Always loyal defender of the people

I am so excited! The Party and the country have bestowed upon me such a lofty honor, and the tasks on my shoulders have become even heavier. How can I do better?

On a certain day, at the Patriotic Education Center for Border Defense in Tizinafu, Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which is over several thousand meters above sea level, Bajir Kailidi Bieke, a former border guard who was awarded the title of "People's Guardian" and is now 70 years old, expressed his deep emotions to visiting journalists.

Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County in the Pamir Plateau has an average elevation of over meters and a borderline extending for more than kilometers. The Redukul, meaning "Bloodstained Passage" in Tajik, located within the county, has an average elevation of over meters, with oxygen content less than half that of the plains, and the lowest temperature reaching below zero degrees Celsius.

In the month of the year, the Hongqilap Border Defense Company was established. The area frequently experienced natural disasters such as avalanches, landslides, and mudslides. Without experienced guides, the border defense forces found it difficult to complete patrol missions. At this time, Bayika Kailidibieke's father, the Tajik herdsman Kailidibieke Dili Dar, volunteered to become the company's unpaid guide, becoming the first generation of border protectors after the founding of New China. Over the following years, he led border defense officers and soldiers to every boundary marker, every river, and every ravine along the Hongqilap borderline. He also proudly became a member of the Communist Party of China.

What force drove Kairidibieke Dilidaer to become an unpaid guide for the border defense unit despite the dangers?

Bayika Kailidbieke told reporters about the experiences his father often mentioned. Since the People's Liberation Army arrived, the herdsmen found that they were different from the previous armies. When some herdsmen's families couldn't even open their pots, it was the PLA who brought them cattle, sheep, and grain. After heavy snowfall caused disasters, it was the PLA who delivered grain, firewood, horse fodder, and medicine to the herdsmen. Bayika Kailidbieke's younger sister contracted acute pneumonia, which could be fatal in the highlands, but it was the PLA doctors who treated her for free and saved her life.

It was Chairman Mao and the Liberation Army who saved us, liberated us, and protected us. We cannot forget their kindness! Patrolling is the duty of the state, and also the duty of the herders. Without the national boundary markers, where would our cattle and sheep be? These are the words that Bayika Kairidibieke's father often taught him.

In the year when Bayika Kailidbieke's father, weakened by illness, could no longer patrol, the 18-year-old took over his father's baton and his father's words: "It was the People's Liberation Army who brought food, firewood, horse fodder, and medicine to us herders, allowing us to live a happy life. You must take over my duties." This relay has spanned 16 years, with over 100 patrols and more than 10,000 kilometers traveled.

Over the years, Bayika Kailidbieke has followed in his father's footsteps, traversing the entire border defense line of Hongqila, earning the local military and civilian population's nickname of "living map" of the border defense line. With his years of experience, he has countless times helped border defense soldiers turn danger into safety. Once, Bayika Kailidbieke, leading border soldiers on yaks, was crossing the Kaila'afu River when he was swept by a large wave onto a rock, fracturing his leg and nearly passing out from the pain. Another soldier was also swept into the raging river. In the moment of crisis, Bayika Kailidbieke, despite his injury, jumped into the water and managed to pull the soldier back, but soon he lost consciousness and was only saved after several hours of emergency treatment. There have been many such dangerous situations, with Bayika Kailidbieke suffering injuries to his head, shoulders, ribs, and legs multiple times, but he has never stopped his steps in guarding the border.

When the senior leaders came specifically to visit Bayika Kailidibieke and asked if he had any requests, he solemnly said, "My only wish is to join the Communist Party of China." Bayika Kailidibieke, like his father, proudly became a member of the Communist Party of China.

In the year, Bayika Kailidibieke's son, Laqini Bayika, who had retired from the Armed Police Border Defense Force, followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father to become a border protector. By the year, at the age of , Bayika Kailidibieke could no longer climb the mountains and completely handed over the baton to his son. "Without the peace of our country's borders, where would our cattle and sheep be? I must take over this duty of guarding the border and continue on this path," Laqini Bayika assured his father. Over the years, on the Hongqilafu border defense line, Laqini Bayika has conducted border patrols times each year, each time risking his life to traverse snow-capped peaks, cross icy rivers, and navigate through the "valley of death" where avalanches frequently occur.

January 4, 2021, is a day that Bayika Kailidbieke will never forget. On that day, while attending a training session at Kashgar University, Laqin Bayika risked his life to save a child who had fallen into an icy pond and tragically lost his life at the age of 41. "I am heartbroken over the loss of my son, and I miss him dearly," said Bayika Kailidbieke, his eyes filled with tears as he spoke of Laqin Bayika. "But he gave his life to save a child, and I am proud of him." Laqin Bayika was posthumously awarded the title of "Model of the Times" and "Outstanding Communist Party Member of the Nation."

Border residents prosper, border defenses solidify. Speaking of today's life, Bayika Kailidibieke is full of joy: under the leadership of the Party committees and governments at all levels, the once isolated plateau now boasts a well-connected transportation network, with changes that are nothing short of miraculous. Yurts and stone houses have been transformed into comfortable homes, with water, electricity, roads, and broadband reaching every household. The tourism and livestock industries are thriving, and the first plateau airport in Xinjiang, Tashkurgan Hongqilafu Airport, has been built... Meanwhile, patrol roads have been widened, equipment has become more advanced, and helicopters, drones, and other technologies are widely used. The most dangerous sections of the patrol routes have also been extended by several kilometers of mountain roads.

At the end of the interview, when the reporter asked about the old man's greatest wish, he said with deep emotion:

I hope our motherland gets better and better!