New Year Grassroots Visit | A Radar Station of the Northern Theater Navy: Watching Over the Deep Blue from the Mountain Top

China National Radio reported from Beijing on February 22 (reporters Zhu Dongyang, Cao Hongming, Zhang Guoqiang) that soldiers from a certain radar station of the Northern Theater Command Navy have been stationed for many years on a high mountain close to the sea on the Jiaodong Peninsula. They monitor radar signals day and night, guarding the peace of the sea and air like the eyes of a warship.

The car that the reporter was riding in wound its way up the mountain road, and after many turns, arrived at the destination of this trip—the barracks of a certain radar station of the Northern Theater Command Navy. The two radar installations to the south and north of the mountain stand like armed sentinels, protecting the frontline of the sea and air. The entire barracks is clean and tidy, equipped with a gym, basketball court, and soccer field, with vegetable greenhouses scattered in between.

Instructor Liang Nailin of the radar station: The painting and arrangement of the gym were all done by our soldiers. The area where the soccer field is now was once wasteland; everyone worked together to clear the stones and harden the ground, and the grass was laid by ourselves. Participating together in the construction of this station makes everyone feel that we are growing together with this station and taking root here.

As he spoke, an old soldier wearing the rank of a third-class sergeant greeted Instructor Liang Nailin. His name is Wang Wendong, and he was on his way to the duty room.

Reporter: How many steps do you have to climb to get up the mountain?

Wang Wendong: There are 352 steps on the north side. When we have a mission or in an emergency, we can usually run up in six to ten minutes. The fastest time was when a comrade ran up in five minutes.

Wang Wendong is from Dingxi, Gansu, and has crossed thousands of miles from the northwest of the motherland to the shores of the Yellow Sea, having spent 18 springs and autumns at the radar station.

Wang Wendong: Over the past few years, there have been continuous upgrades and updates to the equipment, significantly improving reconnaissance distance, target identification capabilities, and artificial intelligence.

Wang Wendong said that for radar soldiers, the small screen is their battlefield.

Wang Wendong: Our duty is real combat; every day we are in a state of continuous monitoring of electronic targets.

Leaving the duty room, the reporter entered the comprehensive building next to the barracks. A painting titled "Forging Swords in Wind and Snow" captured a scene where several soldiers were urgently repairing communication optical cables in a snowstorm, with thick snow covering their knees. This painting depicts a real scene that occurred at the radar station. Communication technician Zhang Xuelin recalled the moment he experienced firsthand.

Zhang Xuelin: The mountains have many cliffs; it took over an hour to walk, and the splicing took two hours. It had to be done by hand, as the wire is as thin as a hair, and gloves couldn't grip it. I also had to spread my coat to block the wind; after a long time of splicing, my hands really lost feeling, but after finishing, it felt quite rewarding.

In Instructor Liang Nailin's room, the reporter saw a painting themed around the Spring Festival nearing completion. In the picture, the national flag fluttering in the wind and the high-hanging lanterns are particularly eye-catching—the bright red not only carries the warmth of home but also symbolizes the peace of the nation.

Liang Nailin: I painted the appearance of everyone steadfastly holding their positions and watching over the sea and air. It records this sense of responsibility and commitment, and it is also a different form of "family portrait" for us, the sentinels of the maritime frontier.