The Fen Shui Ao Battle Memorial Pavilion in Di’ao Village

The Fen Shui Ao Battle Memorial Pavilion in Di’ao Village

In mid-July 1930, led by Jin Wen and others, a Red Army guerrilla unit engaged in fierce combat with the Nationalist army at Fengshan Village in Qingtian County, where Jin Wen heroically sacrificed his life. Jin Zuo and Ma Jinkui led the troops to retreat from Fengshan Village and withdrew to the temple at Fen Shui Ao in Di’ao Village, Ming’ao Township, Yongjia County. It was noon when the guerrilla fighters were resting inside the temple when they were spotted by another unit of the Nationalist army passing through Di’ao Village. The Nationalist troops immediately seized the local high ground and launched an attack on the guerrillas, using their advantageous terrain and intense firepower to surround the temple. After several hours of fierce fighting, the guerrillas still held the temple. Consequently, the Nationalist forces resorted to setting the temple on fire. Facing desperate circumstances, dozens of fighters broke through the encirclement and fought the Nationalist army in a bloody battle, suffering heavy casualties. After the battle, the Nationalist troops brutally beheaded 19 Red Army soldiers who had been killed in action, including Jin Zuo, Ma Jinkui, Jin Bi, Xi Lizhang, and Yang Shilian. They then forced Hu Zhenguang, a villager of Di’ao Village, to carry the heads to Yongjia County town (now Wenzhou) for public display.

The Fen Shui Ao Battle Memorial Pavilion is located in Di’ao Village, Ming’ao Township, Yongjia County. Surrounded by mountains on all sides and adjacent to Da?? Mountain, the area around Fen Shui Ao features lush forests, beautiful scenery, and a simple, honest local culture, making it an ideal destination for leisure and tourism. In the autumn of 2009, the people of Di’ao built this pavilion to commemorate the martyrs and inspire future generations.

Source: Party History Research Office of the CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee