Students of Xinhang Town Central Primary School carry out patriotic educational activities in front of the bronze statue of martyr Zheng Dafang.
A handwritten thank-you letter was sent from Xinhang Town Central Primary School in Guangde City, Anhui Province, to Shanghai city before the August 1st Army Day. It was written by Shen Xingchen, a student at Xinhang Town Central Primary School, who had just received the Martyr Zheng Dafang Scholarship.
The recipient of her gratitude was 95-year-old Zheng Guofang, the founder of this scholarship who is a veteran of the New Fourth Army, and also the fourth younger brother of martyr Zheng Dafang.
In 1939, 18-year-old Zheng Dafang bid farewell to his relatives in Shanghai and became a soldier of the New Fourth Army. Later, he joined the Communist Party of China in the same year. Under his influence, his six siblings also joined the revolutionary cause and fought in different parts of the country.
In 1945, Zheng Guofang accidentally learned that his elder brother had sacrificed, but there was no specific information about how he died and where he was buried.
In 1979, with the help of an old comrade-in-arms, Zheng Guofang finally found his brother's grave in Henggang Village, Xinhang Town, Guangde County (now Guangde City), east China's Anhui Province. To his family's surprise, although Zheng Dafang had sacrificed for many years and been buried deep in the mountains, his cemetery was well preserved.
Local people told Zheng Guofang that in March 1944, the 48th regiment of the 16th brigade with the 6th division under the New Fourth Army ambushed the Japanese invaders and puppet forces in Hang Village (now Xinhang Town), killing dozens of enemies and seizing a large number of Type-92 battalion guns and other weapons. However, during the retreat, Zheng Dafang, an instructor of the third battalion, was unfortunately shot and died heroically. "He sacrificed himself for the people, for us, and we are his family," said an elderly local resident. A local elderly man donated a coffin and buried Zheng Dafang. Local people have been spontaneously paying tribute to and guarding the martyr's tomb since then.
Time flies, but the respect for the martyr remains unchanged. Zheng Guofang said that he and his family would come to Guangde to pay respects to the grave every year. Whenever they come, they find the martyr's tombstone spotlessly clean and surrounded by fresh flowers. The locals have also named a road Dafang Road and opened a shop named Dafang and there are exhibitions related to Zheng Dafang and other heroes in the square.
"We have always wanted to do something for local people and repay their deep affection for my brother," Zheng Guofang said, adding that there is an elementary school near his brother's tomb. Thirteen years ago, hearing that there were some children who dropped out of school due to poverty, Zheng and his family decided to donate funds to establish the Martyr Zheng Dafang Scholarship to support rural education.
In 2010, the Martyr Zheng Dafang Scholarship was awarded for the first time. Every year since, relatives of martyr Zheng Dafang would travel from Shanghai to Guangde to award scholarships to outstanding students, commend excellent teachers, and help students from poor families. Over the past 13 years, more than 200,000 yuan of scholarships have been awarded, benefiting over 400 students.
"Today, we are talking about the deeds of martyr Zheng Dafang. During the summer vacation, which is also the peak period for student study tours, interpreter Duan Yuheng was passionately narrating stories of heroes to the visiting students at the Guangde Martyrs Cemetery. She is also one of the recipients of the first Martyr Zheng Dafang Scholarship.
"I clearly remember that the scholarship was 400 yuan at that time. I held the award certificate in my hand and was so excited that my hands were sweating." This unforgettable experience made Duan develop a special interest in the history of the revolution and the deeds of heroes ever since.
Zheng Guofang, brother of martyr Zheng Dafang, and a veteran of the New Fourth Army.
