In the footsteps of heroes

On the morning of April 3, the day before Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day), 1,600 middle and high school students set off on a grueling 15-hour, 54-kilometer round-trip hike to honor martyrs in Guyuan city, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Now in its 30th year, this annual tradition has earned national recognition for its powerful combination of physical endurance and patriotic education.

At 4:50 am, students from No 2 Middle School of Guyuan and Hongwen Middle School began their 27-kilometer trek to the Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery to pay tribute to the fallen heroes buried there.

Located in Renhe village, Pengyang county, the cemetery was established for soldiers who died in the 1949 Renshanhe Battle — the first major confrontation during the liberation of Ningxia.

The entire route — much of it along winding mountain paths — passed through locations where the fierce battle was fought and martyrs fell.

Students struggled with leg pain, fatigue, and blisters, but despite these physical challenges, which could have easily discouraged them, nearly all persevered until the very end.

For Ma Xinrui, a seventh-grader at Hongwen Middle School, the hike was both nerve-wracking and exciting — and a meaningful lesson in history. "We were walking in the martyrs' footsteps," she said.

Hai Tianlin, also a seventh-grader, echoed her resolve. "My goal is to complete the journey, clean the tombstones for the martyrs, and return to school with stronger willpower," he said.

Students undergo rigorous training in preparation, which includes daily runs and morning exercises.

"Our teachers told us that if the martyrs could endure such hardships, we can too," said Hai Yiming, a seventh grader.

As a representative of the PE class, he took it upon himself to help his classmates up steep slopes, carrying two heavy backpacks to set an example of responsibility.