three generations of a family are loyal to the party: "highland eagle" bayika's story of protecting the country's borders
2024-09-21
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on the pamir plateau, the story of bayika kailidibiek's family of three generations taking turns to protect the border is well-known.
the ancient pamir plateau has an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters. "there are no birds in the sky, no grass on the ground, the wind blows the stones away, there is not enough oxygen, it snows heavily in june, and people have to wear cotton-padded jackets all year round." this place is regarded as a "forbidden zone for life."
in december 1949, the hongqilapu border defense company had just been established and was about to carry out border patrol missions. however, the company's officers and soldiers were in trouble. the destination of this patrol was wufulanggou, known as the "valley of death". the road was famous for its steepness and could only be led by yaks. a round trip took 3 months, and natural disasters such as avalanches, landslides, and mud-rock flows often occurred on the road.
without an experienced guide, the soldiers would have difficulty moving forward. at this time, bayika's father, tajik herdsman kailidibek dilidar, volunteered to be the company's voluntary guide. in the following 23 years, he led the border guards to walk through every boundary marker, every river, and every ravine on the khunjerab border.
bayika said that his father had taught him since he was young that it was the border guards who guarded the border day and night that allowed people of all ethnic groups to live and work in peace and contentment. "they have paid a lot for us, and we are just leading them and doing what we can."
in 1972, his father passed on this responsibility to bayika: "you must continue to follow my path and make new contributions to the border defense of the motherland."
the majestic kunlun mountains and the vast snowfields.
bayika's footsteps have covered the border of the pamir plateau. he is called a "living map" on the border by local soldiers and civilians. with his many years of experience, he has helped border guards escape danger countless times.
once, bayika led border guards on yaks and passed the kaila afu river. he was walking in front when a big wave hit a rock, fractured his leg, and almost fainted from the pain. at that time, another soldier was also washed into the turbulent river. at the critical moment, bayika jumped into the water despite his injuries and pulled the soldier back. but he soon lost consciousness and was saved after several hours of rescue.
i don't know how many times i've had such close brushes with death.
in 1986, his father kailidibek was seriously ill, but the patrol mission was just around the corner, and bayika was very conflicted. his father saw his son's worries, so he told bayika to relax and focus on patrolling the border.
bayika set out on his patrol with great anxiety. a few days after he left, his father passed away and was buried in the valley of khunjerab, where his father had specifically requested to be buried because he could see the national border.
in june 1998, bayika gloriously joined the communist party of china. he often told people: "patrolling and protecting the border is the responsibility of the state and the herdsmen. without the state's boundary markers, where would our cattle and sheep be?"
37 years, more than 700 patrols, and a distance of more than 30,000 kilometers... bayika encountered countless emergencies and dangers, but he never backed down and never stopped guarding the border.
in 2009, bayika passed on this responsibility and patriotic spirit of guarding the border to his son, razini bayika, just like his father. razini began patrolling with his father when he was a teenager, learning skills such as exploring the road and checking the terrain.
on patrol, razini always walks in the front to explore the way, helping border guards to escape danger again and again. he has always been the pride of his father. the officers and soldiers of the hongqilapu border defense company have been replaced one after another, and they have formed a deep relationship with the three generations of bayika's family.
however, january 4, 2021, has become a day that bayika will never forget.
on that day, snowflakes fell heavily. razini, who was attending a training course at kashgar university, saw a child fall into an ice cave when he passed by the school's artificial lake. when razini reached out to pull the child out, the ice suddenly collapsed. he tried his best to lift the child out of the water, and used his last bit of strength to push the child onto the ice, and then fell into the icy lake, his life frozen at the age of 41.
when the tragic news came, bayika was heartbroken. but when the mother of the rescued child was at his door and was afraid to come in, the old man went out and welcomed her in.
"i am not surprised that razini saved people. i am very sad to lose my son, but he sacrificed his life to save his children. i am proud of him." he told the mother, "although he left me, the children of 56 nationalities are all my children."
although he is old and can no longer fight on the front line of border defense, he still "stands" on the plateau in his own way.
when you walk into bayika's home in tiznapu village, tiznapu township, tashkurgan tajik autonomous county, the first thing that catches your eye is the photos of razini hanging on the walls. each photo frame has been wiped clean and hung neatly by the old father.
in recent years, tourists who visit the pamir plateau would spontaneously come to the village to visit bayika after hearing about the family's deeds. they would sit around on the kang filled with delicious food and listen to bayika's stories about the hardships of protecting the border and the earth-shaking changes in the village.
what makes the old man most happy is that at the end of 2022, taxkorgan khunjerab airport, xinjiang's first plateau airport, will be officially opened to traffic, and the snowy pamirs plateau will welcome the first batch of "air visitors". the once isolated plateau is now connected in all directions.
"razini is gone, and i have the obligation to take over his responsibilities. i will use my stories to let the children remember, study hard, always listen to the party, be grateful to the party, and follow the party's path." bayika said with a firm look.
xinhua news agency, urumqi, september 18
xinhua news agency reporter sun zhe source: china youth daily
(source: china youth daily)
