The Exhibition Hall of the History of the Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion

The Exhibition Hall of the History of the Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion

The Exhibition Hall of the History of the Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion is located within the compound of the Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion Outpost in Kanmen Subdistrict.

The Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion originated as the Kanmen Militia Team, established in May 1948. During the Liberation War, under the leadership of the underground Communist Party organization, the Kanmen militiamen secretly carried out tasks such as posting slogans, distributing leaflets, scouting enemy movements, and delivering letters. In the early days after the liberation of Yuhuan, they actively cooperated with the People’s Liberation Army in anti-bandit operations, taking on combat support duties including standing guard, scouting enemy activity, serving as guides, transmitting intelligence, transporting ammunition, delivering supplies, carrying the wounded, and operating boats. They even fought directly alongside troops or independently engaged enemies. On May 5, 1951, Guo Koushun led over 40 Kanmen militiamen aboard six small fishing boats and defeated an armed vessel of the Kuomintang military off the southern coast of Nanpashan Mountain. Three enemies were killed, five were captured, and one large sailboat, one heavy machine gun, four rifles and handguns, and more than 5,000 rounds of ammunition were seized — with no casualties among the militiamen. This battle was later made into an electric model by the General Staff Department of the PLA and displayed at the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution. From its establishment in 1948 until all coastal islands of Yuhuan were liberated in 1955, this “gun-in-one-hand, fishing-net-in-the-other” civilian armed force participated in 28 battles of varying scales. Over 620 members took part in combat, 16 sacrificed their lives heroically, and more than 150 received commendations for meritorious service. They killed or captured 215 enemies, seized 268 pieces of weaponry, nearly 25,000 rounds of ammunition, two military vessels, and three radios. In August 1958, the Kanmen Militia Battalion was officially formed. In April 1960, Battalion Commander Guo Koushun and Deputy Commander Li Qifeng attended the National Militia Conference and were received by central leaders including Mao Zedong and Zhu De. In October 1964, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province and the Provincial Military Command awarded the Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion the title of “Heroic Militia Battalion.”

The Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion Outpost is located 9.5 kilometers from the county center. It is surrounded by sea on three sides, with Dadun Mountain to the north, Kanmen Port to the west, Diaozao Port to the east, and faces Dongtou County across the sea to the south. Its prominent location and wide field of vision allow it to monitor the entrance of Yueqing Bay and the ships entering and leaving Kanmen Port, as well as observe 15 nearby islands of various sizes. Together with the military garrison on Pishan Island and the second-class militia outpost on Damaiyu Island, it forms a coastal, port, and inland harbor surveillance network. In 1969, the Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion established its history exhibition room. On July 22, 2008, the Exhibition Hall of the History of the Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion was completed and officially opened to the public. The exhibition hall covers a construction area of 614 square meters, has a two-story reinforced concrete structure, and consists of two exhibition halls. The halls display militia combat sculptures, battle sand tables, physical artifacts and photos related to militia combat history, along with supporting audiovisual equipment.

The Kanmen Heroic Militia Battalion Outpost was designated as a Yuhuan County Patriotic Education Base in 1991, a Taizhou City Patriotic Education Base in March 2000, a Zhejiang Province Patriotic Education Base in October 2004, and a Zhejiang Province National Defense Education Base in March 2005.