Site of the Laiwu Campaign

Site of the Laiwu Campaign

The Site of the Laiwu Campaign is located in Shiwanzi Village, Xinzhuang Township, Laiwu City. From February 20 to 23, 1947, under the command of Chen Yi, Su Yu, Tan Zhenlin, and others, the East China Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army launched a strategic— against the Nationalist troops within the territory of Laiwu. After four days of fighting, they completely annihilated the forward headquarters of the Nationalist Second Pacification Zone, two armies and seven divisions totaling more than 50,000 troops, capturing Lieutenant General Li Xianzhou, the deputy commander of the Second Pacification Zone, and Han Jun, commander of the 73rd Army.

The Laiwu Campaign achieved the glorious precedent of annihilating seven enemy divisions in a single operation by our army, earning commendation from the Central Military Commission. The campaign headquarters was situated in a traditional quadrangle courtyard located in the central part of Shiwan Village. The main building, consisting of three rooms built with earthen bricks and small tiles, had one thatched-roof wing room at each end. There were also three thatched rooms on the west and south sides respectively, while the east side originally had three thatched rooms as well, which were demolished long ago due to collapse. In 1977, the Shandong Provincial People’s Government designated it as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit. In 1980, the site was restored and converted into the Laiwu Campaign Command Post Exhibition Room. The interior displays office items such as desks, wooden chairs, and beds used at the time, as well as operational plans, maps, and handwritten telegrams by Mao Zedong.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units