Citizen of the Great Nation

Author: Xia Fan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Open the web page, search for Li Xue Sheng Memorial Hall again, unexpectedly, an ordinary migrant worker had sacrificed for many days, and still, people lit candles, burned incense, and offered flowers for him recently. Li Xue Sheng was awarded "Great National Style" by Hong Kong Phoenix TV, named "Annual News Figure" by Henan TV, Zhejiang TV, and multiple other media, named "Small Person, Great Hero" by Southern Weekly as the 2005 Annual Person, and was listed as a candidate for CCTV's Top 10 Most Touching People of China in 2005. All these activities had Li Xue Sheng leading with high votes, with an unparalleled number of comments praising and mourning him. He, a once-nameless migrant worker, how did he move the nation? In the interview, I learned that Li Xue Sheng, while wandering in a foreign land, enjoyed listening to music in his free time and occasionally sang as well. Among them was Chen Xing's "Looking for My Hometown": "The closer I get to my hometown, the sadder I feel / I dare not hope for a return home, the scenery of my hometown, my parents in my hometown, I love you as always, Hometown, my heart sways in the wind / How many years have I been wandering without stopping, what made me yearn for home / I gaze at my hometown with teary eyes, Hometown, the fragrance of earth blows in my face / I have returned to my long-lost hometown / The path of time has accumulated so much vicissitude / Let me embrace the beauty of my hometown again." Standing at the entrance of Li Xue Sheng's hometown—Zhonghua Lou Village, I stroked the lush old locust tree, reflecting on the hero's life, as if I heard a hoarse song drifting from afar. Time froze on this day when Li Xue Sheng shed his blood in a foreign land. He could no longer sing for others or for himself. If it weren't for a heart-stirring story, this day might have been turned over by history. But this day was destined to be remembered by Wenzhou people, and by hundreds of millions of Chinese.
On the afternoon of February 20, 2005, around 5 PM, in Wenzhou, the spring cold was biting, the sky was overcast, and the tender grass sprouts had not yet fully revealed the vitality of spring. The air felt heavy, yet people's faces felt somewhat moist. Occasionally, a gust of wind swept through, carrying paper scraps dancing on the ground like playful children somersaulting. The Jin (Jinhua)–Wen (Wenzhou) Railway stretched coldly parallel. Standing at the entrance of Makeng Village in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, to the left, the railway seemed endless; to the right, it also stretched endlessly. Though the area was close to the suburbs, with every household running a shoe factory, migrant workers from all over the country flocked here, and merchants became more numerous. Even the village lanes were bustling. People came and went along both sides of the railway, the scene lively and vibrant.
"Whoo—" The urgent whistle pulled the train around a bend, suddenly appearing before the people's eyes with a rumbling roar. They saw an 8-year-old boy, Qu CongCong, and a 4-year-old girl, Peng Ai Ai, playing in the middle of the tracks. Both were children of Sichuan migrant workers who had come to Wenzhou for work. Perhaps startled by the rumbling train, they stared blankly at the train approaching, utterly helpless. According to their parents, they had sneaked out of the workplace at some point that day.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!" The train was closing in. What does "a hair's breadth away from disaster" mean? Though people had long known the meaning of the phrase, the personal experience at that moment was even more profound! Everyone held their hearts tightly to their chests. Some froze, staring blankly with wide eyes; others ran a few steps forward but timidly stopped; others kept waving their hands, urging the children to run, but so nervous they could only open their mouths in a silent scream.
300 meters, 200 meters, 150 meters—the train, like a fierce beast, charged toward the children with unstoppable momentum!
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