Former Site of the Second Field Army Headquarters during the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign

Former Site of the Second Field Army Headquarters during the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign

The former site of the Second Field Army Headquarters during the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province and a patriotic education base.

The former site of the Second Field Army Headquarters during the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign is located at Tongcheng High School. In 1949, the Second Field Army held a meeting here for cadres at the regiment level and above. This is a modern building with a high base, facing east and backed by the west, featuring a post-and-lintel structure. It is one bay wide on the west side, surrounded by corridors, and covers an area of 231 square meters. To the west are three courtyards of tiled houses with a central courtyard; this was the “Liu and Deng” southern advance residence, covering an area of 210 square meters. It is now a patriotic education base in Tongcheng City.

It is a modern building with a high platform base, facing east and backed by the west, covering an area of 231 square meters, and featuring a brick-and-wood post-and-lintel structure. The beam framework is exposed, with five large seven-rafter beams connected at the corners by diagonal beams. The base is made of brick and stone, with one bay in width and three bays in depth, surrounded by corridors. Sixteen wooden pillars stand along the corridors, and the walls are made of brick. There is a main gate on the east side, five arched windows on each of the north and south walls, doors on both sides, and two arched windows on the west wall as well. The roof is a four-slope design covered with small tiles. The entire structure is well preserved.

According to the Second Field Army’s Major Events Record and the Field Army War Diary: On April 15, 1949, the Second Field Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army held a meeting here for cadres at the regiment level and above. Deng Xiaoping conveyed the spirit of the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Liu Bocheng called on the troops to “muster maximum strength to prepare for the crossing-the-Yangtze campaign.” On April 17, Liu and Deng issued orders to the western line forces to commence the crossing operation on April 21, laying out deployments for the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Corps to cross the river. On April 19, “the Second Field Army — all arrived in Tongcheng to command.” On April 21, “units of the Second Field Army, in accordance with orders, began artillery bombardment at 17:30 and started boarding boats to cross the river at 17:55.” After achieving overall victory in the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign, the headquarters left Tongcheng on April 23, passed through Hefei and Quanjiao, and arrived in Nanjing on April 29. During the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign of the Liberation War, the former site of the headquarters of the Second Field Army of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (referred to as the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign Second Field Army Headquarters) has now been turned into the “Second Field Army Crossing-the-Yangtze Command Headquarters Exhibition Hall,” open to domestic and international visitors.

Protected Area: Outside the wall foundation of the former site, extending 3 meters east, to the west up to the gable wall of the western end of the Liu-Deng southern advance residence, 3 meters south, and 9 meters north (including the Liu-Deng southern advance residence).

Construction Control Zone: Outside the protected area, extending 10 meters east, to the west up to the gable wall of the eastern side of the teachers' building, 3 meters south, and 9 meters north.