During his speech at the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping said: "When passing through Shazhou Village, Rucheng County, Hunan Province, three female Red Army soldiers sought shelter in the home of an elderly villager named Xu Jiexiu. Upon their departure, they cut their only quilt in two, leaving half with Xu Jiexiu. The elderly Xu said, 'Who are the Communist Party members? The people who have only one quilt, but give half to the people. They are the Communist Party members.' Ultimately, the Long March succeeded because the CPC and Red Army stood together with the people, maintained a close bond with the people, and shared the same destiny as the people." 

In November 2017, an exhibition hall, located in Shazhou, in central China's Hunan Province, opened to the public to commemorate the "halved quilt" story. 

Zhu Shuhua, born in 1988, is the great-granddaughter of Xu Jiexiu. She has been familiar with the story for virtually her entire life, as her family members told her the story many times when she was little. 

In 2016, she learned from the news that General Secretary Xi had told the story at the commemorative ceremony of the Long March. Zhu felt she shouldered the responsibility to carry forward the spirit of the "halved quilt" story, especially since she was Xu's descendant. In July 2018, Zhu resigned from her job and returned to Shazhou, her hometown. She joined a women militia publicity team in Shazhou, and she applied to become a docent at the exhibition hall for promoting the "halved quilt" story. 

Zhu initially thought the job was easy, and she thought she just needed to memorize her script. In short order, she realized she was wrong. "Some visitors would ask me about the details of the story. I felt embarrassed at the time because I couldn't answer their questions. I realized I hadn't carefully looked into the story," she recalls. 

The visitors' thirst for knowledge about revolutionary history deeply moved Zhu, and helped her realize the spirit of the Long March was rich in content, like a treasure trove waiting to be explored. To better fulfill her role as a docent, Zhu immersed herself in studying both history of the Long March and the Red Army. She spent countless hours in local museums, reading old documents and memoirs, acquainting herself with cultural relics, and reaching out to historians and veterans for their insights. "To better tell the 'halved quilt' story is not only important to my own family, but also to our great country. It is my duty to get the job well done," Zhu once said. Her hard work and dedication paid off, and soon she became a capable docent. 

Xi visited the exhibition hall during an inspection tour of Hunan Province in September 2020. Xi's visit inspired Zhu to work even harder to pass down the revolutionary spirit. 

The exhibition hall has become more than just a place of remembrance; in fact, it has become a vibrant center of education and inspiration. People from all over China, and even the world, visit the hall to learn about the story of the "halved quilt," and about the indomitable spirit of the Red Army. The venue has been named a national demonstration base for patriotic education and a national women's patriotic education base. 

In addition to telling the story to visitors, Zhu shares her knowledge with the local community. She organizes various educational activities, such as talks and workshops, for locals, and she gives public lectures in the village to ensure more people, especially the younger generations, learn about the sacrifices and bravery of the Red Army soldiers, about the Party's new policies, and about the country's newest achievements. Zhu has become a respected figure in Shazhou, where she is known not only as Xu's great-granddaughter, but also as a guardian of history. In 2022, Zhu was named one of the "most beautiful militia members" in Hunan. 

In her own way, Zhu is continuing the legacy of the three women Red Army soldiers who once sought shelter in her great-grandmother's home. She is ensuring their story, and the spirit it embodies, will continue inspiring future generations, just as it inspired her to return to Shazhou and assume the task of preserving history. 

"As a militia member, and as a descendant of the 'halved quilt' story, I am responsible for — and I am determined to — ensuring more people know about our revolutionary stories, and promoting the revolutionary culture and heritage. I hope my efforts will contribute to maintaining close ties between the military and the people, and to encouraging more people to defend our country," said Zhu.

Photos from Interviewee and VCG

(Women of China English Monthly November 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha