In the footsteps of heroes

A special Tomb-Sweeping Day tradition pushes young students to their limits — and honors the legacy of fallen heroes.

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.