Ruins of the Sixth Army Headquarters of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army at Laobai Mountain

The ruins of the Sixth Army Headquarters of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army at Laobai Mountain are situated within Forest Class 151 of the Bai Shan Forest Farm in Jinshan Township, at an altitude of 1,039 meters, 21 kilometers northeast of the Bai Shan Forest Farm, in a sunlit valley of Laobai Mountain—one of the higher peaks among the Lesser Khingan Mountains—and within a relatively dense mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest. It is a municipal cultural heritage site. This was the headquarters of the Sixth Army of the Anti-Japanese United Army from 1938 to 1939. In the surrounding area of this site, there were many secret camps at the time. After the headquarters moved to Ma'ershan, the site was repurposed as the Sixth Army’s uniform factory and repair workshop (munitions factory). Both the Third and Sixth Armies of the Anti-Japanese United Army, along with the Lower River Headquarters, passed through here during their two western expeditions. In 1980, during an investigation, remnants of log cabin walls were discovered—the foundation was about 32 meters long from east to west and 6 meters wide from north to south. On the eastern side of the northern wall, three stone stoves were found, along with square iron barrels, enamel boxes, double-handled iron pots, porcelain bowl fragments, and bullet casings. Approximately 30 meters southeast of the ruins, the words “抗日” (“Resist Japan”) were carved on the trunk of a large Korean pine, while another tree trunk bore the inscription “抗战八年” (“Eight Years of Resistance”). During the “Symposium for Visiting Veterans of the Anti-Japanese United Army,” convened in 1980 by the Yichun Municipal Committee, comrades such as Chen Lei inscribed phrases like “刻干如金石” (“Carved Trunks Like Stone and Gold”) and “艰辛耐岁寒” (“Enduring Hardship Through the Cold Years”) on the pine trunks.

The ruins of the Anti-Japanese United Army at Laobai Mountain in Jinshan Township, Yichun City, are located in the deep mountains and dense forests of the Bai Shan Forest Farm in the upper reaches of the Dafeng River (formerly known as Chabaqi River), within the jurisdiction of Jinshan Township, Yichun City. Also known as the ruins of the Sixth Army Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese United Army.

　In the spring of 1933, China’s first anti-Japanese armed force in the Lower River region—the 33rd Army of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, Tangyuan People’s Anti-Japanese Squadron—after repeated surveys and site selection, marched into Laobai Mountain under the leadership of Xia Yunjie, a member of the Tangyuan County Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, squad leader Dai Hongbin, and chief of staff Li Yingen. There, they built a log cabin barracks spanning over 200 square meters, establishing an early secret camp base for the Anti-Japanese United Army. In November of the same year, the Tangyuan People’s Anti-Japanese Squadron was renamed the Tangyuan People’s Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Unit, commonly referred to as the Tangyuan Guerrilla Unit.

Subsequently, the Tangyuan Guerrilla Unit underwent political study and military training at the No. 3 Wooden Camp (Zhou Dalele Wooden Camp) in the Gejin River area within Jinshan Township, significantly enhancing its combat effectiveness. From July to October 1934, the Tangyuan Guerrilla Unit was expanded into the Tangyuan People’s Anti-Japanese Guerrilla General Corps. During this period, the Tangyuan County Committee of the Chinese Communist Party held two joint meetings at the secret camps of Laobai Mountain. Based on the policy of a national united front against Japan, they coordinated with volunteer forces such as the “Qingshan” Unit, “Zhanzhong” Unit, and “Zhongxia” Unit to jointly fight against the Japanese, forming a united front against the enemy. On January 30, 1936, the Tangyuan Guerrilla General Corps was expanded into the Sixth Army of the Northeast People’s Revolutionary Army (later renamed the Sixth Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army). Xia Yunjie served as army commander, Li Zhaolin as acting political director, and Feng Zhigang as chief of staff. The headquarters of the Sixth Army of the Anti-Japanese United Army was stationed at this camp. In 1938, the secret camp at Laobai Mountain was besieged and burned down by Japanese puppet forces. Currently, the remaining foundations of the buildings measure 17 meters from east to west and 12 meters from north to south. The remnants of walls, indoor stone stoves, surrounding trenches, and sentry posts are still clearly visible.

The secret camp of the Sixth Army Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese United Army at Laobai Mountain is situated on a relatively hidden, sunlit hillside. With a commanding position that is both defensible and suitable for launching attacks, it borders Hegang to the east and is close to the Gejin River gold mine. The gold mine had anti-Japanese activists such as Feng Zhiguo and Mi Fangtian, who established various anti-Japanese mass organizations including the Anti-Japanese Alliance, Women’s Salvation Association, and Workers’ Self-Defense Units, providing significant support to the struggle at Laobai Mountain. The soldiers of the Anti-Japanese United Army leveraged these favorable conditions to carry out defensive and offensive operations, eliminating enemies and strengthening themselves. Growing ever more formidable, they became a powerful anti-Japanese force active in the Lower River region. In March 1936, to strengthen the construction of the rear base area, the secret camp of the Sixth Army Headquarters also housed the Joint Office of the Third and Sixth Armies of the Anti-Japanese United Army, with Li Zhaolin overseeing overall operations. Successively, the secret camp at Laobai Mountain established a uniform factory, hospital, and arms repair workshop. Zhao Shangzhi, Commander-in-Chief of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, Commander of the Third Army, and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Provisional Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in Northern Manchuria, stayed at Laobai Mountain three times—in 1937, 1939, and from February 1941 to 1942—to rest and regroup his troops, reflect on lessons learned, study strategic issues, make key decisions regarding the anti-Japanese struggle in Northern Manchuria, and command military operations. Under the harsh conditions of large-scale sieges and punitive expeditions by Japanese puppet forces, the Anti-Japanese United Army at Laobai Mountain relied on the headquarters camp and the natural barriers of the deep mountains and forests. They skillfully evaded the enemy, often launching surprise ambushes against military encirclements, intercepting military convoys, and attacking enemy strongholds. They created numerous remarkable and victorious battle examples in the history of the Anti-Japanese United Army’s struggle, effectively eliminating and tying down enemy forces. In 1956 and 1963, remnants of two damaged Japanese-made radios were found near the ruins of the Sixth Army Headquarters.

In 1982, investigators from the Yichun Cultural Relics Management Station discovered remnants such as a broken double-handled iron pot, buckets, iron toolboxes, and porcelain bowl fragments at the site. They also observed the characters “抗日” (Resist Japan) carved on a Korean pine and “抗日八年” (Eight Years of Resistance) carved on a poplar tree. In the summer of 1984, a replica log cabin barrack was constructed on the eastern part of the site, and a permanent cement memorial monument was erected, engraved with a brief introduction to the history of the Anti-Japanese United Army’s struggle.