Red Army bugle book inspires discipline and boosts tourism in Fujian village

A small, yellowed book with curled edges may look unremarkable at first glance, but the military bugle sheet music preserved at the Ninghua Revolutionary Memorial Museum in Fujian province carries the memory of a Red Army soldier's 40-year promise, which is now being used to teach young people about discipline and perseverance.

The palm-sized book contains more than 340 pieces of bugle music used by the Red Army. The melodies once signaled everything from daily routines and formations to marching and combat.

For students visiting the museum today, the book offers a way to connect with a period that can otherwise seem distant, Yang Liting, a museum guide, said.

The story behind it begins in January 1930, when Luo Guangmao joined the Red Army at age 15. Because of his strong voice and breath control, he was selected as a bugler and sent to study at the bugle unit of the Central Military School's ground combat department.