The CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee called for efforts in promoting the patriotism and dedication demonstrated by a late militia member who spent 32 years guarding an island post.
Lou Qinjian, secretary of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, met Friday morning in Nanjing with Wang Shihua, wife of Wang Jicai, former head of the militia post on Kaishan Island in east China's Jiangsu Province, who died from sudden illness while on duty on July 27. He was 58.
President Xi Jinping paid tribute to Wang's patriotism and dedication for guarding the island post for 32 years.
Lou said the spirit of Wang Jicai, former head of the militia post on Kaishan Island in East China's Jiangsu province, should be pursued by hardworking people in the new era.
Wang resolutely stuck to his post without any complaint or regret, composing an extraordinary chapter in a life on an ordinary post, he said.
For those who dedicate themselves to difficult posts for a long time like Wang, Lou added, organizations at all levels should proactively help them overcome difficulties and care for them more in their thoughts, work and lives.
The CPC Provincial Chief asked for condolences and cares to be given to Wang's family, and said that for those who dedicate themselves to difficult posts for a long time like Wang, organizations at all levels should proactively help them overcome difficulties, and care for them more in their thoughts, work and lives.
Lou Qinjian spoke highly of Wang Shihua’s long-term companionship with Wang Jicai’s selfless dedication to Kaishan Island. He asked with concern about her difficulties and her needs for help, hoping that she will look after herself.
The married couple had guarded an isolated island in China's Bohai Sea for 32 years before Wang Jicai died all of a sudden more than one month ago. The island, named Kaishan, is located near the border area of the Japanese and South Korean high seas, 12 kilometers away from Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. Life on the sparse island, which measures just 0.013 square kilometers in area, is extremely hard.
Wang Jicai came to the island in 1986, followed by his wife, Wang Shihua, who quit her job as a teacher to move with her husband. The couple's daily life consists mainly of raising the national flag, monitoring the sea and air, rescuing people who stray into the surrounding waters, and maintaining coastal defense logs. They have only spent five Spring Festivals with their families in the past 30 years, and their son was delivered by Wang Jicai himself, as storms prevented the couple from seeking outside medical attention.
Years ago, there were no telephone, trees, television or internet on the island, and it was often cut off by fierce storms. Six barracks, surrounded by weeds and steep cliffs, are continually battered by fierce winds. Fresh water and food had to be sent by fishing boat from the shore.
The post of Kaishan Island militia sentry was created in 1985, when the previous troops stationed there withdrew because of a military reorganization. The next year, the military asked Wang Jicai, a 26-year-old militia member, to guard it.
When he undertook the duty, he departed for the island with a few bags of clothes and food, and left his wife, Wang Shihua－a primary school teacher－and their newborn daughter in Guanyun.
According to the county government, Wang said he always believed the island was an inalienable part of China. He promised to protect it always. It's a promise he kept. None of his four predecessors stayed longer than 13 days before quitting because of the harsh conditions.
The couple was honored as National Role Models of the Times in 2014.
