Carrying on the spirit

Linyi in Shandong province is one of China’s oldest revolutionary bases. Many Linyi locals have heard a lot of the revolutionary stories since they were young. The local revolutionary spirit known as the Yimeng spirit has been carried on from generation to generation.
山东临沂是我国最早的革命根据地之一。许多临沂人从小就听过不少革命故事。当地的这种革命精神被称为“沂蒙精神”，代代相传。

Liu Shuyu, 29, is a Linyi native, who is now a primary school teacher in Beijing. During her primary and middle school years, she attended many Party education activities, such as listening to revolutionary stories from former militias.
29岁的临沂人刘淑雨如今是北京的一名小学老师。在读小学和中学期间，她参加了许多党史学习教育活动，如：听老兵讲革命故事。

“I think the Yimeng spirit represents hard work and self-improvement,” Liu said. Ever since Liu was a child, she was taught to be thrifty and unafraid of hardship. “For example, my grandparents never complain no matter how hard they work, and they never waste food.”
“我认为沂蒙精神就是艰苦奋斗、自强不息，” 刘淑雨说道。在她还是个小孩子时，大人们就会教育她要节俭，不怕吃苦。“比如，我的祖父母从来都不会抱怨工作有多么辛苦，他们也从不浪费粮食。”

Many schools in Linyi attach great importance to learning the Party’s history. According to Chen Jingshan from Linyi Education Bureau, Party history education – especially their local Yimeng spirit education – has been included in the syllabus of primary and middle schools. It requires schools in Linyi to arrange no less than five hours of Party history learning courses each semester.
临沂的许多学校都十分重视党史学习教育。来自临沂市教育局的陈景山表示，党史教育，尤其是当地的沂蒙精神教育，被列入了中小学教学计划，并要求临沂各学校每学期需安排至少5课时的党史学习教育课程。

Chen Ping, a teacher from Linyi No 4 High School, joins the Party education programs almost every year. The school organizes various activities including themed speech contests and recitation competitions of revolution-related classics.
临沂市第四中学教师陈萍几乎每年都会参加党史学习教育项目。学校组织了主题演讲比赛、革命经典作品朗诵比赛等各式各样的活动。

According to Chen, students from Linyi are getting more confident, which is inseparable from the Yimeng spirit. “As a result of increased Party education, the young generation feels more proud of their local heroes, and these stories have given them the faith to strive for a better future.”
陈萍表示，临沂学子更为自信，这点与沂蒙精神密不可分。“这是加强党史学习教育的成果，年轻一代对当地英雄感到更加自豪，这些故事也给予了他们为更美好的未来奋斗的信心。”

There are also many young people who are determined to inspire their peers with the Yimeng stories.
还有许多年轻人立志要用沂蒙故事来激励他们的同龄人。

In 2016, Li Wei, who was studying at Shandong Vocational and Technical University of International Studies, launched a campaign to spread the Yimeng stories among universities. Together, with about 460 volunteers, they have held themed events in more than 280 universities, according to China Youth Daily.
2016年，当时就读于山东外国语职业技术大学的李伟发起了一个在高校间传颂沂蒙故事的活动。据《中国青年报》报道，他和约460名志愿者在280多所高校中举办了主题活动。

“We couldn’t live such a happy life if there weren’t any efforts or sacrifices of our revolutionary pioneers. The young generation should be guided by the right values like the Yimeng spirit, which can be a beacon for them,” he told Langya News.
“我们现在幸福的生活离不开先辈们的付出。沂蒙精神等正确的价值导向正是指引年轻人前行的一盏明灯，”他在接受琅琊新闻网采访时如此说道。

以上文章内容选自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》，详情请见《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高二838期