Faith gives us awe and endless motivation to fill our hearts with firmness. However, we have also lived through dark years when the Eight-Nation Coalition opened the doors of our country and wantonly plundered and mutilated our land and people.
In troubled times, heroes emerge. They came from a poor background and lived a difficult life, but they had love and dedication to their country. Zhang Qingshan, an ordinary northeastern teenager, although his parents have passed away, he is not depressed because of this.
He lived on the streets, but with his strong faith, he lived bravely. He established the Chinese Village, and with his own actions, he interpreted his love for the country and his pride in the nation.
So, how did he manage to build the Chinese Village? Next, let's uncover his story together.
Although the happiness of a small family makes people feel warm, the influence of the larger environment cannot be ignored. China used to be closed off from the rest of the country, pretentious and high-minded, and lacked learning from the excellent culture and knowledge of the outside world.
Until the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty was forced to abandon the policy of closing the country to the outside world. The shelling of the Eight-Nation Coalition made China realize the huge gap between itself and the rest of the world, and that international wars were fought by artillery fire, not by swords.
In order to maintain his feudal status, the Qing ** chose to admit defeat and surrender, and although the country was devastated, they signed an unequal treaty to pay the medical expenses of the great powers in the form of land reparations.
The Empress Dowager Cixi spent extravagantly, the treasury was empty, and in order to pay reparations to the foreign powers, the Qing ** could only increase taxes and take money from the people.
In times of war, people's lives were difficult, and it was difficult to ensure food and clothing. People are begging on the streets, and there is no way to make a living. The increase in taxes made it impossible for Zhang's parents to afford it, and even if they worked hard, they could not meet their basic needs.
Zhang Qingshan cherished his parents and tried his best to help with farm work, but unfortunately, he heard his mother's cry on the night of his ten-year-old year. He ran to look and found that his father had closed his eyes and his mother was crying.
It turned out that his father's body collapsed due to long-term fatigue, coupled with the constant taxation of **, and the double pressure of mental and physical, so that he closed his eyes forever that night.
Zhang Qingshan's family is poor, and his relatives and friends are also suffering because of taxes.
In order to let his father settle in the ground, his mother had no choice but to sell the land. After my father's burial, the burden on my mother's shoulders became even heavier. Overwork soon took her mother's life.
Witnessing the death of his mother, the young Zhang Qingshan collapsed: "If you have money, you can treat your mother." In desperation, Zhang Qingshan could only watch his mother leave her last words.
Since then, Zhang Qingshan has become an orphan, and the villagers have inherited the trust of Zhang Qingshan's parents and gave him the remaining sweet potatoes and gruel. However, Zhang Qingshan, who is in the development period, cannot survive on these foods alone, and sometimes he can't even eat hundreds of meals, so he can only beg on the streets.
Zhang Qingshan did not give up the courage to survive, he always adhered to his mother's last words and asked him to live well. He often recalls that sweet and carefree childhood in his dreams, but the reality makes him see the scene of his family being ruined.
He is just a microcosm of the countless ordinary people in life. During the two years of wandering, he experienced life and death, human warmth, and saw many homeless people on the streets.
As a 10-year-old child, he couldn't compete with the strong homeless people for food and opportunities. Sometimes, even leftovers are a luxury for him.
One day at the age of 12, he met two blonde foreign soldiers who communicated with him in a language he could not understand. Despite his hunger and cold, he is attracted by two copper coins pulled out by two richly dressed foreigners, which gives him new hope.
After careful consideration, Zhang Qingshan finally understood the request of the two soldiers. For the sake of livelihood and copper money, he decided to help them find the right path. However, this decision of his changed his life.
On the way, foreign soldiers anesthetized him, rendering him unconscious. When he woke up again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment, surrounded by blue-eyed, white-** foreigners.
He was terrified and began to cry. As much as he wanted to escape, the shackles on his feet restricted his movements. When he was about to collapse, a person who communicated with him in Chinese he understood appeared beside him.
Through conversation, he learned that the Qing ** was defeated, they were taken captive by the Russian army, and they would be sold into slavery in Russia.
Zhang Qingshan is in a difficult situation, and he tries to ask for the help of foreign soldiers, but in exchange for only cruel punishment. In the bumps of the train, he realizes that he is moving away from the mountain that bears his name.
Finally, the train stopped, and they were taken to Moldova, Russia, where they were chosen by local landowners and forced into slavery. Through abuse and beatings, the landlords tried to make them completely abandon the idea of running away and make them think that they would be slaves forever.
However, Zhang Qingshan was not tamed, he insisted on his beliefs and missed his hometown. His owner was a local farmer and he was placed in the attic. Although he had been adrift for a long time, he unexpectedly felt that there was something warm here, and although it didn't feel like home, at least it could keep out the wind and rain.
Zhang Qingshan's master was very reasonable, and when he saw his serious and diligent work, not only did not punish him, but also paid him on time. The relationship between Zhang Qingshan and his master is more like an equal employment contract.
Now that Zhang Qingshan is finally able to eat and clothe himself, and he has earned income by his own efforts, it seems that a bad thing has become a good thing, he should cherish the current days, and no longer think of the motherland that is far away and is suffering.
However, he could not forget the happiness he once felt on the land of China, and he could not forget the deep love of his parents. Therefore, he firmly cherished the belief of returning to his homeland and set a clear goal, which was to work hard and earn enough money to redeem himself.
He was afraid that after staying in a foreign country for too long, he would forget his culture and language.
Although Zhang Qingshan worked as a coolie in Moldova, he still insisted on keeping a diary in Chinese and talking to himself in Chinese in front of the mirror to remember his roots. He kept in mind the teachings of his parents: think of the source of drinking water, return to the roots of fallen leaves, and never forget his home no matter where he goes, and when he encounters difficulties, home is the warmest harbor.
After eight years of hard work, Zhang Qingshan finally earned enough money to redeem himself. Although the master begged him to stay, Zhang Qingshan knew what he wanted, so he left this familiar manor without hesitation.
After being freed, Zhang Qingshan wanted to return to China directly, but due to the domestic war, he could not go back for the time being, so he could only wait for the day when the motherland would be peaceful. He is looking forward to returning to his hometown, even if there are no more people there, but he firmly believes that as long as he is Chinese, it is his family.
In order to live a better life abroad, Zhang Qingshan decided to find a job and lay the foundation for one day to be able to return to China. He has shaken off the shackles of the past and is living freely.
After each night of work, he would walk around looking for a more suitable future for him. He found that foreigners have a soft spot for Chinese ceramics and clay pots, and as a Chinese, making ceramic utensils can not only make money, but also spread Chinese culture, and at the same time relieve his homesickness.
So, he began a new journey to make ceramics.
Zhang Qingshan is an ingenious and skillful master of making traditional Chinese pottery and weaving blankets. As his skills grew, he quit his job and started his own small business.
His Chinese-style clay pots and blankets became famous, and many people came to visit him. Zhang Qingshan communicated with them in the local language, selling Chinese objects, and business was booming.
His eloquence and subtle Chinese humor made him so popular with the locals that some even took the initiative to make friends with him. Seeing that Zhang Qingshan was alone, everyone began to introduce his wife to him.
Under the introduction of a friend, Zhang Qingshan met the only partner in his life, a beautiful white Russian. Zhang Qingshan often told her wonderful stories about China and taught her to learn Chinese.
Her kindness and hard work captivated her, and eventually the two came together. However, not everyone can accept Huang **'s Chinese, and the girl's family is against Zhang Qingshan, believing that he is of low blood and unworthy of their daughter.
But Zhang Qingshan was not affected by their contempt, he remained humble and polite, neither humble nor arrogant, and even more gentlemanly than many local gentlemen. After their joint efforts, the girl's parents finally accepted Zhang Qingshan.
With his own efforts, Zhang Qingshan bought a house in the local area and had a happy family.
Zhang Qingshan's determination Zhang Qingshan has an original heart, determined to take root in China and live in it for a long time. He never gave up the idea of returning to China, but he knew that as a Chinese man, he needed to take on the responsibility of taking care of his family.
His wife was pregnant, and he couldn't selfishly fulfill his wishes by not giving her any company when she needed it most. So, he put aside the idea of returning to China for the time being, but did not forget the teachings of his parents.
In order to let his descendants know his roots, Zhang Qingshan began to constantly tell Chinese, Chinese culture and stories during the prenatal education period, and his wife would accompany the children to listen together.
Despite being in Russia, in his small home, future generations must communicate in Chinese. His wife never despised him because his charisma made her identify with his homeland as well.
She bore a total of seven children to Zhang Qingshan, who set the family rules so that future generations will always remember their roots in China.
Zhang Qingshan's home is full of Chinese style, and he always celebrates traditional Chinese festivals with his children, so that the children have a deep understanding of Chinese history and culture from an early age.
In addition to passing on Chinese culture at home, he has also transformed his shop into a place where goods and food are gathered, and he is in charge of cooking and preparing a variety of Chinese dishes, which many locals yearn for.
With his own intelligence and hard work, Zhang Qingshan's status in the local area is increasing day by day, and his wealth is also increasing. He has walked out of the days of food, clothing, housing and transportation, and now he is homesick in his heart, and what he hopes is not to pursue more wealth, but to make more people like and recognize Chinese culture.
He devoted himself to building Chinese-style wooden houses to welcome Chinese and foreigners who had wandered like him. The wooden houses he built gradually became lively, and in order to relieve homesickness, he named the area China Village, and the inhabitants included many foreigners in addition to Chinese.
As the head of the village, Zhang Qingshan is committed to telling the world about the birth of the Chinese village and its cultural background. As he grew older, his memory became blurred, but he never forgot the memory of China, and he hopes to pass on this memory so that more people can remember China.
The residents of the Chinese Village, who are fluent in Chinese and tell traditional Chinese mythological stories, and they and their descendants, both yellow and white, proudly claim to be half Chinese.
In this land, many families have inherited Chinese culture, which has a long history. To this day, more than 800 people still live in the Chinese village. In those war-torn times, we were forced to leave our homes and face discrimination abroad.
However, with his own efforts, Zhang Qingshan has given many foreigners a new understanding of China, and even they have begun to learn Chinese culture and learn Chinese. Unfortunately, Zhang Qingshan passed away in 1968 and failed to realize the trip to the motherland that he missed day and night.
Although Zhang Qingshan's experience was not isolated at the time, the brilliant life he achieved through hard work was indeed unique. It is precisely because there are many people in our country who have faith and deeply love the motherland that we can usher in the founding of New China and usher in the re-emergence of our country.
Our culture is a sign of our identity, and we should be proud to be sons and daughters of China. However, there are some people who are too fond of foreign cultures, and this behavior may hurt those who have worked for us.
As Lu Xun said, forgetting history is betrayal.