Yingpan Huiye

Yingpan Huiye

Yingpan was the barracks of Feng Yuxiang’s troops stationed in Tongzhou, located to the east just outside the south gate of the old town of Tongzhou. Covering an area of 24,000 square meters, it is currently the most completely preserved old military camp in the Beijing area, and also the only site in Tongzhou that has retained its original appearance over the 50-plus years since the liberation, bearing witness to glorious achievements.

In 1922, General Feng Yuxiang was appointed as the Army Inspector and moved his Seventh Brigade to the Tongzhou campsite in eastern Beijing. He oversaw the construction of barracks and a training ground. He frequently came here to conduct military and political training and founded the Peide School here to educate his soldiers and their families. He also voluntarily carried out public welfare projects such as bridge repair, road building, and tree planting in both urban and rural areas. In 1924, he led his troops into Beijing to imprison Cao Kun, drive out Puyi, and welcome Sun Yat-sen northward. On the day of the Lantern Festival, he held his wedding ceremony with Li Dejin, a renowned lady from Tongzhou, in the camp auditorium. From 1948 to 1954, the Cipher Bureau of the General Staff Headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army was headquartered here. Orders and documents for major military operations including the Pingjin Campaign, Huaihai Campaign, Yangtze River Crossing Campaign, the liberation of Hainan Island, the advance into Southwest China, the push into Northwest China, and the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea were all issued and stored here, illuminating history.

The architectural layout of the camp is spacious, with emphasis on central focus and symmetrical design on both sides. The central part is a south-facing quadrangle courtyard. The middle room of the southern building is three stories high, with the lower level serving as an arched passageway; the center hosts the guardhouse, with a parade viewing platform extending forward, sleeping quarters at the rear, and a hanging bell above for timekeeping and alarms. The roof features a four-cornered spire topped with a precious bottle. The first floor serves four distinct purposes, making it truly unique. To the north lies the auditorium, with wing rooms on the east and west all being long, narrow chambers. On both the east and west sides of the main courtyard, there are four rows of dormitories, orderly and solemn, surrounded by lush trees—each view evoking memories and reflections on bygone days.