2018年CRI Tomb Sweeping Day, a day for remembering heroes

 

As part of the activities during the Qingming Festival, or China's Tomb Sweeping¹ Day, people pay respects to the revolutionary martyrs² and national heroes who shed their blood in their service for the country.

In Tongliao City of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous³ Region, over 1,500 people came to the city's martyrs' cemetery⁴, laying wreaths and flowers in front of the martyrs' monument and paying silent tribute to the sacrifices that were made for their country.

"They sacrificed themselves for the country and its people. We should never forget them," said Zhao Ruilan, a veteran who was there on the day.

Meanwhile, in south China's Guangdong Province, officers of a local Coast Guard unit lined up on their patrol boat, tossing flower petals⁵ into the sea in memory of their fallen comrades.

"This commemoration is not only a purification of our spirit, but also a call of duty. We work hard with the revolutionary forefathers⁶ as our role models, inheriting their spiritual legacy⁷ and conscientiously⁸ taking on our responsibilities," said Chen Lin, a Coast Guard officer.

Over the last few years, China's top leadership has stressed the importance of remembering the sacrifice of the country's national heroes.

President Xi Jinping has been an example for others, by paying tribute to martyrs and national heroes, as well as by meeting the martyrs' descendants, every time he visits historical revolutionary base areas in China.

Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has stressed on several occasions that "a nation that is hopeful cannot be without heroes, and a promising⁹ country cannot be without pioneers," a sentiment he shared during a ceremony in 2015 where he awarded medals to veterans who fought in World War II.

"We must always remember the heroes who made sacrifices and contributions to the Chinese nation and the Chinese people, and respect them, learn from them, take good care of them, and defend their rights," said Xi Jinping.

The following year, during a speech marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping reminded the people of China that they should never forget those who gave their lives for their nation and for peace.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China on July 1, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua/Liu Weibing]

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China on July 1, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua/Liu Weibing]

"Fearless, righteous vows¹⁰, such as 'Beheading is nothing to me, a true communist who'd be' and 'The enemy can hack¹¹ off our heads, but they can never shake our beliefs,' vividly¹² express the uncompromising belief of communists in their ideals. The ideals can never be extinguished, nor can their beliefs. We must always remember the unfulfilled wishes of those martyrs, and we must never forget the ideals for which they spilled their blood," said Xi Jinping.

The Qingming Festival is traditionally a time when Chinese pay tribute to the dead, including their deceased family members and ancestors.

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 martyrs   

n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情）

参考例句：

• the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者
• They paid their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. 他们向革命烈士致哀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

4 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

5 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

8 conscientiously   

adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实

参考例句：

• He kept silent,eating just as conscientiously but as though everything tasted alike. 他一声不吭，闷头吃着，仿佛桌上的饭菜都一个味儿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She discharged all the responsibilities of a minister conscientiously. 她自觉地履行部长的一切职责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

10 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

11 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

12 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。