Monument to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column

Monument to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column

(Photographed by Li Yuesong)

The Monument to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column is a classic site of red tourism.

On November 25, 1948, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column was established in Banliao Village, Guifeng Township, Rui’an County. This people’s army, seeded with soldiers left behind by the Red Army’s Advancing Division, built around local cadres who had long persisted in the struggle in Southern Zhejiang, and composed mainly of Communist Party members and poor farmers from the region, grew under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party from small and weak to large and strong, becoming a backbone force that coordinated with the main forces of the Liberation Army to fight and liberate all of Southern Zhejiang. By April 1949, the Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column had grown to over 5,000 troops. At the same time, it commanded an armed militia force of more than 90,000, forming a tripartite military system integrating the main force, county and district units, and the militia. In May 1949, even before the field armies arrived in Wenzhou, the Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column had liberated the entire mainland of Southern Zhejiang.

The Monument to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column is located on the lawn east of the Wenzhou Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall on Jiangxin Island in Wenzhou. It was completed on May 7, 1994, in commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the liberation of Wenzhou. The monument stands 8.3 meters high, with a base that is 9 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 2.8 meters high. It is clad in toothed granite, with the sixteen large characters “Monument to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column” engraved on the front, and a polished black marble inscription on the back. The monument is made of cement sculpture. With the themes of a red flag, figures, and mountain peaks, it vividly depicts the heroic and indomitable fighting journey of the Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column, marked by bravery, sacrifice, and outstanding military achievements. The front sculpture features five soldiers of the Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column holding high the red flag, charging courageously into battle against the enemy. The back sculpture portrays four militiamen, representing the glorious contributions of the over 90,000 militiamen in Southern Zhejiang who supported the guerrilla column in combat and supplied the front lines.

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