Former Site of the Battle to Rescue at Bage Ling

Former Site of the Battle to Rescue at Bage Ling

The former site of the Battle to Rescue at Bage Ling is a classic red tourism attraction.

The former site of the Battle to Rescue at Bage Ling is located in Bage Ling, Kuzhu Village, Duwei Town, Xianyou County, Putian City.

In August 1944, Weng Hongtang, a member of the Southern Fujian Special Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and his courier were mobilizing the masses on Huanggua Island in Putian to expose the Kuomintang’s false anti-Japanese and true reactionary nature. They were tailed by Kuomintang military intelligence agents and unfortunately arrested and imprisoned in the Putian jail. After Weng Hongtang was arrested, the Kuomintang authorities subjected him to severe torture in an attempt to break the local CCP organization in Central Fujian. However, Weng Hongtang remained defiant and unyielding even in the face of death. The Kuomintang authorities had no choice but to report to their superiors, and the Fujian military intelligence agency ordered Weng Hongtang to be transferred to the Meilie Concentration Camp in Yong’an for trial detention.

Upon learning that Weng Hongtang was to be transferred to Yong’an, the Southern Fujian Special Committee decided to assign the rescue mission to committee member Cai Wenhuan. Cai Wenhuan immediately organized personnel to set up surveillance points along the transportation route between Putian and Xianyou, closely monitoring enemy movements. In mid-August, when military intelligence agents and guards were escorting Weng Hongtang and his courier through the Jiaowei area of Xianyou from Putian, the guerrillas learned of it. Cai Wenhuan then convened an emergency meeting at the Longhua Batou stronghold village in Xianyou to discuss the rescue plan. Everyone agreed that the best location for the rescue would be around Bage Ling. Because Bage Ling is the border area between Duwei in Xianyou and Yongchun, it is easily defensible and hard to attack, far from the county towns of Xianyou and Yongchun, and a relatively weakly defended area by the Kuomintang authorities. Moreover, it is usually sparsely populated, making retreat easier. Cai Wenhuan assigned the specific rescue work to Huang Guozhen and Ou Muli of the Xianyou guerrilla team, and sent guerrilla members Qiu Guifeng and Lin Xuan to travel overnight to Shicheng in Yongchun to contact the Yongchun guerrilla team for coordinated action, ensuring the success of the rescue.

The next day, Huang Guozhen and Ou Muli led the Xianyou guerrilla team to successfully rendezvous with the Yongchun guerrilla team led by Yu Hongqing at Bage Ling. The rescue team was divided into three groups: the first and second groups were stationed in the forest near a pavilion at the top of Bage Ling, while the third group was responsible for observing the movements of the enemy agents. Around noon, when the military intelligence agents and their escorts arrived at the pavilion at the top of the mountain and were busy having lunch, the guerrilla members disguised as charcoal carriers seized the opportunity to approach the pavilion. Taking the enemy by surprise, they immediately shot and killed two guards. As soon as the gunshots rang out, the guerrilla members lying in ambush nearby sprang into action, opened fire, and repelled the enemy, successfully rescuing Weng Hongtang. However, Weng Hongtang’s courier unfortunately sacrificed his life. Weng Hongtang was quickly evacuated by the guerrilla team to Shanyangkeng in Yongchun, and the next day he was moved again to the Batou stronghold village in Longhua, Xianyou. He remained hidden there, recovering from his injuries until the following spring when he regained his health and was safely transferred to his sister’s home in Putian. This operation not only successfully completed the rescue mission but also enhanced the reputation of the guerrilla team.

The former site of the Battle to Rescue at Bage Ling is located in the forest at the junction of the Xianyou and Yongchun highways.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

Duwei Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Xianyou County. Established as the Duwei Commune in 1958, changed to a township in 1984, and upgraded to a town in 1987. It is located in the western part of the county, 15 kilometers from the county seat, on the upper reaches of the Mulan River. It covers an area of 110 square kilometers with a population of 77,000. The Xianyong Highway runs through the entire territory. It administers two neighborhood committees, Dufeng and Tanbian, and 17 village committees: Dongfeng, Lishan, Shenshan, Xiazhou, Zhongfeng, Houpu, Xiangxi, Yangban, Zhongyue, Maoshan, Yunshui, Pingshan, Jianshan, Xiaxi, Puwei, Yunju, and Kuzhu. The main agricultural products are honey pomelo, rice, and sugarcane. ... Detailed information about Duwei Town++