Site of the Black Iron Mountain Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising

Site of the Black Iron Mountain Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising

The Site of the Black Iron Mountain Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising is a patriotic education base.

The Black Iron Mountain Memorial Hall was laid in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan and officially opened on August 1, 1996. Yao Zhongming, the main leader of the Black Iron Mountain Uprising and political commissar of the Fifth Army of the Shandong People’s Anti-Japanese National Salvation Army, despite his advanced age, resolutely attended the unveiling ceremony. Also present were retired General Shi Yichen, former commander of the Fuzhou Military Region; Peng Bao, former director of the Security Bureau of China's Ministry of Radio, Film and Television; Wang Yu, wife of Liao Ronghui, former deputy commander of the Nanjing Military Region and one of the main leaders of the uprising; and Sun Tiemin, advisor to the Jining Administrative Office. Dong Fengji, member of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and head of the Propaganda Department, and veteran political commissar Yao Zhongming unveiled the memorial hall together.

The memorial hall was initiated by the Zhangdian District Party Committee and District Government, which called on all party and government agencies and the public to donate a total of 1.6 million yuan for its construction. The main structure is a two-story building with a floor area of 1,300 square meters. The plaque inscribed with “Black Iron Mountain Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising Memorial Hall” was handwritten by General Zhang Zhen, former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. Upon entering the exhibition hall, visitors are greeted by seven gilded Mao-style characters reading “Here the Revolutionary Banner Was Raised.” On either side are the “Black Iron Mountain Uprising Song” and the anthem of the “Assault Tiger Division.” The preserved stump of the ancient locust tree from which the Fifth Army’s flag once hung is displayed on the left side of the entrance hall, behind which are images of the former headquarters site of the Black Iron Mountain Uprising. The exhibition area spans 600 square meters and displays 35 artifacts used by the uprising forces, including guns, knives, desks, chairs, office and daily life items, as well as war trophies captured from the Japanese army such as swords, gasoline cans, mess tins, and grenades. There are also over 200 photos and panels illustrating the background, causes, process, and aftermath of the uprising, 30 calligraphic works and paintings personally inscribed by veteran generals and participants, more than 150 original items including memoirs, essay collections, letters, and photos from veterans in 20 display cabinets, and over 100 media reports related to the uprising.

The exhibition is divided into eight sections, from “Outbreak of the War of Resistance” to “Remember History and Learn from the Past,” presenting a comprehensive overview of the entire Black Iron Mountain Uprising. With a wealth of detailed photos and artifacts, the memorial hall recreates the turbulent and bloody years of the resistance, exposes the heinous crimes committed by the Japanese invaders against the Chinese people—angering yet enlightening—and honors the heroic deeds of the martyrs. Countless revolutionary predecessors fought courageously and shed blood on the battlefield, their legacy living on forever.

Since its opening, the Black Iron Mountain Anti-Japanese Armed Uprising Memorial Hall has become a key site for patriotic education. Visitor numbers have steadily increased, making it an increasingly prominent platform for promoting red culture and patriotism. In 1995, Black Iron Mountain was designated as a “Shandong Provincial Patriotic Education Base.”