Tengqiao Battle Memorial

Tengqiao Battle Memorial

(Photographed by Li Yuesong)

The Tengqiao Battle Memorial is a classic red tourism attraction.

On May 7, 1949, Wenzhou was liberated. Upon hearing the news, the retreating Nationalist traffic police forces along the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway attempted to flee to Taiwan via Tengqiao and other areas by sea. In the early hours of the 13th, Nationalist troops crossed the Ou River and reached Hengshan, where they were intercepted by local militiamen from Shuangchao and Waizao (now Linjiang Town in Lucheng District), before fleeing toward Tengqiao. On the 14th, Qiu Qinghua and Zhou Peizhen led the Third Detachment, along with elements of the First and Second Detachments, the Independent Battalion, the Yongjia County Party Committee Guard Unit, and Tengqiao militiamen, in tightly coordinating to encircle the Nationalist forces within Tengqiao town and the nearby Zhou’ao Village (now Zeya Town, Ouhai District). On the 15th, after fierce fighting, our forces killed over 30 enemies at Beiancun and Shigu Mountain in Tengqiao, captured the remaining soldiers, and seized five bazookas, eight heavy machine guns, sixteen light machine guns, over 400 submachine guns and carbines, more than 170 other rifles and long guns, as well as a batch of ammunition and military supplies. In this battle, the Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column, together with Tengqiao militiamen, annihilated the Nationalist Traffic Police First Commando, a so-called “pocket-sized elite unit” equipped with American weapons, totaling over 1,200 men. This action defended the newly established Wenzhou People’s Government and safeguarded the lives and property of the people, marking a glorious chapter in the revolutionary struggle of Southern Zhejiang.

The Tengqiao Battle Memorial is located in Shigu Mountain Park, Dicun Village, Tengqiao Town, Lucheng District. To promote the revolutionary spirit of the old Tengqiao base area and inspire patriotic and hometown-loving enthusiasm among the people, in 1998, the Tengqiao Town Party Committee and Town Government mobilized party members, cadres, and the public across the town to raise funds. They built the memorial on the summit of Shigu Mountain, one of the main battlefields, covering an area of over 1,000 square meters at a cost of 350,000 yuan. The memorial is situated on an oval platform-style plaza raised 1.5 meters above the ground, measuring 49 meters in length and 19 meters in width. The memorial consists of a monument and a tower. The front of the monument is adorned with Sichuan red granite and inscribed with “Tengqiao Battle Memorial” written by the former Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee. The back bears the “Inscription of the Tengqiao Battle Memorial.” The memorial tower stands 13.8 meters tall and is composed of three sections, appearing convex when viewed from above, symbolizing the close coordination of the three combat forces: the Southern Zhejiang Guerrilla Column, the Yongjia County Party Committee Guard Unit, and Tengqiao militiamen. The tower base is square, resting on a circular foundation, surrounded by granite decorations in various colors. Zhou Peizhen inscribed “Majestic as Mountains and Lakes, Glorious in the Hearts of the People” on the front and back of the tower base, while Feng Zengrong wrote “Strengthen Our Aspirations, Revitalize Tengqiao” on the left and right sides. The plaza is enclosed by bluestone railings, with its floor paved in patterns of varying sizes—circles and rectangles made of bluish and reddish granite. Evergreen pines, cypresses, and flowers are planted on both sides of the plaza, which is accessible by steps on all four sides.

The Tengqiao Battle Memorial is a patriotic education base in Ouhai District, Wenzhou City.

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