The spirit of Nanniwan farming for self-reliance
In the spring of 1941, a troop of the Eighth Route Army marched into Nanniwan in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia revolutionary area in northwest China. In the face of enemy blockade and extremely arduous living conditions, the reclamation troop opened up a large area of wasteland in the wild mountains and cultivated it to supply their own needs. The once barren Nanniwan in northern Shaanxi was transformed into a fertile place with thriving rice paddies more typical of south than north China.
Under the CPC leadership, the people's army fostered a powerful spirit of self-reliance in the face of difficulty and hardship. The image of the Nanniwan soldiers, with rifle in one hand and pickaxe in the other, is a lasting memory among the Chinese people.
南泥湾精神
1941年春,八路军的一支部队进驻了作为陕甘宁边区南大门的南泥湾。面对敌人残酷的扫荡封锁和艰苦的生存环境,战士们一边练兵备战,一边手握镢头,在荒山野岭中开辟出万顷良田,使昔日的“烂泥湾”变成了稻田翻绿浪、窑洞满山腰的“陕北好江南”。在开荒屯田、发展生产的过程中,八路军培育和形成了以“艰苦奋斗、自力更生”为核心的南泥湾精神。南泥湾精神是中国共产党领导人民军队在困境中奋起、在艰苦中发展的强大精神力量。“一手拿枪、一手拿镐”的南泥湾精神是中国人民永远的传家宝。