In the northwest corner of the country's territory, at the foot of the mighty Mount Arau, there is a border of 24.6 kilometers. The thin curve on this map is always holding the hearts of a group of "soldier mothers."

There was still some time before August 1, and soldier mothers were busy - sewing thick hand-made cushions, carefully making lists of specialty foods, practicing winter blues repeatedly...

They are members of the "Mother of the Borders" volunteer service team in Wenquan County, Xinjiang. The team included retired cadres and teachers, as well as farmers and housewives, with an average age of 68. Over the past 10 years, they have repeatedly set foot on the mountain road to border guard posts and border police stations, bringing care and concern to every post.

On the eve of this year's Spring Festival, "soldier mothers" came to the Kazan River border guard company, and the soldiers warmly welcomed them: "Mom, you're here! Here's good food again!”

"Military mothers" couldn't wait to produce their homemade flavourful milk tea, golden bread cookies and crispy crustaceans. Winterbells and horse-drawn guitars were played, and volunteers sang and sang, talking to soldiers about their families, learning about the difficulties of life, and relieving their nostalgia for home.

"There are not a whole family, and the children are on the brink of the snow and wind. We want to give them the'smell of motherhood' and let them feel the warmth of home." Volunteer team captain Alia said. Every year, festivals such as the Spring Festival, the Military Memorial Day, the Mid-Autumn Festival, or important nodes such as the demobilization of new recruits and the retirement of veterans, service teams will visit to offer condolences.

"The soldiers are far from home holding the gates of the motherland, and we must be their loved ones." With this idea in mind, after retiring from the Wenquan County Bureau of Statistics, Alia led 15 villagers to start the road to military service in 2016. Today, the team is growing larger and has more than 430 members. Despite the differences in language and customs, they all share a common identity: the "soldier mother" of the border guards.

A blue scarf was hidden in the case of Sergeant Kessel of the Cazan River border guard company, which he had never been able to wear. It was knitted by Teddy Guri, a member of the volunteer service, whose son is also a soldier in the army.

"She told me to wear warmer when I was on patrol." Kessel told reporters that the troops now have plenty of warm clothes and haircuts, so he kept the scarf hidden. Every time I see it, I think of "mother's warmth," and I think of practical actions to safeguard the border and guard the defense, and live up to the wishes of "soldier mothers."

"Military mothers" always say that joining the army is not a shouting, it is a demonstration. Their love, without extraordinary feats, was in little things; There are no generous vows, only care that flows through the water. Muradin, who retired from the Cazan River border guard company, was deeply concerned.

After his retirement in 2024, Muradin, originally from Kashgar, stayed in Hot Springs County and opened a small restaurant. When I first opened my business, I didn't know a lot of people, the customer base was unstable, and the business was not good.

After a while, Muradin suddenly realized that there were more customers in the shop. "It turned out later that it was Alia's mother who unwittingly learned about my situation and launched volunteers to support me, and'soldier mothers' also set up team building and family dinners at me, and the popularity in the shop grew." Muradin said gratefully that they had helped me without saying anything.

Soldiers from all over the world have a warm home at the border, and many soldiers remain in contact with "soldier mothers" after they retire. The masses supported the army, and the soldiers protected the people. Border guards have formed small teams to help people repair their houses, harvest pastures, and repair farming tools during their leisure time. Outside of his duties, he took the initiative to assist herders in turning fields and guarding livestock.

Guarding the border requires all of us to work together, and the soldier mothers know this very well. They have integrated their strength into the larger picture of strengthening the border and revitalizing the border, establishing a loving comfort group, a hand-stitching group, an artistic literacy group, and a support group for military families in service teams, singing about their border service in various forms. The Cultural and Cultural Propaganda Group has gone deep into elementary and secondary schools along the border to carry out activities such as defense advocacy and popularization of national defense, sowing the seeds of a patriotic and strong army. The military dependent support team relies on the "Mothers of the Border Patrol Love House" to visit and comfort disabled retired soldiers, survivors of border patrols, and difficult military relatives, making every effort to alleviate difficulties and help them. In 2022, the volunteer service team led the establishment of the pomegranate warm-hearted domestic service center to secure the opportunity for free vocational skills training for the vast number of border guards, resulting in more than 300 border guard members benefiting from increased income.

Not long ago, the "Mother of the Border Patrol" volunteer service team was named the National Volunteering "Four 100" outstanding volunteer service organization in 2025, one of many honors they have received. The best reward, they said, was the warrior's cry of "Mama."

Under the influence of "soldier mothers," more and more people join voluntary service teams. Wu Yuqin, 86, came to sign up on crutches: "I can still sew and mend, and I want to do something for the soldiers." Mongolian "soldier mother" Dodeli joined with her two daughters, sister-in-law and niece, and the family's red vest became a splendid sight. Volunteer Jiang Huayan is 42 years old. She tries to participate in every event. She found that many ethnic minority "soldier mothers" were not very good at Chinese, but were standard at singing red songs and military songs.

We walked into border guard units and border police stations more than a hundred times, and handed out thousands of handmade fabrics and tens of thousands worth of specialty food. In Alia's studio, thick work logs detail every visit to the military, every financial expense, and every testimonial story. The love of military mothers extends beyond the borders; This love is purer than the snow of Mount Arathorne. (Looking ahead to a new era)