Red Army bugle book inspires discipline and promotes tourism

A small, yellowed book with curled edges may look unremarkable at first glance. Yet the military bugle sheet music preserved at the Ninghua Revolutionary Memorial Museum in Fujian province tells the story of a Red Army soldier who kept a 40-year promise. Today, the artifact is helping teach young people about discipline and perseverance.

Small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, the book contains more than 340 pieces of bugle music used by the Red Army. The melodies once signaled everything from daily routines and troop formations to marching and combat.

For students visiting the museum today, the book offers a tangible connection to a period that might otherwise seem distant, said Yang Liting, a museum guide.

The story behind the artifact began in January 1930, when Luo Guangmao joined the Red Army at the age of 15. Recognizing his strong voice and breath control, the army selected him as a bugler and sent him to study with the bugle unit of the ground combat department of the Central Military School.

At the end of his training, a military commander presented Luo with the sheet music, emphasizing that it was both important and confidential.

"Protect it as you would your own life," the commander told him.

"Where I am, the sheet music will be there," Luo replied.

Luo later served as a bugler alongside Zhu De, one of the Red Army's principal commanders. In 1934, after being wounded and transferred to the rear, he became separated from the main force. Determined to protect the book, Luo secretly returned home and entrusted it to his mother, who hid it beneath the floorboards of a granary.

The book was rediscovered in 1974, when the granary was being demolished. The following year, Luo donated it, along with his bugle's mouthpiece, to the Ninghua Revolutionary Memorial Museum.

Lin Mengjia, head of the museum, said the artifact's educational value lies not only in its rarity but also in the promise Luo kept for 40 years.

"It can teach students to keep their promises," Lin said.

The bugle music also reflects the Red Army's strict discipline, she said. Soldiers were expected to respond to bugle calls according to their prescribed melodies, demonstrating their discipline and obedience to orders.

Opened to the public in January 2021, the museum is dedicated to Ninghua's history during the revolutionary period and highlights the county's role as one of the important birthplaces of the Long March spirit.

"Rather than exaggerating the stories, the museum seeks to showcase what happened as accurately as possible," Lin said.

Its educational programs also reach beyond the museum, extending to schools, government offices and businesses.

Since opening, the museum has received nearly 1.5 million visits, averaging about 250,000 a year. Research and study groups have become an important part of its audience, with the number of such groups this year increasing by about 30 percent from previous years.

The museum's influence can also be seen in Phoenix Mountain village in Ninghua county, one of the key departure points for the Long March. Red-themed educational tourism has helped improve the village environment and boost its rural economy.

Wang Xinggang, director of the village committee, said the influx of visitors has brought economic benefits. Sales of local specialties, agricultural products and handicrafts have increased, while the village's collective income rose from almost nothing to more than 200,000 yuan last year.

A local rice wine known as Red Army Cola has become a link between revolutionary history and modern tourism. According to local accounts, villagers offered the wine to Red Army soldiers during their stay, when the warm beverage helped them ward off the cold.

Annual sales of the rice wine have grown from less than 2 to 3 metric tons to nearly 20 tons, Wang said.

"Young people have also begun returning to the village to start businesses, including a cultural and creative workshop producing local handicrafts," he added.