Source: Nanfang Daily
Objects of Dongjiang Column soldiers displayed at the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall. Photographed by Nanfang Daily reporter Zheng Jielin
On the bank of the beautiful Bailian Lake in Luofu Mountain, the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall is surrounded by green mountains and solemn. This is one of the memorial halls set up to commemorate the Dongjiang Column of the Guangdong People’s Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force.
In December 1943, the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force integrated other anti-Japanese war forces and established the Dongjiang Column. During the Anti-Japanese War, the CCP conducted more than 1,400 large and small battles, annihilated more than 9,000 Japanese and puppet troops, and established anti-Japanese base areas and guerrilla zones with a total area of more than 60,000 square miles and a population of approximately 4.5 million. More than 2,500 commanders and fighters died heroically. As one of the main forces of the People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force that opened up the battlefield behind enemy lines in South China and persisted in the war of resistance in South China, the Dongjiang Column grew from scratch and gradually developed into a powerful anti-Japanese force with more than 10,000 troops. It was hailed by the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China as the "Flagr of the People's Liberation of Guangdong."
Recently, reporters visited the memorial halls and old sites of the Dongjiang Column in Shenzhen, Huizhou, Dongguan and other places, and the past events of the Anti-Japanese War that took place along the Dongjiang River came to mind again.
The road of struggle
The mainstay of China's Anti-Japanese War
After the national anti-Japanese war began, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China attached great importance to the anti-Japanese struggle in Guangdong and sent Liao Chengzhi, Pan Hannian and Zhang Yunyi to Hong Kong and Guangzhou to set up Eighth Route Army offices to carry out united front work and mobilize the people to resist Japan. In April 1938, the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China was established. In October of the same year, after the Japanese army invaded the counties in the lower reaches of the Dongjiang River and Guangzhou, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China immediately instructed the Guangdong Provincial Committee and the Eighth Route Army Office in Hong Kong to develop guerrilla zones in the enemy-occupied areas of the Dongjiang River.
On October 11, 1938, the "Bagang Self-Defense Force" composed of more than 40 Tuyang villagers lurked along the coastline, waiting for an opportunity to attack a Japanese army, thus firing the first shot to resist the Japanese army's landing in Daya Bay.
Tuyang Village is located next to Dapeng Bay , backed by mountains and facing the blue sea. The Dapeng Peninsula is on the left and the Kowloon Peninsula is on the right. Dapeng Bay is a deep-water bay and has always been a battleground for military strategists.
The first headquarters of the Dongjiang Column of the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force after its formal establishment was located in Tuyang Village, Shenzhen. Recently, the reporter came to the former site of the Dongjiang Column Headquarters in Tuyang Community, Kuiyang Street, Dapeng New District, Shenzhen. The longan, ebony and other ancient trees in the courtyard were lush and leafy, and a unique yellow building stood in front of them.
"It was here at that time that Zeng Sheng and others from the headquarters signed the "Declaration of the Establishment of the Dongjiang Column" and announced the establishment of the Dongjiang Column." According to Li Meinian, an interpreter at the former site of the Dongjiang Column headquarters, on December 2, 1943, according to the instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Corps was changed to the "Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Dongjiang Column."
In August 1944, the Tuyang Conference that pointed out the direction for the comprehensive development of the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Armed Forces was held here.
Li Huiqun, one of the participating party members, left a handwritten manuscript of the "Tuyang Conference". According to the manuscript records, the meeting unanimously adopted the "Decision on Future Work" and proposed ten tasks. The first of which is to continue to mobilize and arm the masses throughout the province, conduct extensive guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, establish anti-Japanese base areas and develop new guerrilla areas.
After the Tuyang meeting, the Guangdong Provincial Provisional Committee of the Communist Party of China reported the meeting to the Party Central Committee and the Southern Bureau. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China responded: It fully agrees with the work principles and tasks proposed at the meeting... and must pay attention to the development of Guangxi and the north.
According to the decision of the Tuyang Conference, the Dongjiang Column assumed the strategic tasks of advancing north and east. Luofu Mountain is surrounded by dense forests and is highly concealed. It has profound strategic advantages in terms of topography and geographical location. On the basis of consolidating and developing the Huidongbao anti-Japanese base area, the Dongjiang Column concentrated its main force to advance northward and established an anti-Japanese base area north of Luofu Mountain, south of Wengyuan, and between Dongjiang and Beijiang .
In May 1945, the leading organization of the Guangdong Provincial Provincial Provincial Committee and the Dongjiang Column headquarters, political department and logistics organization successively entered the Luofu Mountain base area.Among them, the headquarters is located in Chongxuguan . Today's Chongxu Temple is adjacent to Bailian Lake in the south, nestled among green pines and ancient cypresses. It has a quiet environment and is the essence of Luofu Mountain's scenery. At that time, as the former site of the Dongjiang Column headquarters, Chongxuguan was the venue for many important meetings in the history of Guangdong Party organizations. From July 6 to 22, 1945, the Guangdong Provincial Provisional Committee of the Communist Party of China held an enlarged cadre meeting in Chongxuguan, conveying the implementation of the spirit of the Seventh National Congress of the Party and the instructions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the strategic guidelines for South China, and summarizing the experience and lessons of the Guangdong party organization since the Anti-Japanese War. The meeting decided to abolish the Guangdong Provincial Provisional Committee and the Dongjiang Military and Political Committee, establish the Guangdong District Committee of the Communist Party of China (referred to as the "Guangdong District Party Committee"), and pass several important resolutions. This meeting is of great significance in the history of Guangdong party organizations.
During the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, the Dongjiang Column has always persisted in fighting arduous battles in South China. According to incomplete statistics, the Dongjiang Column fought more than 1,400 times and wiped out more than 9,000 enemies. In 1945, Commander-in-Chief Zhu De called the South China Anti-Japanese Column, including the Dongjiang Column, together with the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, "the mainstay of China's Anti-Japanese War" in his military report "On the Battlefield in the Liberated Areas."
is located in the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall in Zhumingdong District, Luofu Mountain, Boluo County, Huizhou City. Photographed by Zhang Guanjun, reporter of Nanfang Daily
Founded a revolutionary newspaper on the battlefield behind enemy lines in Guangdong
During the Anti-Japanese War, running a newspaper was a very effective way to convey information and boost morale. Not long ago, the reporter found the old site of the "Everyone Unity Newspaper" among the old sites of the Dalingshan Anti-Japanese Base Area in Dawangling Village, Dalingshan Town, Dongguan. In October 1940, the Third Brigade of the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Army (the predecessor of the Dongjiang Column) advanced into the Daling Mountains to establish an anti-Japanese base area. In January of the following year, the Third Brigade founded "Everyone United News" here, which was the first revolutionary newspaper behind enemy lines in Guangdong during the Anti-Japanese War.
Why did you start this newspaper at that time? Du Jinnan, the former head of the United Nations Newspaper, recalled in an article: "When we first arrived there, there were only more than 100 people. We just occupied a site, and he (Zeng Sheng) wanted to start a newspaper. I thought it was not easy. He said: 'It is very important to run a newspaper because it can promote our policies. You are in the East Wan should know very well that there are many bandits here, and each of them occupies a certain territory. In order to show that we are the Communist Party and different from others, we must set up a newspaper. ’”
Later, "We United Unity News" and "New People's Daily" merged to become the predecessor of "Forward News". After the establishment of the Dongjiang Column, "Forward" became the official newspaper of the Dongjiang Column. The reporter saw in the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall located in Luofu Mountain in Huizhou that the precious printing press used to print the "Forward News" was located in the center of the first exhibition hall. Zeng Qingxiang, member of the Party Committee of Luofu Mountain Scenic Area and Director of the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall, told us about its vicissitudes of history of more than 60 years: In 1941, Chen Jie, the former president of the Boluo Daily and a progressive person, purchased the printing press through various fund-raising efforts. It was not until 1944 that the Japanese army launched a large-scale raid and the Boluo Daily had to stop printing. In order to prevent the printing press from falling into the hands of the Japanese invaders, Chen Jie and others buried the machine at the home of Chen Jinqing, a farmer in Boluo City. A few months later, the headquarters of the Dongjiang Column moved to Luofu Mountain. In order to facilitate the printing of progressive publications, Chen Jie told the Dongjiang Column where the printing press was buried. Han Jiyuan, director of the political office of the fifth detachment of the Dongjiang Column, sent more than a dozen soldiers to carry the heavy printing press back with poles and handed it to the Dongjiang Column Advance Newspaper Office for use, despite the enemy's bullets.
During the Anti-Japanese War, propaganda work became an important means of educating the people, uniting people from all walks of life, and a powerful weapon against the enemy. As a very influential newspaper in South China at that time, "Forward" guided the anti-Japanese struggle in the Dongjiang Anti-Japanese Base Area and even the Guangdong region. From March 1942 to September 1945, "Forward" published more than 100 issues, playing an important role in the Dongjiang Column's victory in the anti-Japanese guerrilla war behind enemy lines.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Dongjiang Column withdrew northward and could not take the printing press away, so they had to dismantle it and bury it near Chaoyuan Cave. Liao Rong, a newspaper staff member, was unable to move with the army due to a leg injury, so he lived in seclusion in Chaoyuan Cave as a monk and was responsible for protecting the printing press.After the founding of New China, Liao Rong shipped this machine to Huiyang printing factory for use.
The printing press, which is now classified as a national second-class cultural relic, also shows us the arduous years of running a newspaper. In order to boost morale and mobilize the masses, the Dongjiang Column also performed dramas and opened academies to build a strong cultural and public opinion position for the Guangdong people to persist in the war of resistance behind enemy lines.
Let the red gene be passed down from generation to generation
On the banks of Bailian Lake in the early spring of Southern China, the pines and cypresses were green and the party flags were bright. It has been 17 years since the Huizhou Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall was completed and opened. Since its opening, the memorial hall has received more than 1 million visitors every year. Among them are party members and cadres who come to practice and study, as well as college, middle and primary school students who come to practice and tourists who come here specifically to visit.
In recent years, the memorial hall has used Dongzong’s red revolutionary culture as its theme, deeply explored research resources, created new research and education products for young students, and launched teaching activities with the theme of “Inheriting the Red Gene and Striving to Become a New Person of the Era”. At present, the Memorial Hall has organized and received about 100,000 teachers and students from all over Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to carry out study tours. The students have further strengthened their ideals and beliefs during their studies.
At the same time, the red propaganda activities organized and carried out by the Dongzong Memorial Hall Volunteer Service Team for surrounding communities and campuses are allowing the red culture to "go out" in a vivid way, further expanding the influence of the Dongzong spirit. It is reported that the memorial hall has held 30 publicity activities on red culture entering villages and schools. People and students can share the fruits of the prosperity of red culture without leaving home or leaving school.
In early January 2020, after nearly three months of renovation, the Dongzong Memorial Hall once again met visitors with a new look. According to Zeng Qingxiang, the upgraded exhibition not only enriches some precious pictures and historical materials, but also achieves "life and color" in the exhibition layout, which greatly improves the visitors' experience of "seeing, listening and understanding".
Now walking in the exhibition hall, reporters can not only understand the historical stories of Dongzong from the physical exhibits and photos, but also feel the spirit of the Dongzong soldiers who are not afraid of hardships and dangers and bravely resist the enemy in the precious images played on the electronic screen. Even if they are not at the scene, people can "walk into" the memorial hall to learn about this period of Anti-Japanese War history through the "VR panoramic roaming" and "intelligent voice explanation" functions provided by the scenic spot's public account. Exquisite hand-drawn comics and VR tours, coupled with exclusive explanations and sound effects, allow tourists to be immersed in the red culture and gain an "immersive" red cultural experience.
In order to better spread the Dongzong culture and inherit the Dongzong spirit, the Huizhou Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall plans to strengthen mutual linkage with Dongguan Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall, Shenzhen Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall, Huizhou East Lake Hotel and other Dongzong historical and cultural venues, and organize a variety of red cultural and tourism activities to make the red story reach people's hearts and pass the red gene from generation to generation.
The former site of Dongzong’s External Liaison Office—Zhuming Cave in Luofu Mountain. Photo by Nanfang Daily reporter Zheng Jielin
Dream Realization Story
Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall commentator Zhu Yimin:
Tell the story of the red hometown to more people
"I love my hometown, so I want to tell the stories of this land to more people." When talking about why she wants to be a commentator, Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall commentator Zhu Yimin said proudly. In 2013, 20-year-old Zhu Yimin just graduated from school and came to Luofu Mountain Scenic Area to become a commentator. Seven years later, she has developed excellent business skills. When explaining, she can integrate knowledge and interest.
Zhu Yimin is a native of Boluo and is very familiar with Luofu Mountain. She has often climbed mountains with her family since she was a child, and she knows all the scenic spots well, but introducing the beautiful scenery and profound cultural heritage of Luofu Mountain to domestic and foreign tourists is an experience she has never had before. How to tell Chinese stories well and be a good disseminator of Luofu culture? Zhu Yimin is determined to study the history and culture of Luofu Mountain seriously and constantly improve his explanation skills.Now, she is not only able to introduce historical and cultural content to tourists in detail and thoroughly, but is also good at applying what she has learned, and flexibly applies the knowledge she has accumulated in daily life to explanations, which is well received by tourists.
In 2015, due to his outstanding work performance, Zhu Yimin was seconded to the Dongzong Memorial Hall as a commentator. "There is a big difference between memorial hall commentators and scenic spot tour guides. At the memorial hall, our explanations must be rigorous and solemn, and the content of the explanations must not be trivial." Zhu Yimin said that the work of the memorial hall is a new challenge for her.
's usual explanation work takes up most of her time. In order to be better qualified for her job, she took out the spirit of "squeezing" and "drilling", actively participated in museum business training, and studied museum operations assiduously. In order to specialize in the field of research and improve work efficiency, she decided to obtain a third-level research instructor certificate independently to improve her professional level.
Many things happened in Dongzong Memorial Hall that moved Zhu Yimin. An old man once visited the memorial hall and copied down all the contents. "Everyone didn't take it seriously at first, but after coming for a week in a row, everyone felt very confused, so they stepped forward and asked the old man why he came to the memorial hall every day." Zhu Yimin recalled, and later learned that his son was in the Luofu Mountain Army. In order to let his son remember the history of the Dongjiang Column and the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country, they excerpted the history in a book and returned it to his son so that he could receive spiritual baptism and better serve the people.
Zhu Yimin also used practical actions to pass on the Dongzong spirit in the red hot soil of his hometown. Since 2015, Zhu Yimin has been participating in volunteer services in his spare time for a long time. In 2017, he joined the volunteer service team of Gehong Museum and Dongzong Memorial Hall and participated in the regular "Little Docent" volunteer service activities. In the past four years, he has trained 400 little docents.
The era is developing, society is progressing, and Zhu Yimin is constantly improving himself on the existing basis. The memorial hall was renovated and opened to the public in January last year, but was later closed due to the epidemic. During this period, she "hardened her internal skills" and improved her business. In addition to familiarizing himself with new exhibits, editing new explanations, and developing and improving new topics, Zhu Yimin also worked hard to improve his cultural connotation, explanation ability, and image quality to prepare for the subsequent reopening of the memorial hall. "As an ambassador of local culture, the job of a commentator is ordinary but glorious and sacred. Since you have chosen, you must do your best!" Zhu Yimin showed a confident smile on his face.
Notes from the stay
Make red history "alive"
Boluo County, Huizhou is one of the four ancient counties in Lingnan. The Luofu Mountain within its territory has majestic and magical natural scenery. It has been a gathering of famous people throughout the ages, leaving behind considerable cultural achievements. Among them, religious culture, traditional Chinese medicine culture, literary and artistic treasures and red cultural resources provide people who come to Luofu Mountain with various ways to understand Lingnan culture.
The sun is shining brightly in Luofu Mountain in spring, and the grass is growing and orioles are flying. On weekends, many parents bring their children to get close to nature and visit the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall. In the memorial hall, some children stopped in front of the TV screen that told the history of the Anti-Japanese War. The historical details of how the Dongjiang Column resisted the War were presented to the audience.
In 2019, the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall underwent a comprehensive upgrade and renovation, both inside and outside. Compared with before, the memorial hall has added many new precious pictures and historical materials. Visitors can learn and understand this history more immersively through the combination of audio and video. For contemporary teenagers, vivid revolutionary stories allow them to truly feel the firm belief and optimism of their ancestors for the revolutionary struggle, and draw from them the spiritual strength to forge ahead and have the courage to take on responsibilities.
There are many red historical relics about the Dongjiang Column in Huizhou. There are five main sites in Luofu Mountain alone, including the former site of the Dongjiang Column Headquarters - Chongxu Temple in Luofu Mountain, the former site of the Dongzong Military and Political Cadre School - Lanshi Orchard Village in Luofu Mountain, the former site of the Dongzong External Liaison Office - Zhuming Cave in Luofu Mountain, the former site of the Dongjiang Column Political Department - White Crane Temple in Luofu Mountain, and the former site of Dongzong's "Forward News" - Chaoyuan Cave in Luofu Mountain.The beads are strung into a chain to create a high-quality red study route, which is expected to attract more young people to perceive history and draw strength from red memories.
As night falls, the lights along the Bailian Lake gradually turn on. During the visit to the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall and the old site, the author discovered that to make red history "alive", we need to pay attention to the protection and repair of cultural relics, and at the same time, we need to tap into the driving force of red culture and broaden the boundaries of "cultural tourism +". At the end of 2019, the large-scale original symphonic suite "Ode to Luofu" was publicly premiered. This work is based on the beautiful natural scenery and human history of Luofu Mountain, fully exploits the folk music materials of the Dongjiang River Basin, vigorously promotes the excellent traditional culture of Luofu Mountain, the revolutionary culture of the Dongjiang Column, and the advanced socialist culture of Huizhou's reform and innovation, and demonstrates the unique artistic and cultural charm of Luofu Mountain.
As the social effects of “Cultural Tourism +” gradually emerge, the economic effects are also gradually taking shape. The economic development of three villages and one community under the jurisdiction of the Luofu Mountain Management Committee has also achieved outstanding results. In villages with outstanding construction results such as Honghuakeng Village, Magufeng Village, and Huangxiehu Village, "farmers have become tour guides, agricultural products have become tourism products, and rural areas have become scenic spots." Among them, the annual per capita income of villagers in Honghuakeng Village has exceeded 100,000 yuan.
Nanfang Daily reporters Zhou Renguo, Zheng Jielin and Zheng Tingting also contributed to this article
