Bohai Revolutionary Base Memorial Park

Bohai Revolutionary Base Memorial Park

Bohai Revolutionary Base Memorial Park is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a patriotic education base.

The Bohai region was one of the areas where the Communist Party of China established grassroots organizations and carried out revolutionary activities relatively early. It served as the largest anti-Japanese base in the plains of Shandong during the War of Resistance against Japan and an important rear base for the entire East China battlefield during the Liberation War. The Bohai region held significant strategic importance, once governing six prefectural committees, special administrative regions, and military sub-districts, covering 55 counties and cities with a total area of approximately 54,000 square kilometers and a population of 11.14 million. The region included parts of present-day Binzhou, Dongying, Weifang, Zibo, Dezhou, and Jinan in Shandong Province, Cangzhou in Hebei Province, and the Jinnan area of Tianjin.

During the years of revolutionary warfare, the Bohai region mobilized 820,000 civilian workers who provided massive support to the front lines, deploying 130,000 vehicles and nearly one million livestock. They transported 270 million jin (approximately 135,000 tons) of military grain to the front, accounting for one-third of all grain supplied from Shandong, fully supporting frontline combat. Nearly 200,000 outstanding local youths joined the army, forming heroic units such as the 43rd Army, 28th Army, 33rd Army, and the 2nd Agricultural Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. 6,000 cadres moved southward with the army to help establish and consolidate new political power. As the strategic rear base of the East China battlefield, the region also supported over 400,000 relocated personnel from the CPC East China Bureau for a full year. Over 380 veteran leaders and generals who later held deputy military region or provincial-level positions emerged from the Bohai region. A total of 55,308 revolutionary martyrs from the Bohai region sacrificed their lives for the country. Chairman Mao Zedong personally endorsed the Bohai region’s military reorganization experience, stating that “in all units where relations between officers and soldiers are poor, discipline is weak, and combat effectiveness is low, the Bohai military reorganization experience should be adopted,” giving high praise to the Bohai region’s new-style military reorganization movement. Veteran proletarian revolutionaries such as Chen Yi, Su Yu, Xu Shiyou, Xiao Hua, Mao Anying, and others also worked and fought in the Bohai region. The people of the old Bohai base forged the widely celebrated "Indomitable, Hardworking, Big-Picture-Oriented, and Selfless Dedication" spirit of the old Bohai through their struggle.

To carry forward the spirit of the old Bohai, honor the martyrs, and inspire future generations, in April 2006, the CPC Binzhou Municipal Committee and municipal government decided to mobilize the entire city’s resources to build the Bohai Revolutionary Base Memorial Park. The park covers an area of 530 mu (approximately 35.3 hectares), with a total building area of about 25,000 square meters. It includes the Bohai Revolutionary Base Memorial Hall, the Bohai Revolutionary Monument, a simulated section of the Great Wall, the Martyrs’ Roll of Honor corridor, hero group sculptures, and the martyrs’ cemetery. The cemetery houses the remains of 297 martyrs, including 127 unnamed ones. The Martyrs’ Roll of Honor corridor is inscribed with the names and detailed information of 55,308 revolutionary martyrs from the Bohai region. Construction began in May 2007, and the park officially opened in September 2009. A former member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor, Minister of National Defense, and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission inscribed the name of the Bohai Revolutionary Base Memorial Hall.

Since its opening, Bohai Revolutionary Base Memorial Park has played a significant role in promoting the spirit of the old Bohai and inspiring patriotism across society. In March 2009, it was approved by the State Council as a “National Key Martyrs’ Memorial Building Protection Unit.” In June 2009, it was designated as a “Shandong Provincial Patriotic Education Base” by the Publicity Department of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee. In August 2012, it was recognized as a “National Patriotic Education Base” by the National Defense Education Office. On November 16, 2012, the park was approved as a “National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base” by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. In December 2015, it was rated as a national AAA-level tourist attraction. Additionally, the park was rated as an A-level institution in Binzhou’s public institution performance evaluations for two consecutive years, in 2014 and 2015.