CHINA, 1991
…We drove out beyond the bridge. Here, near the old stone bridge, a small detachment with two machine guns was holding the defense protecting our Chinese helpers.
Some of our men took up positions at the bridge, while others were sent further along the line as a screen and reconnaissance unit. I was in charge of a group of Chinese track workers which already began to unscrew and dismantle the rails.
CHINA, 1991
…We headed toward the railway bridge across the river. The night was moonlit and quiet. The valley seemed to have frozen in a clear smokey ice. We moved slowly, trying not to be detected. We were tasked with dismantling the railway track behind the bridge to prevent the enemy from using their armored train in the offensive.
CHINA, 1991
…At that moment, the train passed the Mclaugh crossing and began a long climb up the Terracotta Mountain Range. I looked through the wide-open door at the fading day, at the pale yellow disc of the moon, at the sheaves of gaolyan rice floating past,
and thought how nice it would be to be out in the field right now, lying in the fragrant grass, and then returning to my parents’ house to snuggle up to a mug of cold chicken broth… But I understood that all this was now in the past and no one could
bring it back…