"Lantern Newspaper" in Nanniwan"

During the Yan'an period, especially in the mass production movement, the Communists, who were not afraid of difficulties and faced difficulties, broke through the restrictions of the remote and isolated natural environment and created many methods of information exchange, so that the thoughts of party members, cadres and soldiers were still pretending to be the world and the Chinese nation. "The Lantern Newspaper" is an example of this.

 

"Nanniwan, so desolate, I see only worms and wolves"

 

In 1942, the 359 brigade stationed in Nanniwan reclamation. Team 2 of the teaching camp was stationed in an old cave dwelling halfway up the mountain. The surrounding area was desolate and uninhabited for dozens of miles. Some comrades described that place as "a world of birds and animals". in order to turn nanniwan into a 'good jiangnan of northern shaanxi, 'the soldiers worked hard day after day and month after month, and all were very eager for a little cultural life.

 

Later, the brigade ordered a newspaper for each team. The newspaper was ordered, but the mountain ravine where the 2nd team of the teaching camp opened up wasteland was separated from Yan 'an by more than 60 kilometers, with high mountains and long roads and thorns. The postman could only send the newspaper to the brigade department. Only when the company chief arrived at Jinpenwan to carry rice did he pick up a piece of Liberation Daily by the way. However, a team of more than 100 people spread out a newspaper, and not every day, can not solve everyone's desire for knowledge. At that time, there was a little man named Zeng Zhaohai in Class 4. He was a Red Army soldier who had experienced the Long March. He worked and studied very well. He was a hero in fighting, a model in labor, and he loved singing and dancing. He casually made up a song: "Nanniwan, really desolate, only saw long worms and wolves; After working for three days, I was in a panic. "This song shows the eagerness of the comrades to run a newspaper. Leaders know this situation and know that it is impossible not to run newspapers, but what should they do?

 

There is no miMEi machine for tabloids, and it is impossible for people to carry the blackboard all over the mountain, and there is no time to read the wall newspaper during the day and not see it at night. What is the best way? At that time, there was a soldier in the teaching camp who recovered from his left shoulder injury and often had attacks. The leader asked him to be the clerk in order to take care of him, so the captain handed over the newspaper to him and Comrade Shahan. The two men tried their best to figure out how to run the newspaper. One day, Shahan suddenly remembered guessing lantern riddles during the Chinese New Year. Every Chinese New Year, they wrote many lantern riddles on lanterns. Everyone rushed to watch and guess. The two of them suddenly brightened up and immediately decided to use lanterns to run the newspaper. This method was supported by the party branch.

 

　　Come and see, the Lantern Newspaper has good news again.

 

So they moved quickly, cutting down four wooden sticks on the mountain to make a frame like a washbasin frame, and posted the production progress, labor experience, experts in land reclamation, good people and good deeds, Yan 'an News and the latest orders of the Party Central Committee on the yellow watch paper made in the border area, and then pasted it on the square frame, one for each side, but four for each side. The lanterns are illuminated with rosin made from pine oil picked from the mountains. When it gets dark, light the rosin and the words on the paper are clearly displayed. Hang it on the big branch of the kitchen uphill, which is the only place for the whole team to return to the cave after work. The comrades who saw it for the first time thought it was a illuminated street lamp. When they saw that there were so many news on the lantern, they gathered and looked at it. All of a sudden, the whole camp became active. The soldiers crowded here while eating. Read the "newspaper".

 

Whenever night falls, lanterns are hung and lanterns are hung at the teaching camp of the 359 Brigade in Nanniwan, Yan'an. Under each lantern, there were soldiers who were eating and discussing enthusiastically, saying laughter, debating, and reciting one after another. I saw a soldier shouting, "Come and see," Lantern News "has good news again. From then on, the "Lantern Newspaper" was called.

"Lantern Newspaper" issues one issue every day, and when it comes to issue 5, it tore off issue 1 as usual and year-end summary materials. Each issue is short, lively and rich in content. Some reprint important news from the Liberation Daily, some praise good people and good deeds, some introduce production achievements and experience in land reclamation, as well as the large-scale production of various organs and units in Yan'an. Comrades like it very much and look around when they come back from work.

 

　　"We will work for Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu"

 

Comrades not only like to watch it, but also actively contribute. At that time, everyone had no stationery, let alone paper, except a pencil issued by the public. Everyone used their brains to peel off the birch bark and use it as paper. This is a good natural paper.

 

With birch bark paper, more and more people contribute, and Zeng Zhaohai is an active contributor. On one occasion, the Lantern Newspaper published the news that "Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu are opening up wasteland together with the masses". I don't know who saw it first, so I cried out with excitement: "Hey, good news, come and see, Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu are also opening up wasteland for production! "The people who were eating in the kitchen under the ravine heard the shouts and ran up and surrounded the crowd. Xiao Zeng squeezed for a long time before squeezing into the crowd. He said excitedly:" Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu are so old. I can't be busy with state affairs, and I have to take time to open up wasteland for production. We young boys, we have to work harder! We will work for Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu! "The sound, like a volcanic eruption, was exciting.

 

The news of acting for Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu immediately spread through the "Lantern News" to Nanniwan, Jinpen Bay, and the 359 Brigade. One after another, the upsurge of the race to open up wasteland has begun ...... Comrades said: "Lantern newspaper" is really our guiding lamp, it always passes on to us the call of the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, and inspires us to overcome all difficulties!

 

Seeing that the teaching camp set up the "Lantern Newspaper", other teams followed suit. The production progress, model workers, and international and domestic good news between the teams were all passed on through the "Lantern Newspaper", and the mood of the soldiers was also active., Good people and good deeds continue one after another. "Lantern Newspaper" has become a scenic line under the night of Nanniwan, decorating the quiet valley, and also like a beacon, guiding the soldiers to overcome all difficulties and dangers and strive for victory.

 

(Excerpted from "The Story of Red Yan'an: Hard Work" published by Party Building Reading Press)

 

 

Source: Party Building Network