Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Memorial Hall

Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Memorial Hall

The Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Memorial Hall is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

The Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Memorial Hall was built to commemorate the Battle of Tanjiaqiao fought by the Chinese Red Army's Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard. It is located in Tanjiaqiao Town, Huangshan District, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, adjacent to the Tanjiaqiao exit of the Hefei–Tongling–Huangshan Expressway and near the scenic and easily accessible G205 National Highway. The hall exhibits a significant collection of precious Red Army revolutionary relics and photographs, all personally collected by Luo Wentian, a collector from Kecheng District, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, vividly recreating the battle history and heroic times of the Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard.

The Huangshan District Party Committee and District Government placed great importance on the development and utilization of this resource. In 2006, the Tanjiaqiao Town Party Committee and government decided to construct the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Memorial Hall at Shimengang in Zhongdun Village, Tanjiaqiao Town. Starting that year, efforts were made to attract investment from Luo Wentian, a red relic collector from Kecheng District, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, to establish the Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Memorial Hall. The project was officially approved in November of the same year, with construction beginning on August 1, 2007. Covering an area of 50,000 square meters, the project includes a service area, educational exhibition area, historical tribute area, interactive experience area, and scenic viewing area, with a total construction area of 2,678 square meters. By the end of 2009, the first phase of the project was successfully completed and the memorial hall officially opened to the public on the eve of July 1, 2010. On January 8, 2011, it was designated as a Patriotic Education Base of Anhui Province.

The solemn and respectful memorial area of the Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Memorial Hall covers an area of over 80 acres, with a total construction area of 2,678 square meters. The entire memorial primarily consists of the Hall of Tribute, the Tomb of General Su Yu, trench ruins, and the battle command platform. The museum displays life items, weapons, and letters used by soldiers of the Anti-Japanese Vanguard through图文并茂 (illustrated display boards), comprehensively presenting the course of the Battle of Tanjiaqiao and the heroic image of the Red Army. It is mainly divided into two sections: the Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Memorial Hall and the General Su Yu Command Art Exhibition Hall. Through original historical relics marked by the passage of time (including nearly a thousand cultural relics ranging from national first to third grade) and precious historical photographs, visitors can almost witness the bloody battles fought by the Red Army soldiers and the valiant struggles led by General Su Yu for the liberation of the people. The establishment and opening of the memorial hall have made it an important venue for patriotic education and cultural promotion in Huangshan District, the whole city, and even the entire province. It serves as a significant patriotic education base and a new red tourism attraction.

The battlefield, command post, and command platform ruins of the Tanjiaqiao Battle are located around Shimengang in Tanjiaqiao Town, Huangshan District. On December 14, 1934, the Chinese Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard, led by Fang Zhimin, engaged in a bloody battle with the Kuomintang pursuing forces in the area from Wuni Pass to Shimengang in Tanjiaqiao. The Tanjiaqiao battlefield extends south from Wuni Pass along both sides of the Tanjiaqiao highway. The ambushing forces of the Red Tenth Army Corps were positioned from Shikoukou to Muyushan for the 1st to 6th companies of the 19th Regiment, and from Gushan to Shibiwu for the 7th to 9th companies, with machine gun fire points set up at Shibiwu, Qianqian, Zhongshan, and Gushan respectively. The 20th Regiment deployed one battalion to construct fortifications and hold the front at Tanjiaqiao. The accompanying Training Corps and landmine reel cannon teams laid landmines and reel cannons along both sides of the highway. Liubeidang served as the main rear base, while the command post was situated on the hill behind Zhonggushan in Zhonggu Mountain, where trench remnants can still be found on the slopes to this day. The command platform is located on the hillside behind the Red Army Northward Anti-Japanese Vanguard Memorial Hall in Shimengang, Zhongdun Village, Tanjiaqiao Town (covering an area of about 150 square meters). The front command post is situated in Qiandemeng Group, Zhongdun Village, Tanjiaqiao Town. Built in 1898, it is a brick-and-wood structure covering an area of 360 square meters, with a construction area of 520 square meters.