Across Mountains and Rivers: A Collector’s Red Footprints

In a thatched cottage encircled by green hills, the glow of a rust-spotted Red Army lamp lit up a young boy’s eyes. When the first rumble of reform and opening-up shook the mountains, this young man, burdened with memories of the revolution, embarked on a tireless journey of collecting. For more than forty years, he braved wind and rain, crossed mountains and ridges to seek out centenarian Red Army veterans, and rescued yellowed books, diaries, and archives. His collections filled room after room, while his dark hair turned white. Amid the tide of the new century, the collector carved out a path from nothing, witnessing a world of glittering lights and life’s most beautiful sights, yet still pressing on along the road of collecting. The road was long and arduous, but he never forgot his original purpose. As the anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance approached, the collector threw himself into raising funds to establish an exhibition of revolutionary documents. Clutching his diagnosis of gout, he devoted himself to writing a hundred thousand words of annotations for his collection. He stroked his medal for outstanding collectors and smiled with satisfaction, wrinkles etched at the corners of his eyes. A nomination for the “Touching China” award cast its spotlight on him. From a copper whistle dating back to the Agrarian Revolution to a commemorative medal marking the anniversary of reform and opening-up, countless shades of rust came together to form a never-fading river of stars, bearing witness to his revolutionary footsteps. Others like him, with the nation and their country in their hearts, followed his tireless footsteps in search of the nation’s legacy. They shouldered the responsibility of collecting for the country and wrote lives filled with great love…