Seeing the revolutionary warriors during the socialist period posted by Fenghuo and Ame in the forum, I was reminded of the deeds of Qilin Wangdan, the “Eagle of Snow Mountain,” which I saw long ago in “Writing and Talking about Literature.” Then I went to read this report published in the People’s Daily. When I read it, I was moved by the proletarian heroism displayed by Qilin Wangdan. Facing the rebellion activities of the landowners, the reckless attacks of the capitalist-roaders, and the harsh natural conditions, Wangdan thought about the great prospects of the socialist revolution, about坚定走毛主席的革命路线, about how the emancipated slaves should not suffer twice, or bear double hardships. However, when facing the countercurrent of capitalist restoration, Wangdan might not have withstood it, choosing compromise and surrender. In the 1980s, he became a bureaucrat, leaving a stain on his life, but this cannot erase his坚持走毛主席的革命道路 during socialist China, and his significant contributions to the revolution. This also proves that the先进是争出来的, only by always抓紧阶级斗争, can we坚持马列主义原则, and无私的为革命做贡献. The original article was published in the People’s Daily on December 23, 1969.
At the first active learning and application of Mao Zedong Thought in Yunnan Province, representatives from various ethnic groups widely praised a proletarian先锋战士——云南省迪庆藏族自治州中甸县东旺公社革委会主任、新联大队党支部书记七林旺丹同志, who was praised by the Tibetan emancipated slaves as “Snow Mountain Eagle.”
Over the past twenty years, in the fierce struggle between two classes, two roads, and two路线, Comrade Wangdan has高举毛泽东思想伟大红旗,遵循毛主席“下定决心，不怕牺牲，排除万难，去争取胜利”的伟大教导, not afraid of苦, not afraid of死, fighting against a small group of阶级敌人, fighting天, fighting地, making the雪山峡谷换新天, making the天红地红人更红. On the long march of revolution, Wangdan胸怀朝阳, along with the广大翻身农奴,沿着毛主席指引的航向,不断革命,奋勇前进.
Follow Mao Chairman in Revolution
The red sun rises in the east, and the morning glow fills the sky.
In the spring of 1951, the光辉 of the red sun illuminated the雪山峡谷. Mao Chairman’s亲人“金珠玛米”解放了迪庆高原,破除了农奴身上的锁链. Good news spread like春风, blowing across the雪山草原.
Wangdan escaped from the landowner’s house and found the liberation army. The comrades of the liberation army showed him a portrait of Mao Chairman and told Wangdan: “We are the队伍 sent by Mao Chairman. Mao Chairman is救命恩人 of millions of slaves, to turn over they must follow Mao Chairman in revolution.”
Wangdan, with tears in his eyes, looked at Mao’s portrait, recalling the苦难 of the past.
Wangdan was born in a poor奴隶家 in the New联大队. At five, he begged for food with his mother. At seven, he was forcibly taken by the奴隶主 to be a养身奴隶. From then on, Wangdan lost his自由.
At that time, the landowners ate酥油细糌粑, Wangdan ate雪水拌荞皮; the landowners wore狐皮楚巴, Wangdan wore麻布筋 that could not cover his body; the landowners lived in高楼, Wangdan lived in牛厩猪窝. Year after year, the whiplashes of the landowners covered Wangdan’s body. The young Wangdan燃起了复仇的火焰 in his胸中. He eagerly期待着老人们说的红军,回来解救受苦受难的奴隶…….
Now, the红军 has indeed returned. Wangdan has many words to tell his亲人. He raised Mao’s portrait with both hands and, for the first time,学着解放军用汉话高呼: “Long live Chairman Mao! Long live Chairman Mao!”
Wangdan followed the troops, guiding them and delivering messages. The leaders of the troops explained many revolutionary principles to him, transforming this养身奴隶, who only knew how to砍柴上山 and背水下山, into a红心燃烧, eager to拿起枪 and follow Mao Chairman in revolution.
Soon, with the help of the liberation army, he returned home to串连 a group of emancipated slaves, organized militia联合队, tightly握手中的枪, appeared in雪山峡谷, and, together with the liberation army, defended their hometown and the borders of the motherland.
“Imperialists and国内反动派 will never be satisfied with their failure, they will make the最后挣扎.” The奴隶 who had been踩在脚下 has turned over, but a small group of反动农奴主 are unwilling to die.
In April 1952, a残匪 hiding in the梅柳雪山岩洞 in the新联乡, attempted to抵抗. The人民解放军 and militia surrounded the rebels layer by layer, launching a政治攻势, aiming to deliver a letter order for the rebels to surrender into their巢穴. Wangdan, standing aside, thought: without Mao Chairman, there would be no me, Qilin Wangdan; if we do not eliminate these bandits, there will be no彻底解放 of our翻身农奴. He stepped forward, braving枪林弹雨, climbed the十七道悬岩上的石梯 to reach the洞口. The rebels inside aimed their枪 at Wangdan. He calmly handed over the surrender letter. The rebel leader asked: “How many解放军 are below?” He坚定地回答: “Across the mountains, countless!” Under the强大政治军事压力 of our army, this残匪 was forced to surrender.
In winter 1957, the反动农奴主 once again起义 with武装叛乱. A rebel force suddenly围攻 the东旺侧庸办事处, cut off the电话线 to翁上 and中甸, and堵住 the水源. Wangdan and over eighty联防队员 and工作队员坚守 the office, fighting bloody battles with the rebels, repelling dozens of their冲锋. That night, the rebels,无可奈何,喊话: “Qilin Wangdan, you藏族人,不要跟汉人跑,快出来投降.” Hearing the rebels’ howling, Wangdan clenched his牙齿. He climbed onto the roof and loudly replied:
“My命 is given by阿爸毛主席. Living, I am Mao Chairman’s person; dying, I will still follow Mao Chairman in revolution.”
Outnumbered, the fight grew more intense. To wipe out the rebels, the leaders decided: to假装突围, to send a message for援助. Wangdan tightly握着那支瓦蓝色的二十响枪, told the leaders: “My life was given by my娘, my成长由毛泽东思想. To wipe out the rebels, no matter how大困难, as long as I still have一口气, I will爬, and deliver the信 to the解放军.” He sewed the信 into his棉裤. At this moment, the landlord of the联防队, Zha Shi Weng Bo, crawled out from the corner, repeatedly asking to go with Wangdan.
Cunning and treacherous, Zha Shi Weng Bo was actually a潜伏的叛匪. On the way, he骗过 Wangdan’s枪, and恶狠狠地 said to Wangdan: “I come with you, just to prevent you from giving the信 to the解放军.” Bang! A shot hit Wangdan’s右臂.
“You can’t kill me, you叛匪!” Wangdan endured the pain, lunged to抓 the枪, but failed. The叛匪 shot again, the bullet穿过 Wangdan’s腹部. Wangdan猛挣起来,抓住枪管,按向下方, the家伙连续扣动扳机,剩下的五发子弹打光了. The凶恶的叛匪又拔出刀刺向 Wangdan, who迅速抽出腰间的手榴弹 and打向 the家伙’s脑袋. Zha Shi Weng Bo惨叫一声,跌下悬岩.
Wangdan immediately解下 the藏靴上的扎带, 包扎 his右臂的伤口. Just as he was about to赶路, suddenly felt a刀绞般的腹痛. What to do? Stand up or lie down? Forward or backward? He thought: over eighty阶级兄弟 are waiting for support from the解放军, I must not倒下 here. As long as I can deliver the信, I am willing to die. He pressed his受伤的右手 on the腹部伤口, and with his左手抓雪, he艰难地爬行 forward. Crossing深沟,绕过沟; downhill, just roll down; hungry, just grab some雪 to fill his stomach. When climbing a七十多度 steep slope, he struggled up and slipped down repeatedly, climbing over forty times, his clothes worn out, his flesh rubbed raw, leaving a blood-stained红线 in the snow. From morning till night, he fainted several times but did not give up.
The ice and snow covered the ground, and狂风呼啸. Wangdan woke from fainting. The伟大领袖 Mao Chairman’s heroic scenes of leading the Red Army’s Long March, climbing雪山, crossing草地, appeared before his eyes. Wangdan used his hand to straighten his腰. Look! The Red Army led by Mao Chairman had passed through the前面的纳亚雪山. Thinking of Mao Chairman, he felt full of strength. He clenched his teeth and finally reached the雪山口 of翁上, seeing a woman chopping firewood from afar. He wanted to喊, but couldn’t make a sound, and fainted again.
Soon, Wangdan was carried to the驻地 of the troops. When he opened his eyes, he pointed to his thigh: “信! 信!” The military leaders looked at this blood-red信, and immediately ordered the troops: “沿着七林旺丹同志的血迹, 向东旺前进.” The soldiers arrived at the侧庸, and, together with the联防队员, launched an inside-out attack, completely destroying the rebels. The反动农奴主’s复辟 conspiracy was破产. On the roof of the office, the五星红旗 fluttered高高.
In 1960, Wangdan荣幸地 attended the national militia representatives meeting, and happily met the伟大领袖 Mao Chairman. Mao Chairman’s face was full of红光, and he was in very good health, constantly waving and smiling at the representatives. Wangdan was激动得满眼热泪, applauding and shouting: “Long live Chairman Mao! Long live Chairman Mao!” He looked at Mao Chairman and silently made a firm决心: “阿爸毛主席, the翻身农奴 will永远跟着您, even if the山崩地裂,志不移,海枯石烂,心不变.”
The eagle is not afraid of storms
After the national militia representatives meeting, Wangdan带着中央军委赠送的毛主席著作回到新联乡, and was elected as the乡党支部书记. He遵循毛主席的“没有农业社会化,就没有全部的巩固的社会主义”教导, leading the新联的翻身农奴走上了集体化的康庄大道. The entire新联, everywhere呈现一片热气腾腾的革命景象.
Hidden within the county and district, a small group of走资派 saw that the翻身农奴 had走上了毛主席指引的路, and hated it to the bone. They追随叛徒、内奸、工贼刘少奇,疯狂推行“三自一包”,鼓吹“阶级斗争熄灭论”,胡说什么“边疆特殊”、“民族落后”, and forcibly砍掉雪山中的巴拉合作社,重新搞起单干. Wangdan思考再三, Mao主席明明叫我们“组织起来”,走合作化的道路, why do they want to砍合作社? This is definitely not Mao’s政策, and合作社 cannot be散.
These坏家伙, seeing Wangdan refuse to执行 the砍社单干命令, personally派人到巴拉,把入社的牛又分给各家各户, and forcibly砍掉了合作社.
Great领袖 Mao主席指出: “农业合作化运动,从一开始,就是一种严重的思想的和政治的斗争.每一个合作社,不经过这样的一场斗争,就不能创立.” Class enemies can利用篡夺的职权,砍掉合作社, but永远不能砍掉翻身农奴忠于毛主席的红心. In winter 1964, representatives of the emancipated slaves in巴拉, crossed the雪山, to find Wangdan: “Wangdan!散社 only a year, some families have enough糌粑, enough酥油茶, but洛茸 and班马 families have months of粮食缺乏, are we going back to the苦日子 of旧社会?” Wangdan organized everyone to study “关于农业合作化问题”, and when reading the part that says “If this situation develops, the phenomenon of两极分化 in rural areas will become严重”, the representatives激动起来, and said:
“Wangdan, with阿爸毛主席, we fear nothing. If they don’t approve, we will自己办.”
Wangdan told them: “The党支部支持你们, go and办社, even if the雪山倒塌, I will support you.”
The走资派 inside the区委 were吓坏了, saying: “Qilin Wangdan has吃了豹子胆, dare to不听上级指示.” They threatened to给他点颜色看看.
“A彻底的唯物主义者是无所畏惧的”. Wangdan was unwavering, standing firmly with the群众, and针锋相对 with the走资派, repeatedly办了又砍, 砍了又办. He said:
“There are thousands of roads in the world, ten thousand roads, but the socialist道路指引 by Mao Chairman, our翻身农奴 have decided to walk!”
In summer 1966, Mao Chairman issued a伟大动员令 for the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Wangdan immediately responded to Mao’s call, and, with the广大翻身农奴, launched a猛烈的进攻 against a small group of走资派 within the党.
The traitors,内奸, and工贼 Liu Shaoqi, sensing their doom,疯狂地推行资产阶级反动路线, hoping to打击 the vigorous revolutionary movement of the无产阶级.
One day, a群众大会 was held in the district, claiming to fight the走资派. Wangdan thought: I must揭开 the阶级斗争 within the district committee, and expose that bad guy who disguised as the district secretary, having been a lama in旧社会 for thirteen years, and always反对毛泽东思想 after liberation. But, unexpectedly, the走资派 within the district committee colluded with the坏人, and when Wangdan entered the meeting, they拉 him onto the stage to斗争. They accused Wangdan of抵制 the砍社,抵制 the“三自一包”, and the“四大自由”, calling him a“反党”, and“反抗上级”, and闹独立王国, and branded him as a“反党分子”.
The广大革命群众 were非常愤怒, and stood up to问 the走资派: “Why are you pointing your矛头 at the革命干部?” This hit their要害, and they immediately went to围攻 the群众.
No matter how凶猛 the狼, they cannot胜过 the猎人. No matter how疯狂 the阶级敌人, they cannot胜过 the战士 armed with毛泽东思想. The走资派 then 把 Wangdan 送到乡下去斗争, but Wangdan was不屈服. Wherever he went, he took out the红宝书, organized the翻身农奴 to learn. The走资派 slandered him among the群众, calling him a“伪装积极”, and“假革命”, and forbade him to do so. Wangdan thought: with毛主席, I have myself; with毛泽东思想, the雪山草原 can see the sun. No matter how they attack me, I will宣传毛泽东思想. Wherever he went, he studied Mao’s works with the群众, worked together, and fought against the走资派.
“All反动势力, when they are about to perish, always make垂死挣扎.” One day, the走资派 held another meeting in the district to斗争 Wangdan. They架起 him on the stage, and乱轰 him. A坏家伙拿着一根又粗又长的大针,狠毒地戳 Wangdan’s屁股. The志坚如钢的 Wangdan warned the走资派: “You can戳烂 my皮肉, but you cannot戳烂 my忠于毛主席的红心.” He kept reciting Mao’s teachings: “Decide firmly, not怕牺牲,排除万难,去争取胜利.” In front of the敌人, he would never低下革命头.
The翻身农奴 could no longer忍受, and went on stage to辩论 with the small group of坏家伙. Wangdan, seeing this scene,激动地 high叫: “Long live Chairman Mao! Long live the Communist Party of China!” A坏家伙吓唬他说: “If you喊 again, I will一枪崩了你!” Wangdan瞪大眼睛盯着那个家伙, and said: “What exactly are you? Why are you so害怕我喊‘Long live Chairman Mao!’ and ‘Long live the Communist Party of China!’” The坏家伙脸红一阵白一阵, and退缩了. The走资派, seeing the situation was bad, had to草草收场.
They were afraid that Wangdan would与群众在一起, so they关起来 him,锁上门, and监视 him.
During the days of白色恐怖, Wangdan thought even more about the伟大领袖 Mao Chairman. Every time the金太阳 rises over the雪山顶, he looks east and sings loudly:
“The雪山 in迪庆高原 faces east,
To pick a雪莲花 and送给 the金太阳.
The翻身农奴’s颗颗红心忠于毛主席,
Mao主席啊,祝福您万寿无疆!”
The truth cannot be锁住, and the革命烈火 cannot be扑灭. During the days Wangdan was imprisoned, the翻身农奴 and the红卫兵小将 broke through many obstacles to send him Mao’s instructions, protecting his safety in every way; the 70-plus-year-old翻身农奴翁基 ran nearly a hundred li to visit him from新联. Mao’s teachings, the老阿爸’s关怀, and the support of the红卫兵小将 gave Wangdan endless strength. He told the老阿爸:
“阿爸, you can rest assured. The wind is strong and the snow is deep, but it can only scare timid rabbits. Ten years ago, the敌人打穿了我的肚子, but I still climbed the雪山, and delivered the信. Today, with Mao’s instructions by my side, I am even less afraid. To defend Mao’s revolutionary路线, I would rather advance to die, than retreat a half step alive.”
The老阿爸 nodded with satisfaction, saying: “The暴风雪 can’t break the wings of the雄鹰. We won’t let those bad guys who shoot暗箭 at good同志 who follow Mao Chairman go unpunished.”
This day finally arrived. In March 1967, Mao Chairman sent the亲人解放军 to support the东旺地区. Mao Zedong Thought’s光辉 shone brightly on the雪山. Wangdan, who was labeled as a“反党分子” by the走资派, was imprisoned for more than a month and a night, but was救出. He was激动 and held the hand of the亲人解放军, repeatedly高呼: “Long live Chairman Mao! Long live Chairman Mao!” The dream of the small group of走资派 to restore capitalism in the党 was破灭.
Let the雪山峡谷换新装
In the fierce class struggle of风暴, Wangdan is a先锋战士 who is不怕苦不怕死; in the斗争 with nature, he is a革命闯将 fighting天 and fighting地.
The old新联乡 was surrounded by five雪山, a雪山峡谷 with “看天一条缝,看地一道沟”, and极端落后的生产 conditions. After liberation, they still had to跨越雪山 to背国家的救济粮.
“穷则思变,要干,要革命. A blank sheet of paper, free of负担, can write the newest and most beautiful words, draw the latest and most beautiful pictures.” Wangdan thought, the山山水水 of新联, are earned by the血汗 of亲人“金珠玛米” and the民兵战友. Mao Chairman entrusted it to us, and our任务 is to建设 and to守卫 it. With Mao Chairman’s leadership, Mao Zedong Thought’s guidance, and the efforts of the广大翻身农奴, we can surely conquer the贫瘠的山水 of新联. He carried粥, examined the山势 and水源 of雪山峡谷, traveled from village to village, from土楼 to土楼, and engaged with群众, seeking their opinions on治山治水. After thorough调查, he提出了一个改造山河的计划. In winter 1964, the党支部 approved Wangdan’s plan, deciding to first build the新联大沟 on麦巴雪山.
At this time, the阶级敌人 spread rumors: “修水利,挖着神山,天神要治罪;砍着神树,要遭雷打.” Some糊涂人 also said: “Stones are not泥巴, if this水沟 is built, it can穿我的鼻子当牛拉.” To破除阶级敌人的阴谋, mobilize群众 to fight天斗地, the党支部在“神山”召开了誓师大会. Wangdan raised the光辉的“老三篇”, leading民兵 to recite together. The民兵们 learned more and more, their eyes brightened, and their力量 grew. They said: “With the光辉的‘老三篇’ as guidance, a千年的冰河 will make way, and a万年的雪山 will bow.” “If the天神要降罪, it will start from神山.” In deep winter, the entire新联 was covered in冰雪, and on the first day of the new year, Wangdan carried the红宝书, led the民兵, and climbed the“神山” amidst the风雪. A battle to改变天 and地 began. Without测量仪器, they used酒瓶装水, and自制土仪器; without炸药, they used柴火 to烧热 stones, then泼冷水 to炸裂 them, gradually removing the stones.
Where the工程最艰险, Wangdan was there.
Monkey Rock,悬挂在半空. Wangdan led a突击队 of over thirty people, the first to reach Monkey Rock. At this moment, his伤口复发,剧烈疼痛使他满头冷汗. Comrades urged him to休息, but he took out the“老三篇”, told stories of张思德,白求恩, and老愚公, and朗诵ed loudly: “Decide firmly, not怕牺牲,排除万难,去争取胜利.” He persisted in不下工地.
Finally, the翻身农奴 armed with Mao Zedong Thought conquered Monkey Rock. The entire length of the新联大沟, originally planned for over fifty days, was completed in only twenty-two days. Clear mountain springs flowed from麦巴雪山,穿越“神山”, and reached the fields.
Faced with facts, all谣言 of阶级敌人 were破灭.
Faced with facts, some糊涂的人 saw the light.
The靠雨露阳光生长的青稞, and the干革命靠的毛泽东思想. The光辉 of“老三篇” illuminated the翻身农奴’s心. They concluded: the so-called神山 is not神, and can still be踩在脚下.
The群众 were fully mobilized. The entire新联 launched a高潮 of water conservancy,梯田建设, and basic farmland建设. Over ten years, relying on自力更生 and艰苦奋斗精神, the队伍开沟三十条,扩大灌溉面积二千九百亩, and developed over七百亩水平梯地. Grain产量 increased more than double, and from 1963, they no longer needed国家救济粮, and even交售了六十多万斤公粮余粮. Each生产队 had储备粮.新联 has changed.
The changes in新联 are巨大, but Wangdan was not satisfied. In his心, he had a宏伟蓝图 for building社会主义新农村.
The most远的边三村 in the公社, with sixty-three households, was隔在深山峡谷 between两座大雪山. It took七八天 to往返, and only有一条悬岩路, which was峭壁悬岩 that“雪羊不敢走,猴子也发愁”. After liberation, the翻身农奴 in this area提出了十二次要劈岩炸石,打通这条路, but a small group of走资派 rejected it as“痴心妄想”.
After the成立 of the公社革委会, Wangdan thought: to传达毛主席’s最新指示 quickly, so that翻身农奴 can听到毛主席’s声音, to加强战备, and to support社会主义建设, this road must be打通.
He made a决心 to move mountains and turn悬岩 into通途. In March, over sixty翻身农奴 raised红旗, carried宝书, and started to劈山炸石. After five months of艰苦奋斗, they finally在八月八日修通了一条驿道 that could通行马帮. It横穿悬岩,跨越湍急的东旺河, and直达边三村. They named this路“朝阳路”, and决心永远跟随毛主席,在社会主义革命和建设的“朝阳路”上勇往直前.
Follow Mao Chairman forever and move forward
Comrade Wangdan is not only the革委会主任 of the公社, but also a member of the云南省革委会. His地位 changed, but his思想 of艰苦奋斗 and继续革命 did not change. He牢记毛主席’s teachings:
“We communists are not to be officials, but to revolution; we must have彻底的革命精神, and never脱离群众 for a moment. As long as we do not脱离群众, we will surely胜利.”
In April this year, Wangdan荣幸地 attended the Ninth Party Congress’s第一中全会. When he returned from Beijing, he still wore that patched旧军衣, and old胶鞋, and carried the藏族普通社员’s袋子. The only difference was a背篓 filled with毛主席’s红宝书 and毛主席像章. The群众 saw that Wangdan still looked朴素 and艰苦, and felt very亲切, and心里有说不出的高兴.
He went from队 to队 to传达 the“九大”精神, and广泛宣传毛主席’s伟大指示 about“团结起来,争取更大的胜利”. He visited all five大队 and thirty-six生产队, and worked with the群众 as an ordinary社员. When working in the胜利大队东方红生产队, he was bitten by a毒蛇, but he didn’t complain and still worked. The next day, he拖着肿胀的脚回到公社, and during治疗, he still helped the大队 with晒粮. He said: “A滴汗多,就多一分防修的力量.” He坚持劳动 all his life, building a长城 against修正主义.
On the road of继续革命, Wangdan is a永不停步的新兵. He grew among the群众, always putting himself in their中间. He carries the“老三篇”, and the群众翻山, he翻山; the群众走路, he走路; the火塘, he also, and the茶, he also, studying together, working together. The翻身农奴自豪地说: “Wangdan is a good干部 of毛主席. Wherever there are群众, there are Wangdan’s脚印; wherever it is最艰苦, he appears there. He is a宣传员 of毛泽东思想, and he and the翻身农奴 are永远心贴心.”
This is the“雪山雄鹰”, this is Comrade Qilin Wangdan.
The雪松 on the高原 grows under the wind and snow, and the翻身农奴 bathe in the灿烂阳光 of毛泽东思想, becoming stronger in斗争.
Under the辉煌的“九大”精神 and the伟大理论 of毛主席关于在无产阶级专政下继续革命, the“雪山雄鹰” flies higher and sees farther, spreading its wings towards the金太阳.
This is a report by our newspaper
