Memorial Hall of the Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company

Memorial Hall of the Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company

The Memorial Hall of the Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company is a classic site of red tourism.

The “Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company” was established in June 1960. In 1960, the Ministry of National Defense awarded Wang Yuexia a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle in the name of Chairman Mao. In October of the same year, the company’s first platoon was awarded a collective Second-Class Merit. In September 1978, the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Military District awarded the company a collective First-Class Merit and conferred upon it the honorary title of “Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company.” From 1982 to the present, it has been awarded the title of “Collective Model of Women’s Day” five times by the All-China Women’s Federation and the Zhejiang Provincial Women’s Federation, and has been recognized as an “Advanced Unit in Militia and Reserve Forces Work” eight times by the Headquarters, Nanjing Military Region, and Zhejiang Province. In June 2005, it was once again awarded a Third-Class Merit by the Wenzhou Municipal People’s Government and the Wenzhou Military Sub-district. The company has produced a number of exemplary individuals, including Wang Yuexia, Chen Yulan, and Wang Cuixiang. Over the past 47 years, with the care and support of military and local leaders at all levels, and in accordance with the requirements of being “combat-ready” and “remaining true to our original aspiration,” the company has consistently maintained unity of thought, cohesion of the team, preservation of traditions, and the unyielding spirit of its battle flag, building a comprehensively strong unit. The women militia members continue to embody grace under pressure and uphold the spirit of the “Haixia”—love for the military and martial spirit, hard work and endurance, willingness to contribute, and preserving their original character. In recent years, the company has received 28 inspections from senior military region and provincial-level leaders, participated in 16 military performances, and organized military training for students on 32 occasions, training over 16,000 individuals. At the same time, the women’s company has also actively taken on tasks such as “promoting national defense education, military tourism, and promoting island culture.” The company has played an active and effective role in expanding the influence of Dongtou, showcasing the image of Dongtou, and leading the construction of reserve forces across the county.

Lijiang Qing, a renowned writer from the Political Department of the Nanjing Military Region, visited Dongtou in 1964 and 1965, spending half a year immersed with the women’s militia company. He wrote the book “Women Militiamen on the Island,” which was published by the People's Literature Publishing House in July 1966. The famous film director Xie Tieli adapted it into a screenplay in 1972. The movie “Haixia” was completed in January 1975 and had a wide-reaching impact across the nation, greatly spreading the heroic deeds of the Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company.

To carry forward the glorious traditions of the “Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company” and leverage its role in politics, economy, and other aspects, the Memorial Hall of the “Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company” is located in Haixia Village, Beiao Town, Dongtou County. It was initially built in May 1976. In June 2000, on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Dongtou Pioneer Women’s Militia Company, nearly 2.2 million yuan was invested to build a new exhibition hall for the company’s history. The exhibition hall covers a total area of about 2,000 square meters, with a construction area of about 900 square meters. The two-story concrete structure includes two exhibition halls, one meeting room, three company offices, and a resource room on the first floor; the second floor houses four exhibition halls. In September 2006, over 200,000 yuan was invested to renovate the layout of the women’s militia company exhibition hall, breathing new life into the memorial.

Currently, the memorial hall houses a large collection of physical artifacts and photographs that comprehensively, multi-dimensionally, and deeply reflect the essence of the pioneering and exemplary role of the women’s militia company. It vividly recreates the company’s founding process, historical background, and the glorious journey it has traveled, highlighting the lofty patriotism, collectivism, and revolutionary heroism of the women militiamen in defending their homeland and dedicating themselves to coastal defense. It also showcases the women militiamen’s firm political beliefs, noble spirit of selfless dedication, strong sense of historical responsibility and mission, as well as their contributions to maintaining public security and participating in the construction of both material and spiritual civilization. Furthermore, it reflects the indomitable spirit and style of the women’s militia company, who fear no hardship, overcome difficulties, maintain organizational integrity, preserve ideological focus, uphold traditions, and remain committed to training and duty, ensuring the continuity of military and defense efforts. The memorial serves as a key site for the company’s ideological, patriotic, and national defense education, as well as a moral education base for schools and enterprises to promote patriotism. It has been recognized as a Zhejiang Provincial National Defense Education Base, Zhejiang Provincial Patriotic Education Base, and Wenzhou Municipal National Defense Education Base. Since 2000, it has received over 2.7 million visitors and hosted more than 5,000 organized group visits for patriotic and national defense education, fully leveraging the functions of a patriotic and national defense education base while further enhancing the social visibility of Dongtou County.