Feng Zhongcheng: A Life of Allegiance

Yu Di, He Binran, & Ran Yu

The Final Sacrifice for the People

In the service center of the Vehicle Management Division at around 11 a.m. on July 21， 2021， Feng Zhongcheng was helping people apply for driver's licenses online， when he heard someone scream "Murder！ Help！ Help！" from the vehicle inspection yard outside， where many were waiting for their vehicles to be examined and registered. Feng looked up and saw an injured man （surnamed Chen and aged 32） covered in blood stumbling toward the center. Aware of the severity of the danger to the public， Feng immediately raced out to capture the suspect， instructing his colleagues to care for the injured. The yard was in a total chaos and people in panic. "Who did it？" Feng shouted. Out of nowhere， the suspect rushed at Feng with his knife. Feng tried to defend himself but suffered a stab wound to his abdomen. Feng's comrades Cui Wei and Deng Bing quickly ran to his aid and overpowered the suspect together with others around. They also received injuries to their back and hand， but avoided critical injuries， as did Chen. Tragically， however， Comrade Feng didn't make it： his liver was too seriously injured， and he passed away.

The investigation found that the suspect， a 38-year-old man surnamed Li from Shizhu， Chongqing， was a former taxi driver employed by Chen's company. He had left the job previously but had recently asked to be taken back.  Chen's refusal sparked Li's rage.  Li smashed the company's vehicles and attacked his former boss with a knife.

Feng's heroic actions attracted attention from across society， particularly from officials and leaders at various levels. The Political Department of the Ministry of Public Security sent a message of condolence， stating "Comrade Feng Zhongcheng had won many awards for his enormous contribution to the public security of Shizhu county during his 30 years of grassroots work with many units， including Huangshui Police Station， Linxi Police Station， Mawu Police Station， Nanbin First Police Station， the Patrol Brigade， and the Traffic Patrol Brigade. When faced with the knife-wielding criminal， Comrade Feng rose to the occasion unflinchingly， proving his allegiance to the Party and the people and honoring his commitment to justice and discipline. We hereby pay tribute to the sacrifice of Comrade Feng Zhongcheng and offer our deepest condolences to his family." The Party Committee of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau， which had dispatched a task force at the earliest possible moment to direct the investigation and follow up， also expressed condolences to Comrade Feng's family and the injured police officers.

Tireless Dedication to the People

"Feng Zhongcheng was born in the countryside of Shizhu county and， as a witness to the hardships endured by locals， was fully aware of their needs and aspirations. After becoming part of the public security force， he prioritized working to benefit local people， always going to great lengths to solve their problems，" said Chen Yong， deputy director of the Public Security Brigade， who had worked with Feng for 10 years.

Shortly after his enrollment in the police force， Feng offered to work with Mawu precinct， a remote town with a difficult working environment. It took him five hours to trek to  Xixin Township， the remotest one in the precinct.  However， he visited  the villagers to keep track of the local security situation and the locals' practical concerns. He often stayed there for a couple of months， making enquiries in the fields or the villagers' courtyards. He became well-acquainted with all the villagers， understanding their financial situations and major concerns.

He would always carry his trusty canvas bag with him to the villages. Inside it was three of his prized assets： a water bottle， a flashlight， and a notebook. Each was useful in its own way——quenching his thirst， lighting up his path in the dark， and logging the villagers' needs. Once he got back to the bureau， he would take stock of all the information he had acquired and start preparing for his next trip to Xixin. Seeing he was busy and tired all day， his friends and family tried to talk him out of this lifestyle， but Feng responded： "I was born in the countryside and I'm clear about how hard it is to live there. I'm just glad that my efforts can make a real difference for the locals."

A few years ago， Feng was transferred to the Vehicle Management Division to deal with online-applications. To communicate easily with the public visiting the center in person， he moved his desk to the center's entrance. He also standardized the online procedure to make it more accessible for users. Every day， he began his shift half-an-hour early to to serve early visitors. Always considerate， Feng left one of his dark jackets at the center's reception desk， in case someone wore the incorrect attire for an ID photo. When dealing with senior citizens unfamiliar with smart phones， he would patiently teach them how to follow the online process， which drastically enhanced the center's efficiency.

Jin Qiping， a teacher at the Primary School Affiliated to the Normal University of Shizhu County， burst into tears when asked about Feng： "On July 21， I went to the Vehicle Management Division to renew my driver's license. I got to the service center at 9 a.m. and found Officer Feng had already started his work. After he knew I was there for my license renewal， he walked me through the whole procedure; noticing my light-colored blouse， he got me a dark-colored jacket to slip on， saying it's easy for the photo to be uploaded online. Thanks to Officer Feng， I didn't have to make another trip and got my new license in almost no time. I was really impressed by the efficiency and service quality of these public security officers. When I heard of his death， I couldn't believe it. How could such a good person die so early！"

The data showed that Feng flawlessly handled over 12，000 online operations at the service center and received universal acclaim from the public.

Riding to the People's Rescue

Officer Feng Yan， a 34-year-old colleague of Feng， couldn't help sobbing when speaking of his late comrade. "Hearing the chaos outside our center that day， I had wanted to rush to help. But Zhongcheng beat me. But for him， I would have been the one stabbed by the criminal." Feng Zhongcheng was always the first to rise for emergencies and had proved himself a real "guardian angel" for the public.

In October 1998， Mawu Town was hit by record floods， with numerous houses swamped in water and villagers stranded. Feng Zhongcheng volunteered to join the rescue efforts right away. Once he arrived， he was the first to jump into the waist-high waters and fearlessly searched all the precarious houses to evacuate the stranded villagers. Seeing an old man in his 70s quaking with terror alone in a house， Feng Zhongcheng hoisted him onto his back and rushed to a safe place， making a hasty escape from the partially collapsed house. After two hours of the rescue effort， Feng Zhongcheng and his comrades evacuated more than 300 villagers， with none killed or injured.

On a night in June 2015， a mudslide caused by torrential rains cut off all the roads in Shazi Town. After receiving a phone call about a private car stuck up the mountain， Feng Zhongcheng and his colleague went to the rescue despite the driving rain. After 40 minutes' trekking and searching in the mountains， they finally found the trapped car. The driver， who was still in shock， burst into tears of joy and whimpered： "You are here！ I don't have to die！"

On an early morning before Chinese New Year in 2016， the Shizhu Section of the G50 Huyu Expressway was closed because of the frozen road surface. Over 50 vehicles heading back home for the New Year holiday were at a complete standstill. Under instruction from the public security bureau's command center， Feng Zhongcheng and his comrades quickly set out to rescue the crippled cars， carrying supplies including deicing salt， tyre chains， and daily necessities. They braved the elements to salt the roads， install the chains for each car， and hand out food and drink to the drivers. Their hands and feet were numbed by the biting wind and swirling snow， but never thought of quitting. After three hours， all the stranded vehicles were on the move again and the grateful drivers saluted the officers， saying， "The people's police care about us. Thank you for saving our day！"

In those years， Feng Zhongcheng took part in 28 rescue operations and was lauded for his consistently excellent performance by both his leaders and colleagues.

Impartial Law Enforcement to Benefit the People

According to his comrades， Feng Zhongcheng was a kind and helpful person. He always came to the aid of others， be they his colleagues or strangers， when they were in trouble. But he was exceedingly rigorous and tough when it came to law enforcement. At the news of his death， his colleagues lamented the loss of a comrade， friend， and role model.

One day when he was working at Mawu Police Station， Feng Zhongcheng received a visit from a friend. The man asked him to help out one of his relatives whose wagon had been confiscated by the station for overloading. "Cut me some slack！ How about letting my relative off the penalty？" the man said. Feng refused point-blank， "Sorry， I can't humour you on this one." His friend's relative eventually paid the 300-yuan fine.

During one of his routine patrols in October 1998， Feng seized an van taking cash for rides without a license. Again， someone came to him and suggested that he should stretch the rules a little bit. He was not swayed at all， and sent the driver to five days in administrative detention. At the beginning of the year 2000， Feng even cracked a gambling case that ensnared a few of his acquaintances. He again retained his impartiality as he always did and always would.

In October 2018， just after he transferred to the Vehicle Management Division， Feng refused a relative's request to acquiesce on a truck which was illegally refitted to carry an increased load. In his comrades' eyes， Feng's impartiality in law enforcement thwarted violations in the short run and protected the public's interests over the long haul.

In total， Feng impartially addressed over 2，300 traffic accidents and won unanimous support from the public.

Feng often said， "Integrity gives us police officers a strong foothold. Grassroots work may seem trivial but the responsibilities involved are by no means small， as they have a direct bearing on both justice and public interests. We should honor our commitment， hone our skills， and stay ready to take on whatever challenges we face." His life story proved he was a man of his words.

Feng had a big bookcase at home， lined with books of different subjects including politics， philosophy and law. In his spare time， he would immerse himself in reading. Officer Wang Yuanyuan from the Traffic Police Brigade recalled， "Feng loved reading very much and always alluded to the classics. What's more， he obtained both the Senior Law Enforcement Qualification and the Legal Profession Qualification. To better facilitate the online service of the Vehicle Management Division， Feng， in his 50s， went all out to study the Traffic-Management 12123 smart phone app， and when it came to our online service we all regarded him as a legendary 'know-it-all'. Dismissing the nickname， Feng explained， 'Only when I know the procedure myself， can I help the public better.'"

Feng Zhongcheng's daughter， Feng Xinyan， was devastated by her father's death. She sobbed as she said： "My father had told me why he named me Xinyan. His name is Zhongcheng and mine Xinyan. Put together， our two names form two new characters with the meaning 'allegiance.'"

Allegiance and commitment！ Zhongcheng， may you rest in Peace.

（Translated by Chen Xiaoying， School of Foreign Languages， Beijing Forestry University）

Personal Profile：

Feng Zhongcheng was born in 1968， Han ethnicity， university-educated， member of the Communist Party of China， traffic police officer with the Public Security Bureau of Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County， Chongqing. Died while attempting to apprehend a knife-wielding criminal on July 21， 2021. On 25 October 2021， the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Public Security posthumously awarded Comrade Feng the title of First-Class Hero Model of the Chinese Public Security System.