In 1994, a 62-year-old woman was hospitalized due to cerebral infarction and was in critical condition. Her family spent all their savings and owed 30,000 yuan in foreign debt. A notice of arrears and withdrawal of medication was handed to her husband. He looked helpless and hesitant. Later, after being exposed by the media, it was discovered that this woman was actually the prototype of Wang Fang in the movie "Heroic Sons and Daughters" and the only female soldier to be awarded first-class merit in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea - Xie Xiumei.
In 1932, Xie Xiumei was born in a rural area in Hebei. As long as she can remember, she has witnessed the evil deeds of the Japanese invaders bullying the common people and carrying out raids everywhere, and she has buried her hatred for the Japanese in her heart. When she was 9 years old, she became a little correspondent in the anti-Japanese guerrilla army , helping to deliver news.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xie Xiumei signed up to join the army and became an art soldier in the art troupe. After the outbreak of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, she entered North Korea with the army.
As a young literary female soldier, faced with the explosions in front and the roar of enemy planes above every day, Xie Xiumei did not show any timidity, but chose to face it bravely.
She knows that the duty of the artistic soldiers is to bring fun and strength to the soldiers. Therefore, she used singing and various performances every day to relieve the soldiers' tension and boost their morale.
In addition, Xie Xiumei also worked tirelessly to help go up the mountain to chop wood, boil water for cooking, sew clothes, and dig wild vegetables every day...
In this way, she tried her best to do everything she could to provide spiritual and material protection for the frontline soldiers. During this period, she was awarded the title of "March Model" by the art troupe.
Later, the war on the front line became urgent, the wounded were constantly being sent to the rear, and the health team also faced a serious shortage of personnel. At this time, Xie Xiumei, who was under 20 years old, volunteered to join the health team , responsible for helping to take care of the wounded who came down from the front line.
On the front-line battlefield, the enemy often sends air force bombers and blocks our supply lines, resulting in a lack of food supply for front-line soldiers. Xie Xiumei couldn't bear to see the wounded hungry, so she risked being bombed by enemy planes and went to the mountains to dig wild vegetables to feed the wounded.
Once, the frontline health center was bombed by enemy planes, and it was a sea of fire. Medical staff quickly picked up the wounded and moved them to the air raid shelter.
At this time, it was discovered that another seriously injured man, Li Yonghua, was still in the frontline health center and had not been transferred. Upon hearing this, Xie Xiumei rushed into the health center that had been gradually swallowed up by the fire without thinking, and found Li Yonghua. However, Li Yonghua was unable to move due to serious injuries.
Li Yonghua said to Xie Xiumei who rushed in: "Go away quickly! Leave me alone!"
Xie Xiumei said stubbornly: "No, it is my responsibility to take care of you. I will not let you be hurt a second time!"
As she said that, she used her petite body to incredibly carry Li Yonghua on her back and rushed out of the sea of fire.
But in the final stage of the evacuation, enemy planes bombed from the sky. At that moment, Xie Xiumei quickly turned around and protected Li Yonghua with her body. The collapsed houses, flying rocks, etc. buried the two of them.
Fortunately, Xie Xiumei did not suffer any fatal injuries, only skin wounds all over her body. She quickly struggled out of the mound regardless of the pain, and Li Yonghua also suffered no other injuries under her cover.
When he arrived at the air-raid shelter, Li Yonghua looked at this brave little girl who was covered with injuries and was already moved to tears.
Soon, Xie Xiumei's heroic deeds of selflessly rescuing the wounded spread throughout the army, touching and inspiring the frontline soldiers. Xie Xiumei also received first-class merit.
In January 1952, Xie Xiumei returned to China as a representative to report and was cordially received by the leaders. In May, she returned to the frontline battlefield again. In October, Xie Xiumei was awarded the highest honor - the National Flag Medal by Kim Il Sung.
After the war, Xie Xiumei transferred from the army to Hebei. From then on, she covered up her fame, got married and had children, and lived a low-key life. Her husband Li Zhihua is also a soldier who transferred from the army.
Except for her family members who knew about her past deeds, Xie Xiumei did not allow them to tell anyone else, so that even her neighbors did not know that Xie Xiumei was a first-class hero. Neither Xie Xiumei nor her husband Li Zhihua want to gain anything from the country or society by relying on their past achievements! They are just an ordinary couple.
If life passed by just like this, without any accidents, Xie Xiumei might leave quietly like many ordinary old women, without causing any ripples.
However, how can life be without accidents?
In early 1994, 62-year-old Xie Xiumei was admitted to the hospital for treatment due to multiple cerebral infarctions. She fell into a coma and was in critical condition. During the half-year treatment, all the family's savings were spent, and she owed more than 30,000 yuan to relatives and friends. A notice of arrears and discontinuation of medication was handed to her husband Li Zhihua. Li Zhihua fell into helplessness and hesitation...
Maybe it was God's will in the dark!
This year happened to be the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the victory of fascism. Patriotic films were born one after another, and "Heroic Sons and Daughters" was one of them. At that time, there was a campaign to find the prototype characters in the film, and Jie Xiumei was found as the prototype of Wang Fang in the film.
In December 1994, " Oriental Time and Space " broadcast the news that Wang Fang, the prototype of "Heroes", had no money for medical treatment and was in critical condition. It caused a sensation. People offered their helping hands one after another and hoped that Xie Xiumei would recover soon! However, God did not fulfill his wish! Xie Xiumei still could not be saved and died in January 1996.
Although Xie Xiumei has left, her story and spirit are still being told and passed down by us, and will be told and passed down by us forever! We give her our highest respect!
# Picture from the Internet, intrusion and deletion
# Reference: Volunteer Army Research Association's "Century of Party History, Tribute to the Heroes - Jie Xiumei"
