BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- As China observed the Qingming Festival, the nation paid tribute to the fallen heroes who gave their lives in service to the country. From revolutionary struggles to modern-day frontlines, their sacrifices were remembered in ceremonies across the country.

According to official figures, 210 police officers and 142 auxiliary officers died while on duty in 2025. These recent losses join a much larger historical toll: an estimated 20 million martyrs in modern Chinese history, most of whom remain unnamed.

Among the fallen honored this Qingming was Xie Yufeng, a 26-year-old from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. On January 20, 2025, he jumped into a river while trying to rescue a suicidal man and died at the scene. Xie had previously struggled with acrophobia during training but refused to give up.

Another hero, Yang Guolin, 34, from Tongxin County in Ningxia, entered a tanker truck containing toxic gases on October 31, 2025, to rescue an unconscious driver. He succeeded in pushing the driver out but collapsed inside the tanker. His service number was formally retired on Police Day in January 2026.

The Qingming commemorations also recalled heroes who died in poverty alleviation work. Fang Xuan, 26, was working in Guidong County, Hunan Province, when she died in a car accident in 2017 while traveling to a village site. In just a few months, Fang had visited hundreds of rural households as part of her poverty-relief work.

This Qingming, local Party members and cadres from Qingshan Township accompanied Fang's family to the cemetery, where they placed chrysanthemums before her grave and paid their respects.

Other fallen heroes died from years of overwork and acute incidents. Zhang Xuejie, 55, a veteran trace evidence examiner in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province died on duty in October 2025. Over 33 years, he participated in more than 2,000 criminal investigations and issued over 400 forensic reports, all without error.

Wang Yufei, 56, who led an anti-narcotics unit in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, died from overwork in May 2025 after 34 years of service. He had built a smart command platform that remains in use. Colleagues remembered that he cared for his team members' families, though he rarely took time for himself.

In Urumqi, Cui Wenliang, 51, a police station chief, died of a sudden illness on March 18, 2025. His work logs recorded over 800 services to local residents, including delivering medicine and rescuing people from fires. In Inner Mongolia, traffic officer Zhang Bingyi, who at his busiest spent over 300 days a year away from home on case work, died on January 13, 2024. He was on duty during a snowstorm, guiding stranded vehicles and warning drivers of danger, when an out-of-control vehicle struck him.

Some traditions linking past and present continue across the country. In Shandong's Zhucun Village, residents still offer the first bowl of dumplings of the Chinese New Year to soldiers who died protecting villagers in 1944. That spirit of remembrance carried into this year's Qingming.

In Sichuan's Zhongjiang County, new military recruits held a ceremony on March 19, 2026, before the statue of a Korean War hero, pledging to follow the example of those who came before them. Such events were part of broader observances nationwide.

The Qingming activities included flower-laying and moments of silence at martyrs' cemeteries across the country. Local media reported organized visits by government units, schools, and community groups across multiple provinces.

For the families of the fallen, and for the nation that remembers them, the day served as a quiet acknowledgment of sacrifice. No national figure for total visitors was released, but the ceremonies underscored a continuity across generations.

The heroes honored this Qingming came from different eras and different roles. Yet in the official commemorations, they were remembered together -- as those who gave their lives so that others could live in peace.