Contents Chapter One Blaze a Path from Modest Beginnings Section I Cai Hesen An early theoretician of the CPC 5 Section II Li Fuchun in the Long March The “hiker” singing at night 21 Section III The 359th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army at Nanniwan “With a rifle and a pickaxe, we produce for self-support to safeguard the CPC Central Committee” 36 Chapter Two Remain Loyal to the Party and Stay True to the Founding Mission Section I Zhang Side “Serve the people” 58 Section II Heroes in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea “Defend peace, defend our motherland, and defend our home” 72 Section III Safeguard the Frontier Areas for National Security “The purest love is reserved for China” 82 Chapter Three Uphold Truth and Scale the Heights of Science Section I Luo Yang, a Hero of Aviation A pillar of the country sacrificed for his ideals 95 Section II Huang Danian, an Expert in Geophysics “You'd better pursue further study abroad. After making academic progress, you must return to China to serve the country” 106 Chapter Four Be Bold to Explore and Try with Profound Devotion Section I Gu Wenchang “If the sand is not subdued, let the sand bury me” 129 Section II Liao Junbo A pathfinder for rural development 146 Section III Youyu County Making dauntless efforts to transform the deserts 161 Conclusion 184 Bibliography 192