Pain in Silence (Jiao Anshan Remembers Lei Feng)

Author: Qiao Anshan (narrated), Yan Yu, Wen Shui (editors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-02-01
Features: Northeast, formerly known as "Beyond the Pass" or "East of the Pass." During the Mao Zedong era, Northeast was not only the "eldest son" of the Republic and an important industrial base for the new China, but also a major contemporary narrative space for socialist culture. From Yang Zirong in the snowy forests of Northeast, the iron man Wang Jinxin, and the soldier Liu Yingjun who sacrificed himself to stop a runaway horse, to the battles near the Yalu River and the clashes on, all were closely tied to this land. Here, the first domestically produced cars of New China took to the road, the first domestically produced jet planes took to the sky, and the first domestically produced machine tools began to operate. The slogan "Learn from Daqing" became one of the most resonant calls of the 1960s and 1970s. Northeast supplied the young Republic with abundant golden grains, dark coal, advanced mechanical equipment, and precious talent and technology. In that era, no region became as prominent a stage for the display of so many famous contemporary heroes and hero stories as Northeast. For Lei Feng, Northeast was a turning point. As Jiang Zemin said, "When Lei Feng came to Ansteel, he moved from the countryside to the factory. Ansteel was a place where industrial workers were concentrated. It wasn't manual labor but large-scale industry, and this environment played a significant role in shaping Lei Feng." At the same time, Lei Feng's appearance also changed the life of Qiao Anshan, an ordinary person.