129th Division Memorial Hall

129th Division Memorial Hall

The 129th Division Memorial Hall is a patriotic education base.

The 129th Division Memorial Hall is located on General Ridge near Chian Village in Shexian County, Handan City, Hebei Province, about a mile from the site of the former headquarters. The memorial hall covers a construction area of 2,252 square meters and consists of five exhibition rooms, a foyer, and a semi-scene mural room themed "Marching into the Taihang Mountains."

From Shexian came China’s chief architect of reform and opening-up, Deng Xiaoping, as well as two marshals, three senior generals, 18 major generals, 48 lieutenant generals, 295 major generals, and nearly 100 leaders of the 129th Division who held important national positions. It is hailed as the cradle of China’s second-generation leadership.

The North China Financial Conference and the Liu-Deng Army’s Southern Expedition Conference were held in Handan. It is also the birthplace of People’s Daily, People’s Pictorial, and the Taihang Edition of Xinhua Daily, as well as the printing site of the first volume of Selected Works of Mao Zedong. The predecessor of China National Radio, the North China Xinhua Broadcasting Station, began broadcasting in Shexian, Handan, and one of the predecessors of the People’s Bank of China, the Jinnan Bank Headquarters, was established in Shexian, Handan. Generals Zuo Quan, Xu Xiangqian, and the spouses of Liu Bocheng are all buried in Handan.

The 129th Division Memorial Hall records and carries forward this history of resistance and spirit. What started as a few small traditional courtyard buildings has developed into a multifunctional, comprehensive patriotic education base integrating sightseeing, commemoration, and learning. The preserved original site, the advanced exhibition content of the memorial hall, and the grand-scale cemetery for marshals—General Ridge—together form a rare and valuable complex nationwide.

The museum houses over 500 pieces of weapons, ammunition, recreational tools, and other items used by the soldiers of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army during combat and daily life, as well as captured Japanese items such as command swords and vehicles.

The "We on the Taihang Mountains" Memorial Hall consists of a foyer, five exhibition rooms, and a semi-scene painting gallery. Centered around the theme “We on the Taihang Mountains,” it is divided into four major sections, collectively showcasing the glorious journey of the Eighth Route Army’s 129th Division as they fought across the Taihang Mountains, established the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Anti-Japanese Base Area, and made the historic Long March to the Dabie Mountains, making indelible contributions to the liberation of the Chinese nation.

Chian Village, Shexian County, Handan City, Hebei Province

Transportation: Bus loop terminal

Opening Hours: Off-season 8:30–12:00, 14:00–17:00; Peak season 8:30–12:00, 13:30–17:30

Closed: Mondays

Postal Code: 056400

Further Reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China