Dongtou July 7th Defense Battle Site

Dongtou July 7th Defense Battle Site

The Dongtou July 7th Defense Battle Site is a cultural tourism attraction.

On October 8, 1949, Dongtou was liberated for the first time, but the surrounding islands of Niyu, Nanji, Beiji, Pishan, and Dachen were still occupied by the Nationalist army. The Nationalists were both conscripting men by force and monitoring the situation, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. At that time, our main forces were focused on liberating the Zhoushan Archipelago, and one regiment of the 21st Army originally stationed in Dongtou was redeployed. Only the Third Battalion of the Second Regiment of the First Zhejiang Security Brigade remained in Dongtou, along with a few local government workers who continued activities with the residents on the island. In the night of July 6, 1950, Lü Weixiang, the commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang’s Jiang-Zhe Salvation Army based in Nanbei Ji, transported a medium-sized military vessel, two motorboats, dozens of engine-powered sailboats, and a large amount of American weaponry from Taiwan. He reorganized three battalions, totaling over 2,000 troops, who landed from multiple directions—Dong'ao Dashan, Banping, Tielutou, and Sanpan—to surround and attack Dongtou Island.

On the morning of July 7th, the garrison troops and the local government held a joint assembly at the playground of Beiao Primary School to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War. Shortly after the assembly began, Nationalist soldiers had already landed at Dashabao. The stationed troops and government workers immediately ordered civilians to evacuate while retaining troops to receive orders. Battalion Commander Ruan Hexiu instructed the soldiers to quickly seize the high ground and hold their positions to eliminate the enemy. Despite being at a disadvantage, our officers and soldiers fought tenaciously, once capturing Dong'ao Dashan and taking more than 10 prisoners as well as confiscating two machine guns. However, the Nationalist army, relying on their superior numbers and advanced weapons, launched counterattacks. Our forces organized three consecutive assaults to recapture Dong'ao Dashan amid exceptionally fierce combat. Holding out for over 30 hours, we ultimately broke through the encirclement at the cost of more than 30 casualties, killing or wounding over 200 Nationalist soldiers. In this defensive battle, our troops engaged in a desperate struggle against an enemy ten times our size, eliminating a significant portion of their fighting force and writing a glorious chapter in the military history of southern Zhejiang.

The July 7th Defense Battle Site is located at Zhizhufen Cemetery in Dong'ao Ding Village, Dongping Town, Dongtou County. The “July 7th Dongtou Defense Battle Memorial Monument” in the Dongtou Martyrs' Cemetery was built in the spring of 2003. The front of the monument inscription outlines an overview of the battle, while the back lists the names of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the battle.

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