Liaoning Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army History Exhibition Hall

Liaoning Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army History Exhibition Hall

The Liaoning Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army History Exhibition Hall is a classic red tourism destination, as well as a base for patriotic education and national defense education.

The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army History Exhibition Hall is situated on the eastern bank of the Tanghe River in Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Liaoning Province. It is located on the golden tourism route that includes Benxi Water Cave, Guanmen Mountain National Forest Park, Tieshashan Scenic Area, and Wunu Mountain Scenic Area. Nestled against mountains and near water, the site boasts a spacious terrain, convenient transportation, and a beautiful environment. The museum was jointly invested in by the national, provincial, and municipal governments. Construction began in July 2005, and it was completed and opened to the public in May 2007. It covers an area of 6.9 hectares, with a building area of 5,040 square meters, including 3,000 square meters of exhibition space. To date, over 1,000 items such as photographs, historical materials, and artifacts have been collected. The exhibition is themed “Snowbound Forests, Heroes of the United Army,” and follows key historical events, figures, and battles of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. Through a wealth of historical materials, photos, charts, cultural relics, objects, as well as reliefs and reconstructed scenes related to the United Army, it comprehensively, truthfully, accurately, and systematically reflects the 14-year arduous struggle history of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. It vividly recreates the heroic feats of the United Army in resisting Japanese imperialism, and passionately celebrates the strong patriotism and indomitable national spirit of the soldiers who were unyielding and resilient in the face of death.

The full name of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army is the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces. It was an anti-Japanese force created and led by the Communist Party of China. Its predecessors included remnants of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army, the Northeast Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces, and the Northeast People's Revolutionary Army. It went through a gradual development process from the initial “Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces” and later “People's Revolutionary Army” to the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, and also involved the transformation of civilian anti-Japanese armed forces such as the “Volunteer Army.” The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army consisted of 11 armies, with a peak membership of over 40,000. Among them, the First, Second, Third, Sixth, and Seventh Armies were established on the basis of anti-Japanese guerrilla forces (led by the Communist Party); the Fourth and Fifth Armies were formed from the remnants of Wang Delin’s Salvation Army and Li Du’s Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Army; the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Armies were established from the remnants of volunteer forces and anti-Japanese mountain guerrilla units. In the rear of the Japanese invaders, their 14-year arduous struggle tied down hundreds of thousands of Japanese puppet regular troops, effectively supporting the nationwide War of Resistance against Japan.

Liaoning Province is an important region where the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army was active. Benxi was a major combat zone where Yang Jingyu, a national anti-Japanese hero, led the First Division of the First Army of the United Army in fighting the Japanese. This museum is currently the largest and most comprehensive thematic exhibition hall dedicated to the history of the United Army in China, and it is also the first memorial museum in Liaoning Province with the theme of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. The exhibition content is divided into four parts: The first part provides an overview of the United Army, including a summary of its situation, historical background, organizational structure, and key areas of activity; the second part covers the history of the United Army’s struggle, including the anti-Japanese resistance in the Northeast and Liaoning, the rise of volunteer armies in various regions, the formation of the anti-Japanese united front, and major battles of the United Army; the third part is the Gallery of United Army Martyrs, featuring portraits, statues, and wax figures of key leaders and notable figures of the United Army in the Northeast, especially in Liaoning; the fourth part is the Commemorative Exhibition Hall, which mainly displays inscriptions by leaders, famous calligraphy and paintings, monuments at United Army sites, books about the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, films and television works, and commemorative activities.

The exhibition hall adheres to the goal of “promoting the spirit of the United Army and creating a national-level high-quality venue,” continuously strengthening both hardware and software construction. It actively promotes greening and beautification of the environment, enhances the maintenance and management of trees, flowers, lawns, and various facilities in the square, and incorporates human-centered design concepts by setting up accessible pathways for people with disabilities in the square and exhibition halls. It has established and improved post responsibility systems and various management regulations, while also enhancing the moral and professional quality of the guide team. The museum actively expands educational methods and content—for example, by inviting veterans of the United Army to visit and leave behind calligraphy and paintings on-site, recruiting students, veterans, and experts to serve as volunteer guides, forming a “Little Guides” group among primary and secondary school students, and teaching anti-United Army songs to visiting groups from all walks of life—so that visitors can gain a deeper understanding of the heroic spirit of the United Army. In addition to normal reception duties, the museum also provides services for important holidays and memorial days, facilitating activities such as oath-taking ceremonies for joining the Party or the Communist Youth League, coming-of-age ceremonies, and charity events for the disabled for young people and various social groups. The museum also goes beyond its walls to offer specialized lectures and presentations for government agencies, schools, and enterprises, organizes temporary exhibitions, mobile exhibitions, touring exhibitions, and lectures, and conducts speech activities in primary and secondary schools with the theme “Promoting the Spirit of the United Army, Revitalizing the Chinese Nation.” Together with the Municipal Youth League Committee, it organized a summer camp for primary and secondary school students themed “Remembering the Martyrs of the United Army, Building a Beautiful Homeland.” It has also assisted multiple media outlets—including Liaoning TV, Shenyang TV, Tieling TV, Hainan Travel Satellite TV, and Liao-Shen Evening News—in organizing large-scale outdoor events such as “Tracing the Footsteps of the United Army, Inheriting the National Spirit,” thereby extending its educational impact. The museum has also published over a hundred articles promoting the United Army in various newspapers and magazines, and launched a website as a new window for external promotion, further expanding its influence.

In March 2005, the exhibition hall was named a “Liaoning Provincial Patriotic Education Demonstration Base” by the Publicity Department of the Provincial Party Committee and other departments. In December 2005, it was designated a “National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base” by the Central Propaganda Department. In April 2007, it was named a “Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Base” by the provincial government.