Stepping into history

Phoenix Hill rises above downtown Zunyi. Part of it is called the Red Army Hill. It was here that a sharpshooter killed a Red Army officer named Deng Ping in February 1935, when the Red Army entered the town for the second time. "His eyeglasses must have refracted the light and he was shot in the forehead," a tour guide says. Deng and other soldiers were buried in the hill, which now houses a mausoleum.On Sept 15, 2009, a group of visitors took oath in front of the obelisk, which features an inscription in the calligraphy of late leader Deng Xiaoping, reading, "Martyrs of the Red Army Are Immortal". The group is from Guangdong province. It includes two members who recently joined the Communist Party and nine who joined in the last few years, while the most veteran member signed on 30 years ago.