold zone. But after years of training in Northeast China, I, as a soldier from the south, had basically adapted to the cold, just like the local soldiers, and I didn't get frostbite all winter. But I didn't really understand what Jiayin was like. I knew it was close to the northernmost part, but I didn't think it would be inside the Arctic Circle. I also knew it was very cold, but I didn't think it would be colder than the Arctic. Our clothing equipment was different from ordinary troops. Before leaving, I went to the quartermaster department to exchange three cotton items for heavy-duty equipment such as fur hats, fur gloves, fur coats, etc. After the exchange was completed, the quartermaster specially reminded me with a mysterious smile: "Director Zhou, everything you need has been issued, but there is one thing we don't issue, and you need to prepare it yourself!" I jokingly replied: "Don't tell me I have to seize weapons from the Russians?"
"Not that serious."
"What is it then?"
"Young man," he laughed heartily. This was a common joke used by Northern soldiers to scare Southern soldiers. They said that due to the extreme cold, ice would form when urinating, so one had to carry a 'young man' while going out to solve the problem. This was a joke. But if you spit on a stone slab in the freezing month of December, it will freeze within three seconds—I've tried it. It's said that temperatures of minus forty degrees Celsius are common here. It's hard to imagine what it's like to live in an environment of minus forty to minus five degrees Celsius.
I served in Jiayin for five years and truly experienced the long and cold winters there. In Jiayin, every September, when the mountains are still lush and flowers are still blooming, snow starts falling. Sometimes it’s almost like continuous rain in the south, lasting for several days without stopping. Walking against the wind and snow, being caught in snowstorms, are common occurrences. The whole winter feels like snowfall, sweeping snow, and piling snow. Snow piles up everywhere on the sides of the roads, making the streets unrecognizable. You suddenly feel that the entire city becomes unusually narrow and crowded. Due to the accumulated snow, people walking towards each other on the sidewalk even have to sidestep each other to pass. There is so much snow that there’s no place left to pile it, so the locals drag the snow to open fields or onto the frozen river surface. School playgrounds cannot be seen as they are covered with thick layers of snow, leaving only a few V-shaped paths half a meter high, similar to trenches dug by soldiers during ambushes. Walking through these paths allows you to easily find classrooms, offices, restrooms, and school gates. Children are not at all amazed by the snow; neither do you see them playing or having snowball fights in the streets or residential areas. The snow is repeatedly piled up and stacked, waiting for it to slowly melt. The snow doesn’t completely melt until April or May of the following year. Even in places sheltered from the sun, you can still see patches of unmelted snow even in the height of summer.
It is really too cold here. To this day, I can't recall seeing any animals outdoors in Jiayin during the dead of winter, except for stray dogs—whether they fly, run, or crawl. Tree branches hang dry and desolate with snow, some even encased in icicles, showing no signs of life. You might wonder if they have been frozen to death and whether they will bud again next year. Bears in the mountains can hardly endure the severe cold and have long since begun hibernating in trees. Local residents slaughter all their pigs, geese, chickens, and ducks before winter and store them outdoors in this natural large refrigerator, eating them as needed. Our army also has regulations requiring all companies to slaughter all their pigs, regardless of size, before winter, otherwise they would freeze to death. During the coldest months, local residents stay home around the stove. Their winter pastimes include visiting neighbors, eating melon seeds, chatting, and playing cards. In the Jiayin defense area, throughout the entire winter season, only our soldiers remain active. They continue their morning exercises, drills, patrols along the border, raising flags, and patrolling in the snow, lying in wait in the snow. Guard duty and reconnaissance may seem ordinary, but under harsh natural conditions, they test one's willpower and spirit. Being a soldier means hardship and sacrifice. Ordinary sacrifices make soldiers even more noble! It was during this freezing winter that I encountered a real experience that shocked me deeply and left an indelible impression.
That winter, I was on duty in the training duty room of the regiment when I received a call from the military district informing us that a suspicious person might have fled across the border through our defense area. We were ordered to strengthen patrols and set up a tight network to capture the fugitive. It was during this ambush and capture mission that one of our deputy squad leaders sacrificed his life at his post due to the extreme cold. Later, his comrades told me that he had already completed his assigned ambush time, but wanted to extend his watch a little longer. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the cold and hunger and died at his post. It is said that when they carried him down for rescue, the military doctor could hear the sound of ice crystals cracking when pressing on his chest. He was only nineteen years old. I couldn't help but shed tears after hearing this...
I miss Northeast China, I mourn the winters of Jiayin, and I miss my fellow soldiers!
(Responsible Editor: Juelian Hongchen)
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