Former Site of Xinhua Yuan

Former Site of Xinhua Yuan

The former site of Xinhua Yuan is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The former site of Xinhua Yuan is located in Wuyingshan Subdistrict, Tianqiao District, Jinan City, dating back to 1943.

Xinhua Yuan was a concentration camp established by the Japanese army in Jinan, Shandong in 1943 to detain Chinese prisoners of war, locally referred to as the "Hall of Yama." Before the establishment of Jinan’s “Xinhua Yuan,” there was an institution with quasi-concentration camp characteristics set up by the Japanese puppet regime in Jinan called the “Jinan National Salvation Training Institute.” Together with the “Ten Thousand Man Pit” at Jinan’s Pipa Mountain, it bears witness to the heinous crimes committed by Japanese fascism against the Chinese people.

“Xinhua Yuan” was directly controlled by the staff headquarters of the Japanese army stationed in Jinan, with Japanese military officers at the rank of lieutenant appointed as its director. It had various departments including an office, management office, assistant officer office, guard unit, and the Asia Construction Corps. “Xinhua Yuan” routinely detained 2,000 to 3,000 prisoners of war and arrested convicts. To facilitate management, a strategy of “using Chinese to control Chinese” and “suppressing the Communists with the Kuomintang” was adopted. A headquarters unit composed of collaborators and captured Kuomintang officers was specifically established. Under the direct command of the director, this unit was responsible for the “management” and “education” of prisoners of war, as well as assisting the Asia Construction Corps in selecting Chinese laborers. The headquarters unit included sections such as the interrogation division, guard unit, cadre team, training team, workshop team, farm team, medical clinic, sick ward, sanitation squad, uniform warehouse, and labor association. The heads of these units were mostly collaborators or ethnic Chinese.

Jinan’s “Xinhua Yuan” and Pipa Mountain’s “Ten Thousand Man Pit” are ironclad evidence of the brutal atrocities committed by Japanese imperialism against the Chinese people, and are lessons that future generations must forever remember. They serve as a warning to always recall this dark chapter in history, to arouse hatred toward Japanese fascism, to educate people against aggressive wars, and to cherish peace.

On June 23, 2015, the former site of Xinhua Yuan was designated as part of the fifth batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units by the People's Government of Shandong Province.

Wuyingshan Subdistrict: Wuyingshan Subdistrict Office

Party Working Committee – Ju Yunxing

Director – Sun Guangzhong

Administrative Region and Population: Wuyingshan Subdistrict is named after Wuyingshan. It covers an area of 1.98 square kilometers, governs 4 community resident committees, and has a population of 10,900 households, totaling 31,377 people, including 15,477 males and 15,900 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 100:107. The birth rate is 7‰, and the natural population growth rate is 0.6‰.

Economy…… More detailed information about Wuyingshan Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Shandong Province