What's the experience of being a war correspondent?

I went to Syria alone at the age of 23.

Stick to it for 32 months alone

On the most cruel battlefield in the world

Suffer the threat of death and the desire for life.

He is a soldier without a gun.

He's a war correspondent, Huang Xiang.

"Danger is sometimes just a moment.

No time to be afraid. "

Since 1987, more than 700 war correspondents have lost their lives while covering wars and armed conflicts. In just 20 14 a year, 16 war correspondents were killed in Syria, Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukrainian crisis. Some media even think that the death rate of war reporters far exceeds that of soldiers in the war!

Hu Xiang, who has studied Arabic, seems destined to be a war correspondent. After only one year in the People's Daily, he took the task and resolutely went to the battlefield.

Since then, death has been with him and has become a part of life.

Fantasy/photography

There is a normal life here. The streets of Damascus are still bustling, with vendors selling along the street, and even many people reading and buying books around the mobile bookstall on the street.

Suddenly, there was a mortar explosion around me, unlike the scene in Hollywood movies. There was no slow motion after the explosion, and there was no shocking fire. There is only a big pit left on the ground, dusty and pungent with sulfur.

Huanxiang, who loves to laugh, is as full of energy as all post-90s teenagers. War and life have not changed him.

On March 20 14, Huan Xiang visited the battlefield for the first time and had close contact with the shells. According to his memory, "the two sides fought fiercely that time. Suddenly, a mortar exploded in front of us, and I instinctively fell to the ground. The mortar explosion was less than 100 meters away from me, and thick black smoke rose rapidly in the bushes not far away. "

When interviewing local residents and refugees, he needs to know the routes of some non-dangerous areas in advance before he can interview; And many live reports need to appear on the dangerous front line. 2065438+In September 2006, I interviewed Huan Xiang in Aleppo, and despite the explosion behind me, I still broadcast the news content in front of the camera and completed a major news report.

2065438+In April 2005, three female Syrian government soldiers patrolled the town of Daraya, a suburb of Damascus. As the conflict continues, the number of casualties on all sides of the Syrian battlefield is also increasing, and more and more women are joining the battle.

"Danger is sometimes just a moment, and it is too late to be afraid, but the fear that comes back later is the real fear." Huan Xiang said with a face of seriousness.

Being alone, facing the refugees in person on the battlefield, and living in the rain of bullets every day is a daily life for three years. On the front line of Syria, Xiang Xiang successively reported news events such as the Syrian presidential election, Russia's withdrawal from Syria, the Syrian government forces' crackdown on extremist organizations, and the battle of Aleppo, witnessing and recording a period of history.

The Syrian people are suffering.

And trying to survive.

In Syria, danger and death may come at any time. What people are most accustomed to is danger, that is, every moment of mortar attack. Even children less than half a person's height have long been used to shuttling through the ruins caused by the attack.

Fantasy/photography

In later reports, Hu Xiang recorded the fear brought by this danger, mixed with hope and despair.

It is full of war, death, politics, nationalities and conflicts? Between life and death, the background color of all life expressed by the Syrian people, such as affection, love and fear, shines with the brilliance of human nature.

The fate of these ordinary people is insignificant in the shock of the great era, and their joys and sorrows are also part of history.

Fantasy/photography

This is a father and son who fled to Damascus from other places. Although he is a refugee, he still maintains self-respect and self-love, and treats people with grace and grace.

The father's name is Heda and the son's name is Hamdan. A family of seven used to farm in Raqqa province in eastern Syria, but after the war broke out, they had to leave their homes and go to the capital Damascus to visit relatives. Hamdan, an 8-year-old Syrian boy, dreamed of becoming a writer, but he was forced to drop out of school two years ago before he learned to make sentences. He followed his family around Syria to escape the war.

Today, Hamdan lives on the streets of Damascus by selling juice with his father. He only cares about whether the money he earns can support his family. When a father buys clothes for his son, he also tries to choose cheap ones. "Once the price exceeded his expectations, the child gave up." The father said, "I will still try to make the children dress decently." Hungry, others may not see it; But wearing shabby clothes, children will lose their dignity from an early age. "

From Xinhua News Agency

From 2065438 to May 2005, the offensive of the extremist organization "Islamic State" in Iraq and Syria escalated, which not only occupied some villages and towns, but also caused many refugees to leave their homes. This photo shows a small refugee from Anbar province in Iraq resting on the border between the capital Baghdad and Anbar province.

Dressed neatly, the little girl sat in a simple tent, with big round eyes shining at the camera and her mouth slightly raised, unprepared for the world. This is probably the most beautiful and cruel scene in this war. She is still very young and should have a bright future, but now she is displaced in the war and her life and death are uncertain.

Fantasy/photography

20 14 On July 28th, a hotel in Damascus, the band was playing for customers. Even if the explosion rings in the ear, music is essential.

The lives of tens of millions of people in this country have been forced to change, some have lost their loved ones, and some have been displaced. However, life goes on, and everyone in this land has their own vivid understanding of this crisis.

I'm not fighting alone.

The country and home are the eternal support.

War correspondent is undoubtedly a dangerous profession, but the young official Xiang told us with practical actions: be a patriotic person and don't regret it while you are young.

Talking about the feelings of living in Syria, the young post-90s smiled and replied: "Mixed feelings". He said, "As a party newspaper reporter, I am proud to witness history and serve readers; As a bystander, I feel sorry for witnessing this war and this tragedy. After more than three years of life, I sincerely thank the organization for its trust and firmly support a 23-year-old young man to stand up alone, which has given me a deeper understanding of' peace'. "

Although he is "alone", he is not alone. Behind him is the support of his family and country, which makes him never feel afraid and lonely.

Huan Xiang is being interviewed.

In order not to worry her parents, Xiangxiang will screen her battlefield videos and pictures in a circle of friends and show them to her parents. She will go quietly before going out every time until she comes back to report her safety. In order not to worry about his son, during his stay in Syria, his grandmother, grandfather and grandmother were all ill, and his parents didn't let Xiang know.

"I watched him standing on the ruins, watching him standing next to the tank, standing among the heavily armed soldiers, doing live interviews on the battlefield. I burst into tears. " Xiang Xiang's family gave great support to her son's professional experience. "It turns out that the environment in which he lives and works is much more difficult and dangerous than what he told me."

In this way, with the support of the whole family, Huan Xiang completed his mission abroad.

"In fact, looking back, any reporter who receives such a task will complete it perfectly. I just did one thing at work. " When summing up his experience as a war correspondent, Huan Xiang said modestly.

What's the experience of being a war correspondent? That's it. Record the most authentic history and news with life, and also record the most authentic humanity and conscience. In an infinitely beautiful youth, I am always ready to go to any battlefield for the motherland and the truth of the news.

This is probably the mood of "let the country be young and have no regrets".

"I am a * * * native of party member, and a party newspaper reporter. I will always be ready to go to any battlefield for my motherland and my organization and practice the solemn promise of the younger generation of the party newspaper in party flag. " This young post-90s generation has a firm belief in his motherland, which ignited the dispatch of generate in the cold winter in Beijing.