Gong Hui: The "Two Roads" Spirit [1] Injects Forging Power into the Building of a Strong National Power
In 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued an important instruction on the 60th anniversary of the completion and opening of the Sichuan-Tibet and Qinghai-Tibet Highways. He pointed out that over the past 60 years, in the process of constructing and maintaining these highways, the "Two Roads" spirit has been formed and promoted—characterized by "first, fearing no hardship, and second, fearing no death; tenacious struggle and willingness to serve as paving stones; and the unity of the military and the people and of all ethnic groups." The "Two Roads" spirit is an important component of the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists [1] and an inheritance of the Great Founding Spirit of the Party [2]. On the new journey of the New Era, we must deeply explain the historical evolution of the "Two Roads" spirit, analyze its theoretical characteristics, explore paths for its promotion, and push for its organic integration into the practical processes of major national fields—such as building a country with strong transportation—to further stimulate the majestic force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The "Two Roads" Spirit Aggregates Grand Ambition
Fine traditional Chinese culture has provided rich nourishment for the "Two Roads" spirit. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the excellent traditional concept of "the benevolent person loves others" [3] has led transport workers to consistently focus on people's livelihoods and serve the public during the practices of building, maintaining, and protecting roads, committing themselves to ensuring that the fruits of transportation construction benefit the broad masses. The spirit of "as heaven’s movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive for self-improvement" [4] further inspired transport workers to forge ahead with tenacity, maintaining firm convictions and high morale to overcome difficulties and create brilliance. The value orientation that "the rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every individual" [5] instilled a sense of patriotism in transport workers, who built the Sichuan-Tibet and Qinghai-Tibet Highways with their own flesh and blood, opening up thoroughfares for national development and ethnic unity.
At the same time, revolutionary culture has endowed the "Two Roads" spirit with a distinct "red gene." To liberate Tibet, acting on the orders of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the 18th Army led by Zhang Guohua and Tan Guansan advanced toward Tibet from the southwest while simultaneously building roads. Northwest units represented by Fan Ming and Mu Shengzhong set out from Qinghai. These two forces shouldered the historical mission of constructing the Sichuan-Tibet and Qinghai-Tibet Highways. Emerging from the Revolutionary War, their spirit of hard struggle and fearlessness in the face of sacrifice was fully displayed by the road-building army. The "red genes" of heroic struggle and wholehearted service to the people are deeply imprinted in the "Two Roads" spirit.
Facing towering mountains, treacherous rapids, harsh climates, and rudimentary equipment, the road-building army resolutely embarked on this arduous journey full of unknowns and challenges. With the courage of "not being cowed by hardships and dangers," the determination of "not being defeated by poor conditions," and the perseverance of "not being crushed by heavy tasks," they never retreated despite immense difficulties. They completely ended the history of Tibet having no modern highways, creating a miracle in world highway construction history on the "Roof of the World"—a region known as a "forbidden zone for human life."
The maintenance of the "Two Roads" was equally difficult. Over the long years, generations of road maintenance workers have stayed on the plateau, enduring the tests of severe cold and oxygen deficiency, guarding these two "life passages" with their sweat and lives. In this arduous maintenance practice, hard struggle, silent persistence, and self-sacrifice are the most vivid manifestations and portrayals of the "Two Roads" spirit.
Guided by the "Two Roads" spirit, generations of transport workers have forged ahead. The transportation sector has achieved brilliant accomplishments, building the world's largest high-speed rail network, high-speed highway network, and world-class port clusters. On the new journey, building a country with strong transportation remains an arduous task. Breakthroughs in technologies such as smart transportation, autonomous driving, and new energy vehicles still require transport workers to pool their efforts and innovate.
The "Two Roads" spirit is a precious spiritual wealth for the nation. Under the strong leadership of the Party, the people of all ethnic groups uphold the courage of "fearing no hardship and fearing no death," adhere to the belief of "tenacious struggle and willingness to serve as paving stones," and promote the spirit of "unity of military and people and ethnic unity." By uniting all forces that can be united and moving forward with arduous struggle, we will surely stimulate a great creative force to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The Rich Connotations of the "Two Roads" Spirit
Reviewing the history of the "Two Roads" spirit, the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Company, 155th Regiment, 52nd Division of the 18th Army first shouted the slogan "first, fear no hardship, and second, fear no death" during the arduous struggle of entering Tibet and building the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, fully embodying revolutionary heroism. During the construction process, builders conquered snow-capped mountains reaching the clouds, crossed vast grasslands, and traversed turbulent rivers. Operating in harsh environments with high altitudes, oxygen deficiency, and complex geology, they did not retreat even when encountering landslides and mudslides or sacrificing their lives. This endurance and fearlessness are the embodiment of revolutionary heroism.
The arduous conditions and multiple dangers contrasted with the builders' persistent revolutionary optimism. During the project to break through Que’er Mountain, they put forward slogans such as "hardship is glory" and "tenacity is victory," and launched "Red Flag" labor competitions, reflecting the heroic spirit of "See you in Lhasa, heroes!" [6]. In their spare time, entertainment activities such as "miniature concerts," clapper plays (kuàibǎn), and film screenings were held at the construction sites. Using revolutionary optimism to firm their convictions, the road-building army turned the long and grueling construction process into an unremitting pursuit of a better life.
"Tenacious struggle and willingness to serve as paving stones" is a vivid portrayal of the builders' fearless fighting spirit. Facing the extremely harsh environment of the "Roof of the World," they manually excavated cliffs and advanced through snow and ice. With iron will and tenacious fighting spirit, they opened up vital transport arteries connecting the interior and the border regions in a "forbidden zone for life," demonstrating a resilient and forward-moving fighting spirit.
Behind the practical struggle of "tenacious struggle and willingness to serve as paving stones" lies a rigorous scientific spirit. Highway construction is a precise scientific project. The builders adopted the "Four Nevers" as their code: never report a wrong number, never mark a wrong point, never miss measuring a gully, and never miss drawing a line. Every link from surveying and design to construction embodied scientific wisdom and rational judgment.
The military and civilians joined hands to build the roads, and people of all ethnic groups were united as one, demonstrating deep mutual assistance and a shared destiny. During construction, military officers and soldiers fought side-by-side with local civilians, sharing joys and sorrows. The road-building units applied their tenacious combat style, charging at the front and undertaking difficult and dangerous construction tasks; the Tibetan people enthusiastically supported the construction and actively participated in transportation work; and the whole country provided full support with materials. Military-civilian mutual support and the familial bond between ethnic groups created a powerful synergy for construction and maintenance.
The cornerstone of "military-civilian unity and ethnic unity" is the adherence to the people's standpoint and the pursuit of the fundamental interests of the broadest masses. The construction fundamentally improved the lives of the Tibetan people and promoted economic development in the region. The "Two Roads" connected the interior and the borders, strengthened exchanges between different regions, and forged a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, creating conditions for progress in education, healthcare, and culture in border areas, allowing people of all ethnic groups to share the fruits of national development.
The "Two Roads" Spirit Continues the Struggle
Under the conditions of omni-media communication, promoting the "Two Roads" spirit requires improving the omni-media communication system to continuously enhance communication efficiency and influence. This will form a social trend of striving, responsibility, and mutual assistance, continuing the magnificent new chapter of the people of all ethnic groups struggling under the Party's leadership.
To vigorously promote the spiritual pedigree of Chinese Communists and publicize the touching deeds of "Two Roads" transport workers, we must strengthen media integration and collaboration. Traditional media such as newspapers, radio, and television should coordinate with new media like mobile, social, and digital platforms, using digital intelligence algorithms to empower communication. We should focus on immersive communication modes involving multiple senses and scenarios, utilizing AR, VR, and MR technologies to recreate the arduous scenes of road building, allowing people to experience the spiritual shock of their predecessors' pioneering efforts. We should strengthen public participation by organizing theme-based cultural festivals, "re-walking the Two Roads" experience activities, and encouraging the sharing of insights on social platforms to create a strong atmosphere for universal dissemination.
The "Two Roads" spirit is a precious spiritual resource for school education. It must be integrated into "ideological-political courses" (sīzhèng kè) and "curriculum-based ideological-political education" (kèchéng sīzhèng) [7]. Improving the system of using the "Two Roads" spirit to "cast the soul and nurture people" is significant for cultivating a new generation capable of assuming the responsibilities of national rejuvenation, developed morally, intellectually, physically, aesthetically, and through labor. We should integrate the "Two Roads" spirit into the ideological-political education system, improve the integrated education mechanism, and guide students in elementary, middle schools, and universities to internalize the spirit according to their cognitive patterns, achieving the organic fusion of knowledge transmission and value guidance. Meanwhile, campus culture and social practice activities themed on the "Two Roads" spirit should be carried out, collaborating with museums and memorial halls to develop educational projects suitable for different ages and enriching volunteer service activities.
The "Two Roads" spirit is a precious spiritual asset for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must improve the system for integrating and transforming the "Two Roads" spirit into actions that drive national development and social progress. The spirit should be integrated into public service sectors such as transportation and national economic and social development, combined with core socialist values to inspire public servants to carry forward the spirit of selfless dedication, continuously innovating service models, and improving service quality. Regions along the "Two Roads" should deeply tap into the cultural connotations of the spirit, develop characteristic cultural industries, and create cultural brands—including films, literature, and souvenirs—to promote the integration of culture, tourism, and agriculture, helping to build the "Two Roads" economic belt and promote high-quality development.
The "Two Roads" spirit is an inexhaustible driving force for building a new, modern socialist Tibet. We must use the "Two Roads" spirit to further inspire generation after generation to continue their struggle and create one miracle after another. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "to govern the country, we must first govern the borders; to govern the borders, we must first stabilize Tibet," and called for efforts to "build a new, modern socialist Tibet that is united, prosperous, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful." On the new journey of the New Era, to write a new chapter of ethnic unity and common prosperity, the "Two Roads" spirit will inevitably become the spiritual motivation to stimulate the enthusiasm of officials and the masses for entrepreneurship and innovation, the spiritual support for achieving national strength, social harmony, and personal growth, and the inspiration for socialist builders to strive unceasingly and act as pioneers in the process of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.
(The author is the Vice Director of the Chongqing Municipal Research Center for the System of Theories of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and the Party Secretary of Chongqing Jiaotong University)
Source: Guangming Daily, February 17, 2025