General's Museum at Meibei Ancient Village

Meibei Ancient Village General's Museum

Meibei Ancient Village is adorned with evergreen ancient trees and flowing streams. From this small patch of red earth spanning just one square kilometer, four generals emerged—two major generals and two brigadier generals.

Major General Liang Xingchu, commander of China’s first elite army—the 38th Army, was a valiant tiger-like general who dedicated his life to the battles for national independence and the liberation of the people. He achieved remarkable military exploits. This is Major General Liang Biye, political commissar of the 38th Army and former deputy director of the General Political Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Since joining the revolution, he had been engaged in political and ideological work, setting an example of the Party commanding the gun. This is Brigadier General Liang Renjie, a man of both literary and martial prowess and former deputy political commissar of the Lanzhou Military Region. The photo shows him during his later years when he participated in agricultural support and water conservancy projects. These three generals were all among the first group to be awarded military ranks in 1955. Moreover, they were all influenced by the famous "February 7th" meeting held here and the activities of the Red Army, joining the Red Army and devoting themselves to the revolution in the same year, and then being awarded ranks in 1955. This is quite rare across the country. There is also Brigadier General Liang Biqin, who was awarded the rank in 2000 and is currently employed at the Academy of Military Science. He is a scholarly general well-versed in military theory. According to our local seniority, Xingchu is the eldest, followed by Biye and Biqin, while Renjie is the youngest. Details about the four generals:

Liang Xingchu, born in 1913, joined the revolution and participated in and commanded many famous battles, such as the first victory of the Anti-Japanese War—the Battle of Pingxingguan. During the Korean War, he served as commander of the 38th Army. In the Second Campaign, he encircled and annihilated 24,000 U.S. troops and was commended by Commander Peng Dehuai of the Volunteer Army, who declared, “Long live the 38th Army!” Since then, the 38th Army has been known as the “Army of Eternal Life.” In 1955, he was awarded the rank of major general. There is a photo of Mao Zedong meeting Liang Xingchu, and this is the appointment order signed by Mao Zedong in 1957, in which Liang Xingchu was awarded the Second Class August 1st Medal, First Class Independence and Freedom Medal, and First Class Liberation Medal. From “iron apprentice” to “Red Army soldier,” Liang Xingchu was an apprentice on Meibei Ancient Street in his youth. He worked as an ironsmith for three years. According to his later recollections, it was these three years of blacksmithing that forged his iron will and indomitable character. This is Liang Xingchu as commander of the 3rd Battalion, 685th Regiment, 343rd Brigade, 115th Division, Eighth Route Army, during the Anti-Japanese War. This is a group photo from 1942 with the political commissar of the New Fourth Army, Luo Ronghuan, commander of the Shandong Military Region, and Liang Xingchu, commander of the 5th Teaching Brigade, 115th Division. There is a pair of binoculars he used. This is Liang Xingchu in 1963 as commander of the Guangzhou Military Region, visiting representatives of the Guangzhou troops participating in martial arts competitions. This is a family photo from 1974 when he was sent down. This is his 1955 rank photo. This photo shows Liang Xingchu’s unit attacking during the Liaoshen Campaign, which was later reorganized into the 38th Army (the 1st Column of the Northeast Field Army) (other photos are introduced as per actual content or left for visitors to view). This is a photo of him revisiting the “101” Heights of the Heishan Blocking Battle with comrades Yang Dayi and He Qingji. During the Heishan Blocking Battle, Liang Xingchu led his troops against an assault by 100,000 enemy soldiers. At the most intense “101” Heights, a shell landed on average every square meter. The hilltop was leveled by two meters, becoming the “99” Heights. This battle was made famous by a movie.

There is a 1964 photo of Liang Xingchu with his mother and wife in Guangzhou.

In 1950, after the outbreak of the Korean War, Liang Xingchu eagerly volunteered to join the war in Korea. The Volunteer Army fought many brilliant victories on the Korean battlefield, especially the 38th Army, which repeatedly performed exceptional feats. In the Second Campaign, they ambushed Wuling Bridge, infiltrated Sansuili, and fiercely fought at Songgufeng, annihilating three times their number of modern-equipped “United Nations forces,” demonstrating military and national might. They were commended by Commander Peng Dehuai of the Volunteer Army. Here is the original draft of the telegram. Just as the staff was about to send out the message, Peng called them back and added this sentence at the end: “Long live the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army ! Long live the 38th Army !” Since then, the 38th Army has been honored as the “Army of Eternal Life.” This honor is unparalleled in the army’s history. These images depict Peng drafting the telegram and the presentation of the “Army of Eternal Life” banner. Inspired by the commendation, the soldiers fought with even greater courage until the American invaders obediently signed the armistice agreement. General Liang Xingchu was renowned for fighting hard and brutal battles, and many units invited him to teach tactics. These four photos reflect Liang Xingchu’s over fifty years of battlefield service, his remarkable military achievements, and the fact that he suffered nine serious injuries in his lifetime, with four bullet fragments still in his body when he passed away.

Meibei Village: Located in Wenbei Township, Qingyuan District, Ji’an City, Jiangxi Province, Meibei Village blends a developed ancient commercial civilization with red culture. Grand Ming and Qing architectural complexes stand in rows; countless stone carvings, wood carvings, painted artworks, couplets, plaques, carved screens—all subtly embody the extraordinary wisdom and lifestyle interests of the people of Luling, reflecting the profound brilliance of Luling culture, and also record the vicissitudes of this land of red history.

Meibei Ancient Village is embraced by mountains and encircled by water, naturally picturesque. The village’s main ancestral hall, Yongmu Hall, covers an area of more than one thousand square meters, featuring upturned eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters... Meibei Ancient Village detailed information++