Revelation of the First Company of Military Reclamation

In early summer, I was fortunate to visit the hometown of the "First Military Reclamation Company" of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The wooden plow, the dry fortress, and the nest were a series of objects that strongly impacted my heart, and I couldn't get rid of them for a long time.

The First Company of Military Reclamation is located at the northern foot of Hongshan Mountain on the west bank of the Manas River in Shihezi, Xinjiang. This was originally the place where the reclamation company was stationed in the 1950s. Today, it preserves the remnants of military reclamation such as the diwozi group, dry fortress kitchens, water storage dams, as well as wooden wheel ox carts, wooden plows, stone mills, etc. Reclamation tools and daily necessities are a military reclamation education tourist attraction built in 2002 on the original site of the reclamation company with an investment of more than 3 million yuan by the 152nd Regiment of the Eighth Agricultural Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

The clouds of history have not receded yet.

In November 1949, General Wang Zhen led his troops to Xinjiang, and Xinjiang was peacefully liberated. Officers and soldiers reclaimed wasteland and suppressed bandits on the spot. In October 1954, the central government established the "Production and Construction Corps of the Xinjiang Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army", and the 100,000-strong army carried out a large-scale shift to colonization and border security. "The First Company of Military Reclamation" was the defense station of the 7th Company, 3rd Battalion, 77th Regiment, 26th Division, 9th Army, 22nd Corps of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. At that time, more than 170 personnel were ordered to dig nests in the ground, build dry forts, dig dams, and open up wasteland to form a residential area integrating defense and production.

The "First Company of Military Reclamation" is backed by the Red Mountains and the Gobi desert in front. The gate of the scenic spot is an antique giant wooden plow sculpture. On the left is an old guard box with a dark plate and a spire, and on the right are two statues of "Junken" holding "Kantuman" on their backs. The company's huts with mud walls display the production tools of the past: wooden plows, columbuses, harrows, stone mills, skippans, spinning wheels, looms and other daily necessities. The remaining cannons, vehicles and ordnance from that time are reproduced outdoors. The two slogans told a poignant and uplifting story: "Wild green onions, clear water soup, and three meals of steamed buns are the same. It's hard to swallow but you still have to eat it, otherwise you will starve while working." "Potato knots wrapped with grain grits, beaten dry. They burn cow dung in the fortress, wear pieces of rotten sheepskin on their feet, and carry rifles on their backs to patrol the border."

Dry fortification is a simple house built with local materials or brick walls. In fact, it is a house with plywood walls in the Mainland. However, the roofs here are made of sticks and covered with grass. Not to mention leak-proof, it rarely rains here, but the roof leaks and the function of keeping warm and avoiding heat cannot be worse.

Most of the "diwozi" are dug underground to a depth of three meters. Stepping inside, a cold, damp musty smell hit your face, and only a ray of light came in from the grassy roof skylight. The bed was a ridge covered with straw, and the lighting was a kerosene lamp made of glass bottles, or a horse lantern. The one with better conditions is a simple wooden bed, but it is a public wedding room, and only the female relatives who come to visit relatives can enjoy such treatment.

The walls of the company headquarters are covered with photos of the company’s life in reclamation, study, and military training in various periods. There is a piece called "Eight people pulling a plow makes an ox angry to death", which says that in those days, eight people pulling a plow cleared 10 acres of wasteland a day. There is also a "Wife-seeking Story" photo, which shows that Wang Zhen went to a meeting at a work unit and asked everyone if they had any opinions after speaking. A naive soldier stood up and said, "Report to the leader, I have an opinion. We don't have wives yet, and you have to solve our wife problems for us." Everyone burst into laughter. Wang Zhen later reported to the Party Central Committee, mobilized a large number of young women from the mainland to aid Xinjiang, and solved the marriage problems of a large number of commanders and soldiers.

Walking through the past scenes of the "First Company of the Military Reclamation Company" makes me think deeply. This company of more than 100 people reclaimed hundreds of acres of wasteland and dug three waterlogging dams to solve the water problem. At that time, the place was deserted and mosquitoes were everywhere. When the soldiers went to the ground to prevent mosquito bites, they all covered their heads with gauze, looking like beekeepers wearing masks. But mosquitoes are small and can burrow into any cracks they see, so they are always hard to guard against. Later, they learned to "make up" and put mud on their bodies before going to work every day. He looks like a "black clay man". What kind of spirit is this? Why did they leave their homes? reputation? money? None! That is a selfless dedication to love the motherland and the people!

According to relevant records, today's Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps has more than 2.7 million people guarding more than 2,000 kilometers of border lines, with a land area of ??more than 70,000 square kilometers and millions of hectares of cultivated land.

How many "First Military Reclamation Companies" have fought in this hot land for decades? How much food and materials are produced to support national construction? The once barren Gobi Desert has now become an oasis. How many military settlers have irrigated this land with their blood and sweat? The border is safe and peaceful, the people are safe, and Wufu is safe. How many sleepless nights have the people on the border endured?

There is love in Tianshan, witnessed by the sun and the moon!

Editor's note: A visit to the hometown of the "First Military Reclamation Company" of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps opened up history again. The scenes of struggle back then seemed like yesterday. Without the severe cold and suffering, the Tianshan Mountains would not be as beautiful as they are today. The years are worthy of nostalgia and the spirit of military reclamation is worthy of inheritance. The article takes us into Xinjiang Military Reclamation and learns about the fervent years of the past.