On the morning of April 3, the day before Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day), 1,600 middle and high school students set off on a grueling 15-hour, 54-kilometer round-trip hike to honor martyrs in Guyuan city, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Now in its 30th year, this annual tradition has earned national recognition for its powerful combination of physical endurance and patriotic education.

At 4:50 am, students from No 2 Middle School of Guyuan and Hongwen Middle School began their 27-kilometer trek to the Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery to pay tribute to the fallen heroes buried there.

Located in Renhe village, Pengyang county, the cemetery was established for soldiers who died in the 1949 Renshanhe Battle — the first major confrontation during the liberation of Ningxia.

The entire route — much of it along winding mountain paths — passed through locations where the fierce battle was fought and martyrs fell.

Students struggled with leg pain, fatigue, and blisters, but despite these physical challenges, which could have easily discouraged them, nearly all persevered until the very end.

For Ma Xinrui, a seventh-grader at Hongwen Middle School, the hike was both nerve-wracking and exciting — and a meaningful lesson in history. "We were walking in the martyrs' footsteps," she said.

Hai Tianlin, also a seventh-grader, echoed her resolve. "My goal is to complete the journey, clean the tombstones for the martyrs, and return to school with stronger willpower," he said.

Students undergo rigorous training in preparation, which includes daily runs and morning exercises.

"Our teachers told us that if the martyrs could endure such hardships, we can too," said Hai Yiming, a seventh grader.

As a representative of the PE class, he took it upon himself to help his classmates up steep slopes, carrying two heavy backpacks to set an example of responsibility.

A legacy of resilience

The tradition began in 1995, when Han Hong, then principal of No 2 Middle School of Guyuan, initiated the march to instill discipline and build physical endurance among students.

"Healthy bodies are the foundation of education," he once said.

In its first year, 372 students completed the demanding route, and it has since become a cornerstone of the school's ethos.

Liu Yinjuan, now an English teacher at Hongwen Middle School, has participated in the hike six times — starting as a student in 1995.

Reflecting on her first experience, she said, "We wore cloth shoes, shared dry buns, and shed tears of both pain and pride."

Today, she watched a new generation of students taking on roles like "safety officers" and "medics", making sure no one is left behind. "This experience shapes their character for life," she said. Initially met with parental concerns over safety, the event now enjoys strong community support. "The students' perseverance changed our minds," said Ren Hao, principal of Hongwen Middle School. "This is education at its best."

Social media users have praised the students' determination, with many drawing comparisons to the Long March of the Red Army from 1934 to 1936.

Yang Yonghong, who has filmed the event for 12 years, observed the students up close.

In 2021, Guyuan was hit by a sleet storm. The mountain road — now newly paved — was still just a muddy dirt path. As students hiked through the thick sludge, one child didn't realize his shoe had gotten sucked off until he had walked several steps ahead. He had to go back to retrieve it.

"I was filming at the time, and I was so moved by the children's resilience that I actually shed tears. My own son was among them that year, hiking with the group," Yang said. "They learned about teamwork and perseverance. Even in a snowstorm, they kept going."

A beacon of remembrance

At the cemetery, students stood solemnly, wiping down tombstones and laying wreaths. "This isn't just a walk — it's a spiritual journey," said Ma Boluo, a teacher at No 2 Middle School of Guyuan. "They need to understand that our country was built on sacrifice and bloodshed." The event's impact has reached far beyond the classroom. Renshanhe Martyrs Cemetery, once rarely visited, now welcomes more than 50,000 visitors each year — many inspired by the students' actions.