Hengshan (a revolutionary old base area in Ju County, Shandong)

Hengshan (a revolutionary old base area in Ju County, Shandong)

At the junction of Xiaodian and Zhonglou towns, starting from the 531-meter-high main peak of Laoying, there extends a range of undulating mountains with perilous peaks vying in beauty. Four mountain ranges stretch continuously westward. The barrier formed by these four lush green peaks has created three narrow valleys running from east to west. Nestled within these mountain-surrounded valleys are many villages: the southern one is Qianhengshan (Village), the northern one is Guxi Village, and the central one is Houhengshan (Village). Each valley has only one westward mountain path. Here, it is defensible with natural strongholds, and offers concealed shelters for retreat. The naturally formed green mountains and trees create an easily defended and hard-to-attack natural barrier. This place is the renowned Hengshan Anti-Japanese Base Area in southeastern Shandong. At that time, the Hengshan Base Area also included a vast region extending south to Dadian, west to the Shu River, north to Shijing, and east to Zhonglou and Longshan.

On the 23rd day of the fourth lunar month in 1940, Japanese troops carried out a furious bombing of the Hengshan area, killing and injuring over a hundred local villagers. In response to the Japanese attack, the military and civilians of the base area fought back resolutely and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. To establish a solid base area, under the leadership of the Ju County Committee of the Communist Party of China, by the end of 1940, the people of the Hengshan Anti-Japanese Base Area gradually established and improved anti-Japanese mass organizations such as the Farmers’ Salvation Association, Women’s Salvation Association, Military Salvation Committee, Youth Anti-Enemy Vanguard, Literacy Classes, and Children’s Corps. Together, the military and civilians built the Hengshan Anti-Japanese Base Area into an impregnable stronghold. At that time, the Hengshan Base Area served not only as the command center for persisting in the resistance but also as a strong rear base relied upon by the broad masses of anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians.

From 1940 to 1943, during the most difficult period of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the base areas around Hengshan all became guerrilla zones. As a result, party, government, and military leadership organs at all levels of the Communist Party of China were relocated to the Hengshan Base Area. Amid extremely harsh conditions, they persisted in the struggle against the enemy together with the people of the Hengshan Base Area. When the Japanese carried out frenzied “mopping-up” operations and the base area was encroached upon, the Ju-Zhong County Committee, County Government, and nine district committees and district offices were stationed separately in Qianhengshan, Houhengshan, and Guxi Village. The “Masses Daily” newspaper office was also moved to Zhangjiacaochang (a small natural village in Houhengshan) to continue publishing the newspaper.

Address: Qianhengshan, Houhengshan, Guxi, and other villages in Xiaodian Town, Ju County

Business Hours: All day

Visiting Time: Approximately 1 hour