BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- On a hill in Beilun District in Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang province, stands a weather-beaten tombstone erected nearly a century ago.
The grave is inconspicuous but special. Because of this tomb, many important documents of the Communist Party of China (CPC) have been preserved.
The grave belonged to Zhang Renya, one of the CPC's earliest members. Born in 1898, Zhang joined the party in 1922. He later undertook secret missions for the party.
In 1927, to protect multiple CPC documents, Zhang risked his life sneaking them to his hometown in Ningbo and burying them in the cenotaph built in his name by his father.
Among the documents in the grave are the Chinese translation of the Communist Manifesto and the first edition of the Constitution of the CPC, which is especially precious.
Zhang died in 1932 due to illness from working long hours. During his short life, Zhang demonstrated a determined revolutionary spirit, to which his experience in Moscow contributed a lot.
In 1924, Zhang was sent by the party to study at a university in Moscow. Like other Chinese students, Zhang faced tremendous challenges, including language obstacles, heavy coursework and being unaccustomed to the climate and diet.
Related records showed that Zhang and other students from southern China often fell ill, and their living conditions were quite rudimentary. But most of them eventually overcame the difficulties.
In 1925, Zhang returned to Shanghai and began dedicating himself to the labor movement with the knowledge learned in Moscow and more enthusiastic revolutionary beliefs.
A Soviet film director recorded Zhang giving a speech among a group of workers. The audio is faint, but his resolute expression is a testament to the great strength of his revolutionary faith.
An academy named after Zhang in Ningbo has become an attraction for residents and tourists. At the academy entrance is a bronze statue of Zhang, with his right hand raised high and his eyes looking forward.
Zhang's embodied faith and strength have inspired generations of Chinese youths at home and abroad to strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
"Compared with Zhang Renya and other forerunners, our life of studying abroad is so much better," said Zhong Lei, president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Union in Russia. "We should study harder and serve our country and people with what we have learned, and devote our youth to pursuing our dreams." ■
