At 5 am on April 3, 22-year-old Zhao Rongyan set out with a group of students along a road leading to the Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery.

4月3日凌晨5点，22岁的赵荣彦与学生一起出发，沿着一条通往任山河烈士陵园的道路前行。

Back in 2016, she had stood in a similar line as a middle school student, embarking on the same long journey to honor fallen heroes. A decade later, she returned — not as a participant, but as a teacher at Guyuan No 2 Middle School — this time guiding her own students along the familiar path.

早在2016年，她还是一名中学生时，就曾站在类似的队伍中，踏上同样的漫长旅程向英烈致敬。十年后，她再次归来，不再是参与者，而是固原市第二中学的一名教师，这一次，她带领着自己的学生沿着这条熟悉的路前行。

"I see this as a form of cultural inheritance, a way of passing on values," Zhao said."I've taken the baton once handed to me and now pass it on to my students."

赵荣彦说：“我认为这是一种文化传承，一种价值观传递的方式。”“我接过了曾经递给我的接力棒，现在把它传递给我的学生。”

Her experience reflects a long-standing tradition in Guyuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Since 1995, students from Guyuan No 2 Middle School and Hongwen Middle School have taken part in an annual trek ahead of Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, to pay tribute at the Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery in neighboring Pengyang county.

她的经历反映了宁夏回族自治区固原市一项长期以来的传统。自1995年起，固原市第二中学和弘文中学的学生每年清明节前夕都会参加一次徒步远行，前往邻近彭阳县的任山河烈士陵园祭奠英烈。

The site is historically significant. In 1949, it was the battleground for the first campaign to liberate Ningxia, and today the cemetery is the final resting place of over 300 revolutionary martyrs.

1949年，这里曾是解放宁夏第一次战役的战场。如今，这座陵园长眠着300多位革命烈士。

This year, more than 3,000 people joined the commemorative march, including local students, young volunteers, and over 700 participants from all walks of life. Starting from downtown Guyuan, the group completed a 54-kilometer round trip over approximately 17 hours.

今年，超过3000人参加了这次纪念性徒步活动，包括当地学生、青年志愿者以及来自各行各业的700多名参与者。队伍从固原市区出发，用大约17个小时完成了54公里的往返路程。

As the group entered the most rugged mountain stretches, Zhao observed subtle yet meaningful changes among the teenagers. The boys moved to the outer edges, instinctively forming a protective circle around the girls, while those who were usually playful or restless readily offered help to classmates who lagged behind during the journey.

当队伍进入最崎岖的山路路段时，赵荣彦观察到青少年之间微妙而有意义的变化。男生们主动走到外侧，本能地在女生周围形成了一个保护圈，而那些平时调皮或坐不住的同学也主动帮助途中掉队的同伴。

"Character is shaped through challenges," Zhao said. "It is on a journey like this that you truly see it emerge."

赵荣彦说：“品格是在挑战中塑造的。”“正是在这样的旅程中，你才能真正看到它显现出来。”

Upon arriving at the cemetery, participants held white flowers and gently placed them before the tombstones. Zhao noticed many students with reddened eyes, some quietly wiping away tears.

到达陵园后，参与者手持白花，轻轻摆放在墓碑前。赵荣彦注意到许多学生眼眶泛红，有的在悄悄擦眼泪。

For many of them, the experience left a lasting impression.

对许多人来说，这次经历留下了持久的印象。

Luan Junguan from Hongwen Middle School had once assumed that determination alone would be enough to get him through 54 kilometers. Step by step, however, the challenge proved far greater than expected.

弘文中学的栾峻关曾以为，单凭决心就足以让他走完54公里。然而，随着一步一步地迈进，挑战远比想象中更大。

"Yet the moment we arrived, all the exhaustion turned into gratitude," he said."It's thanks to the courage and sacrifice of those heroes that we can live peaceful and happy lives today."

他说：“然而，当我们到达的那一刻，所有的疲惫都化作了感恩。”“正是由于那些英雄的勇敢和牺牲，我们今天才能过上和平幸福的生活。”

For Qiang Jianwei, also from Guyuan No 2 Middle School, the march carried personal significance. Having previously failed to complete the distance, he had long regarded it as an unresolved regret.

同样来自固原市第二中学的强建伟认为，这次徒步对他个人意义重大。此前他曾未能走完全程，一直将其视为一个未了的心结。

"This time, I told myself I had to finish it," he said — and he did. "It taught me how to keep going, even when things get tough."

他说：“这一次，我告诉自己必须走完。”——他做到了。“它教会了我如何在困难时坚持下去。”

The 54-kilometer undertaking is far from a last-minute effort. Preparation begins as early as March, when schools incorporate endurance training into morning exercises and physical education classes.

这54公里的徒步远行绝非临时起意。准备工作早在三月份就开始了，学校将耐力训练纳入早操和体育课中。

Wang Zihao, a student at Guyuan No 2 Middle School, said the school organized regular training walks with weighted packs, while he also set personal goals, such as completing 10 kilometers on weekends.

固原市第二中学学生王梓豪说，学校组织了定期的负重徒步训练，他自己也设定了个人目标，比如周末完成10公里。

"As a result, I didn't feel overly tired this time," he said.

英语新闻丨学生重走烈士路，继往开来续荣光