New Year Grassroots Visit | You Guard the Country, I Guard the Home, They Reunite Where They Planted the "Wishing Tree"

The Northern Theater Army's Triangle Mountain Border Defense Company is stationed deep in the Greater Khingan Range, where winters are long and cold, with a frost-free period of about 90 days, and temperatures can drop to over minus 50 degrees Celsius. Batch after batch of soldiers have rooted themselves here for years, spending little time with their families. This Spring Festival, military wife Yan Liyun once again took her two daughters to Triangle Mountain to visit her husband Chen Fujun, who has served there for nineteen years.

Before setting off, Yan Liyun repeatedly organized her luggage, afraid of forgetting something. In their twelve years of marriage, her husband has been stationed at Triangle Mountain while Yan Liyun has taken care of the elderly and raised their daughters at home, supporting the entire family with her fragile shoulders.

Military wife Yan Liyun: I have my responsibilities, and he has his. My current state is to take good care of the children and parents, so he doesn’t have to worry too much. His main focus is to do his job well and safely over there.

While their mother packed, the two daughters were also busy, carefully counting their pocket money saved over the year, preparing to bring a New Year blessing to their dad and the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army who are also stationed at the border.

With this small token of affection, Yan Liyun and her two children set off for the Triangle Mountain Border Defense Company. Thinking of their father, whom they hadn’t seen for a long time, the sisters couldn’t hide their longing and anticipation, softly humming the song their dad often sang to them.

The song accompanied them along the way, carrying their longing far away and making their journey feel particularly light. From Huairen in Shanxi to the Triangle Mountain Border Defense Company in Arxan, Inner Mongolia, the journey spans over a thousand kilometers and involves four transfers: by car, high-speed train, hard sleeper, and hard seat. This journey to visit family takes over forty hours, and Yan Liyun has been making this trip for twelve years.

On the morning of the third day, the train arrived on time in Arxan, Inner Mongolia, and the outdoor temperature had dropped to minus 20°C. Chen Fujun, who had just completed his patrol duty, came to the national border to greet the mother and daughters, accompanied by his comrades, giving them a small surprise.

The fatigue from the journey vanished in an instant at the moment of reunion. Chen Fujun carefully helped the children onto the saddle and slowly walked towards the company. The family's silhouette returning through the snow in front of the national border became a simple representation of reunion.

Having served for 19 years, Chen Fujun is now the oldest soldier in the Triangle Mountain Border Defense Company. In addition to his daily patrol duties, he also has to ensure the water, electricity, and heating supplies for the company. Because of this responsibility, he voluntarily stays behind every Spring Festival, allowing his comrades to have a warm and peaceful New Year. However, the long-term separation has also made Chen Fujun feel a deep sense of guilt.

Behind this persistence is the silent dedication of generations of border soldiers. More than forty years ago, the old company commander of this unit, Li Xiangen, sacrificed himself heroically to save his comrades. To commemorate him, his wife Guo Fengrong planted a Chinese fir at the Triangle Mountain outpost, which the soldiers call the "Lovesickness Tree." Twelve years ago, Chen Fujun and Yan Liyun made their vows of love here.

Under the Lovesickness Tree, we witness a journey that has spanned twelve years without interruption. Chen Fujun and Yan Liyun, through their simple yet resilient life choices, have defined what it means to have a home and a country.

It is precisely because of Chen Fujun and countless comrades who have rooted themselves at their posts and silently persevered that the lights of thousands of homes behind them remain bright. It is also the unspoken dedication and careful guardianship of many "Yan Liyuns" that allows the soldiers far away to focus on their duties of guarding the country and the border. This journey across mountains and rivers is an ordinary yet extraordinary reunion.