The Little Sisters of the Heroes of the Grasslands, a children's ballet that reaffirms collectivism from a new perspective

The heroic deeds of the Little Sisters of the Grassland Heroes have influenced generations, are the pride of Baotou, and are our role models. We need to dig deep into the spirit of the “Little Sisters of the Grassland Heroes” spirit of the times, the “Little Sisters of the Grassland Heroes” story told from generation to generation, education and guidance of today’s youth as a good inheritor of the red gene, practitioner.

–On October 5, Meng Fanli, a member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Autonomous Region and Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, made a speech during his research in Baiyun Mining District.

The children’s ballet “Little Sisters of the Grassland Heroes” tells the story of the Little Sisters and the Young Pioneers who participate in the initiation ceremony, fight a blizzard to protect their sheep, meet a candy fairy in a fantasy world, and are eventually rescued. The script respects the historical classics and reinterprets them in a new way, reaffirming the spirit of collectivism and patriotism from a new perspective. A true worship of heroes in vivid images! Once again, approach the heroic sisters, the coordinates of the nation!

In our last column, we invited you to watch the second act of the children’s ballet Little Sisters of the Grasslands, and in this issue, we invite you to watch the third act of Little Sisters of the Grasslands.

In the third act, a wild wolf wandering in the grasslands is watching Long Mei and Yurong, who are herding sheep, and the wolf plans to attack the sheep. The wolves attack the sheep, and the Little Sisters, with the help of their sheepdogs, resist but are driven away from the commune by the wolves.

A blizzard came and blew away the wolves, but it also scattered the sheep. Long Mei and Yu Rong did their best to protect the sheep, but were scattered by the storm due to physical exhaustion. In the process of protecting the flock, one of the sisters' favorite sheep, “Little Black Eyes,” was killed in the blizzard.

To be continued at ……

The spirit of patriotism and collectivism embodied by the Little Sisters, the heroes of the prairie, has been inherited and carried forward in the new era, inspiring generations to grow up! Let’s go back to that touching time and relive the touching story of the Little Sisters of the Heroes of the Grasslands, and fill our hearts with warmth. ……

The Little Sisters of the Prairie Heroes Story

In the 1960s, the deeds of the heroic little sisters spread from Baiyunebo to the north and south of the Yangtze River, inspiring generations of people to serve the country with patriotic feelings. We made a positive contribution to the noble honor of “Model Autonomous Region”.

“More than half a century has passed, and the story of my sister and I is still being repeated again and again by everyone, and our deeds have influenced many people. I think what we all love and admire is our steadfastness to our beliefs, the first heart that can never be forgotten.” 56 years ago, she and her sister Longmei risked their lives to protect their collective property, a deed that has touched and influenced the spiritual world of several generations of Chinese people.

We must protect our sheep, and not lose any of them!

On the morning of February 9, 1964, Long Mei and Yu Rong went to herd sheep for the production team in place of Abba. Around 10:00 a.m., 12-year-old Long Mei and 9-year-old Yu Rong set out with their flock of sheep. Seeing that the grassy plains near the village were covered with snow, making it difficult for the sheep to find food, the sisters discussed driving the flock to a hilly area farther south of the village to graze their sheep. Unexpectedly, dark clouds came in the middle of the day, suddenly blocking the sun and darkening the entire grassland. Then the northwesterly wind frantically tore at the low-pressure clouds, and snow poured down in large sheets. The two sisters hurried the sheep toward their home. However, the frightened sheep were in chaos. At this critical moment, Long Mei said to her sister, “Go and ask Abba to help us stop the sheep. After hearing her sister’s words, Xiaoyu Rong turned around and ran desperately against the blizzard, but she didn’t get very far before she fell down. When she got up and looked back, her sister was alone in the blizzard, holding a goat whip in her left hand and throwing her jacket off with her right. Little Yurong couldn’t be bothered to call Abba again and immediately returned to help her sister. The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and the sheep were running downwind with great vigor, but the sisters did not let up. They had only one thing on their minds: they had to protect the sheep, and they could not lose any of them. When they were hungry, they had nothing to eat; when they were thirsty, they grabbed a handful of snow and licked it. Long Mei and Yurong blocked for a while, then ran after them for a while. And then they continued to block and run again, I don’t know how many times they blocked and how long they ran. From noon that day to dawn the next day, they fought the storm for more than 20 hours.

Had they been found later, they might have frozen to death.

On February 10, 1964, at about 11:00 a.m., a shepherd from a neighboring village, Haszhao Lu and his 9-year-old son, Naren Mandurah, who had just returned from the first day’s shopping at the Baiyun Ebo Railway Station to see off a friend, saw a flock of sheep shivering together in a shallow ditch on the west side of the railroad. They concluded that the sheep were lost. In a few minutes, Narendra noticed a girl, slightly older than himself, staggering up the western slope, her face bruised and frozen. Haszhaolu quickly grabbed Longmei in his arms and ran to the railroad room, where railroad worker Wang Fuchen was on duty, and several railroad workers, including Zhang Renzhen and Wang Zhenshan, had just entered. Several people listened to Haszhaolu’s explanation of the situation and immediately began to rescue him. Long Mei, who had recovered a bit, said her sister was still in the snow. The workers hurriedly reported the situation to Cui Junde, the shift commander, by intercom. Cui Junde immediately agreed that Wang Zhensan, Zhang Renzhen, Kang Yuhuai, Chen Changsheng, Tao Huaxiang and several other workers should go out to look for Yurong.

Wang Zhenshan and Zhang Renzhen went over a small hill with the cold wind, and saw something like a fur hat ears flapping in the foot-thick snow from afar. It was the first time I had ever seen such a thing in my life, and it was the first time I had ever seen such a thing in my life. The two of them quickly cleared away the snow, picked her up and ran to the trigger room.

After settling Longmei, Haszhaolu hiked to Baiyun Ebo Post Office and prepared to call the New Baolig Commune to inform the sisters' father Wu Tianxi. Probably the blizzard broke the phone line, but the phone of New Baolig Commune could not be reached. The salesman of post office, Bao Xiao, asked for clarification and reminded Haszhaolu that such a big thing should quickly find Baiyun Ebo mining government to save people. Bao Xiao called Baiyun Ebo iron ore mine director Bayan Durong to report the matter, and let Haszhaolu to the mine government to explain the situation in detail.

Wulong, who was the governor of the mining district government at that time, received the call from the mine manager and immediately rushed to the government office building to organize the rescue. Wulong immediately called for a car, prepare first-aid drugs, notify the iron ore hospital to prepare for rescue, and arrange for the mine’s Food Bureau forage truck to speedily rescue the hungry sheep ……

After one day and one night of rescue, the sisters were finally out of danger, but they still ended up with lifelong disability.

The Party Committee of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been concerned about the treatment of the little sisters, and made several instructions throughout the process of the little sisters' rescue, and arranged Long Mei and Yurong to continue the rehabilitation treatment at Inner Mongolia People’s Hospital on March 13. During the treatment of the little sisters in Inner Mongolia Hospital, Comrade Ulanfu, who was the First Secretary of the Inner Mongolia Party Committee and Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, rushed to the hospital and wrote an inscription in his own handwriting: “Long Mei and Yurong are the revolutionary successors of the pastoral people who grew up under the education of Mao Zedong Thought.

“They are the representatives of the spirit of collectivism.

On March 12, 1964, the Xinhua News Agency broadcast the article “One Day and Night in the Blizzard”, which was published by the People’s Daily and many other newspapers and broadcasts. On March 20 of that year, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League wrote a letter praising their noble behavior and warmly congratulating them on joining the Chinese Young Pioneers. “. Comrade Ulanfu, then First Secretary of the Party Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, wrote an inscription in his own handwriting: “Longmei and Yurong are the revolutionary successors of the pastoral people who grew up under the education of Mao Zedong Thought. Young people of all ethnic groups in our region should strive to learn from their exemplary behavior and noble qualities.” Their noble heroic deeds of collectivism spread throughout the country through the news media. Soon, Long Mei and Yurong, known as the “Little Sisters of the Grassland Heroes,” became typical figures in China. Their touching deeds were adapted into various literary and artistic forms for the stage, and were included in elementary school language textbooks.

In March 1964, the Party Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region awarded Longmei and Yurong the title of “Heroic Steppe Sisters”. On September 14, 2009, Long Mei and Yu Rong were honored as one of the 100 people who have moved China since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. 25 September 2019. Long Mei and Yurong won the national “most beautiful struggler” title. For more than 50 years, under the education of the Party, Long Mei Yurong has never forgotten her first heart, cherishing and guarding the honor and responsibility of the “Little Sisters of the Grassland Heroes”, returning the care of the Party with practical action, and giving back to the motherland, the grasslands and the people. The heroic deeds of the Little Sisters and the spirit of patriotism and collectivism have inspired and motivated generations of young people to love their country, love the collective and strive for excellence, and have become indelible red classics in the hearts of several generations. The heroic deeds and spirit of the “Little Sisters of the Grasslands” shine like a monument and are the eternal pride of the Inner Mongolian grasslands!

Cherishing life and treating nature well are beliefs that the grassland people will never forget.

Love of the motherland, love of the collective, and willingness to sacrifice stem from the deep-seated love of people in the grassland culture.

The heroic deeds of the Little Sisters of the Heroes of the Grasslands are a vivid combination of this excellent traditional ethnic culture and the national unity sentiment of thick blood and mutual help on the Inner Mongolian plateau.

The patriotism of the Little Sisters of the Grassland Heroes will be energized in the new era, and telling the story of the heroes of the new era will have a more positive significance in enhancing the identification of all ethnic groups with the great motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the Communist Party of China, and socialism with Chinese characteristics, and in forging a strong sense of community among the Chinese people.

Source: Micro White Cloud

Original title: “In Pursuit of Heroic Marks and Gathering the Power of the Times” - Children’s Ballet “Little Sisters of the Heroes of the Grasslands”: Experiencing Heroic Legends and Reaffirming Collectivism and Patriotism Education from a New Angle

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