Baoding Army Officers Academy Memorial Hall

Baoding Army Officers Academy Memorial Hall

The Baoding Army Officers Academy (abbreviated as Baoding Military Academy), located on Dongfeng East Road in downtown Baoding, Hebei Province, was formerly known as the Beiyang Rapid Martial Training School, the Rapid Training School of the Beiyang Army, and the Army Officers School. The Baoding Army Officers Academy was established in the 28th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1902 AD) and was discontinued in 1923. In the 26th year of the Guangxu reign (1900 AD), the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China and forced the Qing government to sign the humiliating Boxer Protocol. As a result, the military training institution—martial training school—stationed at Xiaozhan in Tianjin was relocated to Baoding.

In the 28th year of the Guangxu reign, Yuan Shikai, then Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang, established a standing army (newly trained army) outside the eastern gate of Baoding and set up a Military Affairs Bureau (later renamed the Training Supervision Office), which included three departments: Armament, Staff, and Training, headed respectively by Liu Yongqing, Duan Qirui, and Feng Guozhang. Approved by Yuan Shikai, the Beiyang Army Officers and Commanders School was founded outside the eastern gate of Baoding, with Feng Guozhang as its head (i.e., school principal). In the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign (1906 AD), Duan Qirui took over. In the 29th year of the Guangxu reign, the Beiyang Army Officers and Commanders School was renamed the Beiyang Army Martial Training School, then also referred to as the Beiyang National Army School and the Army Field School, and was renamed again in 1907 as the Army University (abbreviated as Lu Da). After the establishment of the Republic of China (1912), it became the Army Officers School. At the same time as the Officers and Commanders School was established, the Beiyang Army Allied School was founded south of the Baoding Military Academy, later renamed the Rapid Training School (now the area from the Provincial Psychiatric Hospital to the Municipal Tuberculosis Prevention and Treatment Institute). After its discontinuation, it was repurposed as barracks. These two military schools are commonly collectively referred to as the “Baoding Military Academy.”

The international renown of the Baoding Military Academy is inseparable from the numerous talented individuals it produced and its profound impact on modern Chinese history. In just the eleven years following the establishment of the Republic, the academy graduated 6,553 students. Many of these graduates became notable figures in China’s modern revolutionary history, making immortal contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Chinese people. For example, Comrade Ye Ting was a renowned military leader of our Party. During the Northern Expedition, the “Iron Army” he commanded struck fear into the hearts of the enemy, and during the War of Resistance against Japan, he served as commander of the New Fourth Army. Martyrs Zhao Boseng and Dong Zhentang were prominent leaders of the Ningdu Uprising. Comrade Zhao Boseng once served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Staff of the Red Fifth Army Corps, while Comrade Dong Zhentang served as Commander of the Red Fifth Army Corps, both sacrificing gloriously for the revolutionary cause. Underground Party members and former Kuomintang officials, including Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Kexia and He Jifeng of the 33rd Army Group, played pivotal roles during the critical moments of the Huaihai Campaign by leading the 59th Army and 77th Army to revolt on the front lines, making significant contributions to the successful victory of the campaign. Others such as Comrades He Zhuguo and Wang Changjiang also contributed to the revolutionary cause.

After the Baoding Military Academy was discontinued, the Cao Kun Martial Arts School originally established in Caohé was moved here. Following Cao Kun’s downfall, the martial arts school was closed and successively served as barracks for the Zhili, Fengtian, and Kuomintang armies. Each time there was a change of guard, the school buildings suffered damage. After the July 7th Incident in 1937, the site became an important Japanese military base in Baoding. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the school buildings were demolished. After the liberation of Baoding, the site was converted into a farm and later into a livestock farm. Although the Baoding Military Academy has become a historical relic, its influence and legacy have left an important chapter in modern Chinese history.