Remnants of the Anti-Japanese United Army’s Secret Camp at Phoenix Mountain, Harbin

Remnants of the Anti-Japanese United Army’s Secret Camp at Phoenix Mountain, Harbin

The Remnants of the Anti-Japanese United Army’s Secret Camp at Phoenix Mountain is a cultural tourism attraction.

The memorial site of the Anti-Japanese United Army’s secret camp at Phoenix Mountain is located within the Phoenix Mountain Forest Area under the Shanhéton Forestry Bureau in Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province. It spans a total area of 50,000 hectares, bordered by the Mudan River to the east, the Zhangguangcai Mountain Range of the Changbai Mountain system to the south, Wuchang City to the west, and Harbin to the north.

Commonly known as “Wolf Head Mouth,” the memorial site of the Phoenix Mountain Anti-Japanese United Army secret camp features steep cliffs and a perilous terrain. It offers a commanding view over an open area extending more than 10 Chinese miles in all directions, making it easily defensible. Its main peak stands at 1,690 meters above sea level — the highest in the Longjiang region — and represents a strategic military stronghold where “one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.” It served as an optimal location for guerrilla warfare operations by the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army.

Phoenix Mountain under the Shanhéton Forestry Bureau was one of the major strongholds of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and among the earliest revolutionary bases in the fight for national salvation in the region. At that time, after forming 11 armies with a force of over 40,000 troops, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army dealt powerful blows to Japanese invaders and shook their rear lines. As a result, the Japanese were compelled to deploy large forces repeatedly for frenzied “punitive expeditions,” resorting to political inducements, economic blockades, and organizational sabotage. Coupled with the loss of contact with higher-level Party organizations and the devastating destruction of local Party cells, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army fell into extreme adversity — even basic necessities such as food, clothing, supplies, and shelter reached the limits of human survival. Under these circumstances, the indomitable spirit of hard struggle became a crucial intangible force sustaining the Anti-Japanese United Army.

From summer to winter 1938, the Anti-Japanese United Army forces in eastern and northern Manchuria undertook arduous westward expeditions to break out of the encirclement of the enemy’s massive “punitive campaigns.” The western expedition troops of the eastern Manchuria United Army, led by Li Yanping (Commander of the 4th Army), Wang Guangyu (Deputy Commander), Wang Yachen (Commander of the 10th Army), and Zhang Zhongxi (Deputy Commander), managed to evade enemy pursuit as they traversed uninhabited mountains and dense forests. Soldiers camped in the wild, braved wind and rain while moving through virgin jungles and swamps, and often crawled on ice and slept in snow at temperatures below minus 40 degrees Celsius. They frequently went without food for days, surviving on wild vegetables, berries, grass roots, and melted snow for water. It was under such harsh conditions that they engaged in grueling struggles against enemies several times their number — some soldiers even died standing from the cold during the march. Gaining access to essential supplies such as food, cloth, medicine, and ammunition required fierce battles, sometimes at the cost of soldiers’ blood and lives. Across the Black Dragon River and the White Mountains, and within the high mountains and dense forests, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army fought bloody battles with the Japanese Kwantung Army, killing or wounding a total of 178,200 enemy troops.

During the westward expedition, Li Yanping (Commander of the 4th Army), Wang Guangyu (Deputy Commander), Wang Yachen (Commander of the 10th Army), and Zhang Zhongxi (Deputy Commander) fought the Japanese for over a month. Eventually, due to weakened strength, prolonged siege, and complete exhaustion of ammunition and provisions, they heroically sacrificed their lives. The western expedition troops of the 4th Army were completely disbanded here, while those of the 10th Army suffered severe losses. This area was also a significant operational zone for the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Armies of the Anti-Japanese United Army. The dense network of secret camp ruins scattered throughout the mountains records the harsh and extraordinary wartime years of the Anti-Japanese United Army soldiers. These secret camps varied in structure and size. Some were built in a simple frame style — structures without beams or pillars, using thick wooden poles crossed and secured together, with roofs covered in mud or tree bark, commonly referred to as “horse-stable style.” Another type was the dugout style, where favorable terrain and sunny slopes were chosen to dig one to two meters into the ground, reinforced with wooden beams as walls while digging, and built up above ground with a ridged roof, offering better insulation than the former. The so-called secret camps were mostly semi-subterranean shelters — pits dug about half to one meter deep underground, covered with branches and grass. A typical secret camp measured around 10 meters in length and 5 meters in width.