One rocky island in the Xisha island chain, South China Sea, has a carving engrained on the edge of a cliff, reading: Long Live the Motherland (祖国万岁). The bright red letters are incredibly eye-catching.

Chinese Navy soldiers say Yu Dongxing, a soldier who left the island after a promotion, made the masterpiece. In his last year defending the Xisha islands, Yu’s passion for the island and its beauty grew. He decided to express his feelings through carving four characters into the side of a cliff.

Yu recruited some of his fellow comrades to assist in using a thick rope to lower him adjacent to the cliff. Over the course of six months, Yu slowly but surely carved “Long Live the Motherland.”

Afterwards, subsequent generations of soldiers carefully traced over the characters in red. They have been passing on the sacred duty of loyalty since.