From Army Green to Forest Green: The Life Palette of the Zhao Family

Zhao Baoshan’s father, Zhao Chunyang, and mother, Cui Jiaju, left their mountain village in Zigui County in the 1970s, backpacked into these vast mountains, and dedicated their lives here. After five years of military tempering and facing the temptations of the bustling secular world, Zhao Baoshan resolutely chose to return, becoming a “son of the mountains” guarding the green hills. His story is a microcosm of a family intrinsically linked to a mountain range, and a simple, steadfast adherence to faith by a generation amidst the torrents of time.

Leaving the Mountains: The Footsteps of Father

In the 1970s, the Shennongjia Forestry District in western Hubei was included in the national development plan due to its rich timber and mineral resources. In 1973, a group of young people from Zigui, Yichang, answered the call and embarked on a journey to support Shennongjia. Zhao Chunyang and Cui Jiaju were among them.

“Back then, we didn’t think about whether it was hard; we only knew if the country needed us,” Zhao Chunyang recalled. The journey from the small mountain village of Zigui to the lofty peaks of Shennongjia was marked by poor transportation and scarce supplies. Zhao Chunyang was assigned to the machinery team, working daily with roaring diesel engines and heavy logging tools. Cui Jiaju joined the logistics team, responsible for the workers’ meals and material allocation. The two met under the starlight at the work site and fell in love amidst collective songs. In 1975, they married in a simple work shed in the forest area, forming a “revolutionary family”.

Baolin, Baohui, Baoshan—each of their three children's names contains the character “Bao (precious)”, connected to “lin (forest)” “hui (flowers)” and “shan (mountain)”. These simple, unadorned names embody Zhao Chunyang and Cui Jiaju’s deep and sincere affection for these great mountains. In 1979, their youngest son, Zhao Baoshan, was born. His childhood was spent amidst the smell of oil from his father’s machinery, the scent of firewood from his mother’s cooking smoke, and the sound of pine waves across the mountains.

In the late 1990s, Shennongjia's development trajectory underwent a historic shift: from “large-scale development” to “large-scale protection”. The eldest son, Zhao Baolin, and the eldest daughter, Zhao Baohui, successively became staff members of the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve. In this family, children following in their parents’ footsteps is not merely a continuation of profession but a homecoming of emotion and responsibility.

Tempering: Forging in the Military

In 1997, 18-year-old Zhao Baoshan graduated from technical secondary school. The first crossroads of his life arrived with the sound of recruitment broadcasts. He was moved. Since childhood, he loved war movies, and the heroic image of tank driver Nong Nanhu in “Iron Armor 008” was deeply imprinted in his mind. “I want to join the army and drive a tank!” he ran home and told his parents. Zhao Chunyang and Cui Jiaju smiled at each other: “Go, train in the army for a few years; you’ll benefit for a lifetime.”

Zhao Baoshan was hardworking in the army

In November of the same year, Zhao Baoshan and 33 fellow townsmen donned large red flowers and boarded trucks for a distant journey. He was assigned to an armored unit, fulfilling his wish to become a tank driver. Five years of military life forged the naive mountain boy into a soldier of iron resolve. Reflecting on his military career, Zhao Baoshan learned many lessons:

“Safety is paramount.” This was the first lesson the army taught him. During a night live-fire drill in 1998, as Zhao Baoshan drove his tank past crater No. 4, a tank behind mistakenly identified it as a moving target, and a training round struck its periscope. “A flash of fire suddenly shot over; my vision went blurry instantly,” Zhao Baoshan recalled. He quickly stopped the tank, shut off the engine, and reported, remaining calm throughout. Subsequent inspection found the periscope damaged, but personnel unharmed. “If I had driven with my head out the window instead of closing the hatch, if I hadn't followed procedures...” he mused. “There are no small matters in safety; rules are the guardrails of life.”

“A malfunction is a battlefield.” During a summer circuit mobility assessment in 1999, as Zhao Baoshan drove his tank into the second lap, the engine suddenly made an abnormal noise. He glanced at the oil pressure gauge seeing the needle at zero and decisively steered the tank off the track. Inspection revealed a burst oil pipe due to high temperature. “Thirty seconds later, the engine might have been scrapped.” For his proper handling, he received his first commendation since enlistment.

Zhao Baoshan took a picture with his "Silent friend"

“Toughness becomes your foundation.” That same year, his unit participated in national defense optical cable construction. Zhao Baoshan and his comrades dug ten meters of trench daily, their palms blistering and countless pairs of gloves wearing through. “We worked from dawn to dusk, but no one complained of tiredness,” he said. “A soldier must have this kind of tenacity in their bones.”

From zero to mastery, driven by perseverance. In 2000, the unit was equipped with new model tanks. Facing a completely new operating system, Zhao Baoshan, once a “veteran equipment expert”, became a “novice”. He practiced with the vehicles during the day, studied manuals at night, and repeatedly consulted factory technicians. Within a year, he not only mastered the driving techniques but also earned the title of “Driving Super-Grade Technical Expert”. That same year, he honorably joined the Communist Party of China.

“The army taught me not just skills, but responsibility and loyalty,” Zhao Baoshan said. When he retired from the military in 2002, several comrades-in-arms invited him to develop in coastal areas, but he already had his answer in mind.

Returning to the Mountains: A Life's Choice

In 2002, Zhao Baoshan returned to Shennongjia. It was an era of burgeoning market economy vitality, and many young people chose to “go out and make their way”. Comrades-in-arms found him a job in Shenzhen with considerable salary; relatives advised him to “leave the mountains and see the world”.

Checking infrared camera with colleague

He just shook his head: “My world is right here in these mountains.”

His father, Zhao Chunyang, understood his son: “The mountains need young people to guard them.” His mother, Cui Jiaju, felt that the family being together was the good life. That same year, Zhao Chunyang retired, and Zhao Baoshan took up the baton from his father's hands, becoming a forest ranger in the Shennongjia Nature Reserve.

For the first fourteen years, he worked as a ticket inspector at the Yazikou checkpoint. Facing repetitive work, he was meticulous: "Ticket inspection is also guarding. Every ticket is a contribution to the protection and development of the forestry district."

In 2016, he was transferred to the most remote Yinyuhe Management and Protection Center. There was no electricity or Internet connection, patrol routes were often washed away by rainstorms, and a round trip required trekking dozens of kilometers of mountain paths.

During the hardest times, his daughter had just started primary school. Each trip home required detouring along abandoned roads like Qilibian and Laolinwan, bumping along for hours. “Once, I encountered a flash flood; I could see home across the river but couldn’t get over. I could only wait out the night anxiously at the outpost,” Zhao Baoshan said with a laugh. “The tougher it is, the more meaningful I feel my work is.”

Colleague Deng Chao recalls that Zhao Baoshan always downplayed difficulties but recounted others' achievements in detail. “When Liu Bing was stung by hornets, he felt it keenly; when Deng Chao won an award in a national ranger competition, he was happier than anyone,” Deng said. The center director said, “Zhao is like a brick, placed wherever needed, never setting conditions.”

Guarding the Mountains: The Unquenchable Light

Today, Zhao Baoshan is approaching fifty. He has grown step by step from a forest ranger, persistently studying, accumulating, and improving himself. This year, he took on office and financial work, handling it methodically. The accounts he manages are meticulous, as detailed and clear as his past patrol records.

Honors are locked away deep in his drawer. “Advanced Individual”, “Outstanding Communist Party Member”... He says, “These are not merit rolls; they are alarms reminding me never to slack off.”

His brother, Zhao Baolin, and sister, Zhao Baohui, still remain on the front lines of the reserve today. The three Zhao siblings are like three pines rooted in rock crevices, carrying their parents’ vow to “guard the great mountains” on their shoulders. Their next generation—some study outside, some have already returned to work in the forestry district. Bloodline and mountain spirit quietly intertwine through time.

On the way patrolling Zhao Baoshan recorded species by PDA

Zhao Baoshan’s story is a microcosm of Shennongjia’s countless guardians. From the roar of logging to build the nation to the quiet of forest protection and cultivation, the tides of time have washed over the fate of this land. Yet, there are always those who choose to become the “bones of the mountain”—silent, steadfast, breathing with the mountains.

The setting sun gilds the distant peaks, and the calls of returning birds echo in the forest. At dusk, Zhao Baoshan finishes work and comes to see his father. He doesn't bring lavish gifts, just two bottles of the liquor his father likes. Having a couple of drinks with his father makes the old man especially happy, and his mother, watching the deep bond between father and son, shares in the joy.

Tonight, the myriad lights of Muyu Town stretch upward, connecting to the starry sky. This ancient yet youthful forest remains vibrant because of people like them. And the spirit of perseverance and devotion to ecological protection they convey through their ordinary lives is like the unceasing mountain wind of Shennongjia, blowing through the years and into the future. (By He Sai, Tan Xinyao, Du Hua)