Navy Birthplace Memorial of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

Navy Birthplace Memorial of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

The Navy Birthplace Memorial of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is a National Key Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit, a classic red tourism attraction, a patriotic education base, and a national defense education base.

The Navy Birthplace Memorial of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is located in Baima Town, Gaogang District, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province. It is a “National Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit,” a “Jiangsu Provincial Patriotic Defense Education Base,” and a “Combat Spirit Education Base” of the East China Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy. In 1998, then Chairman of the Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin personally inscribed the name “Navy Birthplace Memorial of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.” The memorial consists of two parts: the former site of the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign Headquarters of the Third Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the new museum commemorating the birthplace of the navy. It covers an area of approximately 23,000 square meters, and the new museum was completed and opened on April 29, 1999.

The original site was once the estate of a landlord surnamed Wang, built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. In early April 1949, the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign Headquarters of the East China Field Army (Third Field Army) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was stationed here. On April 23 of the same year, according to orders from the Central Military Commission, the first naval unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army—the East China Military Region Navy—was established here, with Zhang Aiping serving as commander and political commissar. On February 17, 1989, the Central Military Commission officially designated April 23, 1949, as the birthday of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, and Baima Temple in Taizhou, Jiangsu, as its birthplace.

The old site of the navy birthplace covers an area of 1,500 square meters, with a construction area of 800 square meters. It currently retains a two-story Qing-style building and several single-story rooms. The upper floor served as the meeting room for the campaign command center of the Third Field Army during the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign, while the lower floor was the bedroom and office of Generals Su Yu, Zhang Zhen, and Zhang Aiping. The site displays over 50 cultural relics and items used at the time, including the carved wooden bed where Su Yu slept, a wheelbarrow used for supporting the war effort during the Anti-Japanese War, wooden boxes, tea tables, armchairs, lanterns, lamp cabinets, and bronze basins. There are four exhibition areas and six display rooms, recreating the historical scene of the Third Field Army’s campaign command headquarters strategizing and fighting along the Yangtze River. In 1982, it was listed as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit. In 1996 and 1997, it was successively designated as a Jiangsu Provincial Patriotic Defense Education Base and a Patriotic Education Base. In 2006, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit.

The new museum features a novel and unique architectural design that embodies both a strong modern vibe and the thematic identity of a memorial. The main building resembles a warship, and on the left side of the outdoor plaza stands a tall mast symbolizing a naval vessel. The plaza displays a collection of decommissioned naval equipment, including bombers, fighter jets, Super Frelon helicopters, naval guns, torpedoes, and missiles. The indoor exhibits use a variety of methods—including physical objects, photographs, models, as well as audiovisual and lighting technologies such as holographic imaging, film and sound, and scene reconstructions—to recreate multiple historical scenes such as the “Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign” and the “Liberation of Yijiangshan Island.” These presentations deliver a powerful visual impact, achieving an organic unity of ideological, artistic, and aesthetic values. The memorial showcases the glorious journey of the development and growth of the People's Navy through five themes: “Modern Tribulations,” “Founding at Baima,” “Dominance at Sea,” “Growth and Expansion,” and “Deep Bond Between the Military and Civilians.” It also includes a VIP reception hall, lecture hall, interactive area, and a 4D dynamic cinema, making it an ideal venue for education, training, and tourism, as well as an important base for patriotic and national defense education.

The Navy Birthplace Memorial has established partnerships with dozens of schools and has become a significant patriotic education base. It is the preferred location for student military training, oath-taking ceremonies for new Party and League members, and dual-support activities. It serves as a platform for patriotic defense education, an important window for the construction of socialist spiritual civilization, and a showcase of the Taizhou spirit.

Reason for Establishing the Memorial

The original site of the Navy Birthplace of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is located at Baima Temple in Taizhou City. Originally, there was a landlord’s estate here. In 1949, when the Chinese People's Liberation Army was preparing to cross the Yangtze River, the Eastern Command Post of the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign was stationed here.

On April 23, 1949, the first navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army—the East China Navy—was established here.

On February 17, 1989, the Central Military Commission officially decided that Baima Temple in Taizhou would be recognized as the birthplace of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. The original site has been turned into a memorial, with the original campaign command room and the bedrooms and offices of Su Yu, Zhang Aiping, and Zhang Zhen restored to their original appearance. The wing rooms and front hall display revolutionary relics and historical materials. It is now one of the “Jiangsu Provincial Patriotic Defense Education Bases.”

In 1998, during his second inspection of Taizhou, General Secretary Jiang Zemin inscribed the name of the memorial—Navy Birthplace Memorial of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

New Museum and Old Site

The memorial consists of two parts: the old site of the navy birthplace and the new museum, covering an area of approximately 23,000 square meters.

The old site is a National Key Cultural Heritage Conservation Unit. It was the birthplace of the navy and the campaign command post for the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign. The bedrooms and offices of Su Yu, Zhang Zhen, and Zhang Aiping were located in a Qing-style two-story building and several single-story rooms.

The new museum was completed and opened in April 1999. Its main building resembles a warship, and the exhibition halls use a large number of documents, photos, and images to recreate the history of the navy’s birth and growth, including “Founding at Baima,” “Dominance at Sea,” “Forging Ahead,” and “Deep Bond Between the Military and Civilians.” The exhibits include various models of naval vessels and aircraft used by the People's Navy, uniforms, and original wooden boats used in the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign, showcasing the glorious journey of the navy from its birth at Baima Temple in Taizhou to its current strength.

Exhibit Introduction

In 1982, the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government decided to list the former site of the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign Command Post at Baima Temple in Taizhou City as a provincial-level cultural heritage conservation unit. Comrade Zhang Aiping inscribed the monument at Baima Temple with the text “Campaign Command Post of the Third Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army for the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign.” The Taizhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Taizhou Municipal People's Government, and the cadres and masses of Baima Town placed great importance on the restoration and protection of the revolutionary site at Baima Temple. With strong support from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and the Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee, the phased restoration project of Baima Temple has been gradually completed.

The exhibition rooms at Baima Temple feature detailed historical materials and rich content. They introduce and reflect the grand momentum of the Third Field Army’s Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign. They also depict the arduous journey of the People's Navy being born in the flames of war, fighting for New China, and advancing toward modernization. With the enthusiastic support of the General Office of the Central Committee, the Central Archives, and the Archives of the Central Military Commission, a batch of extremely precious historical documents and photographs have been obtained, authentically recreating the image of senior PLA commanders strategizing and deciding victories in the small building at Baima Temple.

Among the displayed historical materials are telegrams from Chairman Mao Zedong to comrades such as Su Yu and Zhang Zhen; reports sent from the Third Field Army headquarters at Baima Temple to the Central Committee; precious photos of Commanders Chen Yi and Ye Fei inspecting the front lines; a handwritten letter from Minister Zhang Aiping to the Party History Working Committee of the Taixian County Committee of the Communist Party of China; excerpts from the memoirs of proletarian revolutionaries such as Liu Ruilong and Guan Wenwei; and colorful scrolls depicting the people of Taizhou fully supporting the front lines by building roads and bridges to welcome the southward advance of the army.

Further Reading:

· China National Third-Class Museum