Nan Qixiang, a veteran of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), honored in his own way the latest repatriation of the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the war, also known as the Korean War.
The remains of 43 CPV soldiers who lost their lives during the war returned to China on Thursday from South Korea.
It is the 11th repatriation of such kind following a handover agreement signed by China and South Korea. This new batch brings the total number of fallen CPV soldiers whose remains have returned home to 981.
Nan set foot on the Korean battlefield at the young age of 15, and served as a bugler. Although 88 years old today, Nan is still full of energy when he blows again the charge bugle in the standard bugler posture.
During the war, Nan was awarded the third-class merit for his outstanding performance. He said he felt an even greater sense of honor knowing that his application to join the Communist Party of China (CPC) was approved.
"There was a Communist Party flag hanging in the entrenchment, and water was leaking on us while we could hear enemy planes hovering outside to spy on us. I raised my right hand and declared that I volunteered to join the CPC to fight for communism for life and would never betray the Party. At that point, I swore with tears in my eyes. I thought to myself that I was now a member of the Communist Party and wanted to better serve the people," Nan said.
Nan stated that the enemy would call a bugle used by the CPV a trumpet, viewing it as a powerful instrument.
"The enemy would refer to a bugle as a trumpet, describing our trumpet as a powerful instrument. When we blew it, the Chinese soldiers would be as fearless as ever. It served as a signal to shock the army and shatter the enemy's courage," Nan said.
During the Korean War, more than 197,000 CPV soldiers sacrificed their lives on the Korean battlefield. Nan says he misses his fallen comrades dearly, knowing that it was their sacrifices that safeguarded the good and peaceful life back home.
Upon hearing the news that the 11th batch of fallen CPV soldiers’ remains would return to the homeland, he once again retrieved his cherished bugle and polished it to a brilliant shine.
"Comrades, I miss you very much. We will miss you forever, and our Party and our people will never forget you," Nan said.
Korean War Veteran honors latest repatriation of remains of fallen comrades in unique way
The Chinese government issued an action plan on Wednesday to reduce logistics costs and boost economic efficiency, with the goal of lowering the ratio of social logistics costs to GDP to around 13.5 percent by 2027.
By 2027, the country expects to further optimize the structure of goods transport, and strengthen the national logistics hub system and modern logistics service network, said the plan issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.
China will further optimize its national cargo transport system, with the goal of raising the share of railway freight volume and railway freight turnover to about 11 percent and 23 percent, respectively, by 2027. Port container transport via rail and water is also expected to maintain strong growth.
"The ratio of total social logistics costs to GDP reflects both the cost efficiency of the logistics sector and the organizational quality of the industrial and supply chains. In 2023, this ratio in China was 14.4 percent. Based on China's 2023 GDP, a 0.9 percentage point decrease from 14.4 percent to 13.5 percent would cut total logistics costs by over one trillion yuan (about 138 billion U.S. dollars), generating significant corporate profits," said Lu Chengyun, deputy director of the logistics department at the Integrated Transport Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission.
To effectively improve logistics efficiency and cut costs, many logistics hub cities across China are introducing new initiatives, focusing on areas such as improving multimodal transport systems, establishing direct freight train services, and ensuring the open sharing and connectivity of logistics data across different platforms.
Huai'an City in east China's Jiangsu Province is home to the province's largest inland river port. This year, Huai'an Port partnered with leading global shipping companies to link domestic inland river routes with international ocean shipping lines, creating a more efficient and convenient logistics channel for import and export businesses.
"In the past, goods from inland areas were usually transported by road first and then shipped by sea. Now, the process begins with inland river transport, followed seamlessly by sea transport, which reduces the time and procedures for goods transport, cutting the average logistics cost per container by nearly 50 percent. Besides, integration and facilitation measures for customs clearance, such as direct cargo pick-up at the ship, immediate loading upon arrival at ports, and the same vessel for both domestic and international shipments, have all contributed to reducing transport time," said Yang Shan, a foreign trade staff member from a Huai'an-based shipping company.
Starting in 2024, the Hunan-Guangdong-Africa rail-sea intermodal train service, featuring shorter transport time, more stable operations, and lower costs, has begun operating on a weekly schedule. Freight trains carrying products such as new energy vehicles and machinery parts depart from Zhuzhou City in central China's Hunan Province, heading directly to Nansha Port in Guangdong Province in the south where the goods are prepared for export to Africa.
"Previously, our Hunan-Guangdong-Africa rail-sea intermodal train service didn't have a direct route. Now, with the new service, the transport time from Zhuzhou to Guangzhou has been cut from 72 hours to just 20 hours. We are also continuously optimizing rail freight costs, and through resource integration, we have reduced logistics costs by about 2,500 yuan (about 345 U.S. dollars) per container," said Zhang Jian, chairman of a Zhuzhou-based logistics company.
In Zibo City of east China's Shandong Province, real-time logistics data of bulk commodities is monitored and analyzed on trading platforms. Such platforms can monitor the status of cargo trucks throughout the entire process, from loading and transport to unloading, enabling more efficient logistics planning and cost savings.
China issues action plan to cut national logistics costs
