Laoling Conference Site

Laoling Conference Site

The Laoling Conference Site is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Laoling Conference Site is located on a mountainside 5 kilometers inside Wudao Gou Valley in Fuxing Village, Yulin Town, Ji’an City. It once served as the headquarters and encampment of Comrade Yang Jingyu. Both General Yang Jingyu and his soldiers lived in makeshift tents. Situated deep in the Laoling Mountains, the site is bordered by Miaogou and Wudao Gou to the south, and Shuangchaha and Lishugou to the north. Far from residential areas, it was relatively secluded and safe—the 20-day-long Laoling Conference was held in tents here. Today, the site is overgrown with trees and wild grass, making the conference remnants difficult to discern.

On May 11, 1938, Wei Zhengmin led the Second Route Army headquarters, while Yi Junshan led the Fifth Route Army’s Southern Manchuria Expeditionary Unit to successfully rendezvous with Yang Jingyu’s First Route Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army (NAJUA) in Wudao Gou Valley, Laoling Mountain area, Ji’an. Starting from the day of the rendezvous, the meeting of senior cadres from the CPC Southern Manchuria Provincial Committee and the First Route Army of the NAJUA—known as the famous Laoling Conference—was convened. Attendees included Commander-in-Chief Yang Jingyu, Political Commissar of the Second Route Army Wei Zhengmin, Provincial Committee Secretary Han Renhe, Chief of Staff of the First Route Army Yang Junheng, Provincial Committee Youth Affairs Director Sun Yonghao (aka Liu Mingshan), Political Commissar of the Second Route Army Independent Unit Yi Junshan, Secretary of Huanren County Party Committee and Director of Political Department of the First Regiment Chen Xiuming (aka Li Mingshan), Political Commissar of the Third Regiment of the Guard Brigade Li Dongxue, Deputy Director of Political Department and Political Commissar of the Fourth Regiment of the Second Route Army Lü Boqi, Political Commissar of the Seventh Regiment of the Second Regiment of the First Route Army Liu Yongmao, Political Commissar of the Eighth Regiment of the Second Regiment Zhao Chengcai, Commander and Political Commissar of the Second Training Regiment of the First Route Army Li Xingshao, Head of Medical Department of the First Route Army Xu Zhe, and Head of Organization Division of the Political Department of the Second Regiment of the First Route Army Song Maoxuan—totaling more than 15 individuals. At the meeting, discussions were held on the enemy versus us struggle situation both nationally and in Southern Manchuria, Northeast China. Guerrilla warfare strategies and experiences were studied and exchanged, and the strategic guideline of “preserving strength and crushing the enemy’s full-scale offensive while persisting in guerrilla warfare against Japanese imperialism” was proposed. Regarding the direction of guerrilla activities, Yang Jingyu suggested establishing contact with the Eighth Route Army in inland China and coordinating with other anti-Japanese forces in the Northeast to fight jointly. To establish contact with the Eighth Route Army and the Party Central Committee in inland China, preparations were made for another western expedition. It was decided to redeploy troops from the First and Second Regiments of the First Route Army to reinforce the Third Regiment, which would lead the western advance, followed by the First and Second Regiments. Meanwhile, the Fourth and Sixth Regiments of the Second Route Army would carry out guerrilla activities in the Tonghua area, and the Fifth Regiment would continue operations in the Suining region, also responsible for maintaining liaison with the NAJUA units in Eastern Jilin and Northern Manchuria. Additionally, Wei Zhengmin was additionally elected as Vice Commander-in-Chief of the First Route Army of the NAJUA. After the meeting, the troops conducted training and reorganization in the encampments around Wudao Gou, Dongcha, Yaodian Shuling, and Daojian Ling, significantly boosting combat effectiveness. They subsequently achieved major victories in battles at Jia Shihufang, Yangcha, Tukouzi, and Donggang, severely weakening the Japanese puppet forces and greatly inspiring the morale of anti-Japanese troops and civilians. The anti-Japanese struggle in the Ji’an area entered an unprecedentedly favorable phase.

In late June 1938, Cheng Bin, Commander of the First Regiment of the First Route Army of the NAJUA, defected to the enemy near Benxi. As he had knowledge of the operational patterns, future tasks, and movement directions of the various regiments of the First Route Army, and often led the enemy in mountain sweeps to encircle the NAJUA, he posed a grave threat to the NAJUA forces. In mid-July, Yang Jingyu, Wei Zhengmin, and others reconvened in the NAJUA secret camp in Wudao Gou to hold an emergency high-level meeting of the First Route Army and the Southern Manchuria Provincial Committee—known as the Laoling Emergency Conference. In light of the severe situation of the anti-Japanese struggle in Southern Manchuria following Cheng Bin’s defection, the conference decided to reorganize the First Route Army, unifying the First and Second Route Armies into three field armies and one guard brigade, implementing zoned operations. Aside from keeping some forces in the Laoling Mountain area of Ji’an to continue guerrilla activities and tie down the enemy, the main forces of the NAJUA withdrew from Ji’an and moved toward the Heliqu area in the Longgang Mountain Range and the … area (text cut off), preparing to break through to the Eighth Route Army and the Party Central Committee in inland China, and to readjust the previous western expedition plans.

This site is an important historical site related to Party history.

Source: Ji’an Municipal Party School

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