Former Site of the Wei County Western Civilians' Internment Camp

Former Site of the Wei County Western Civilians' Internment Camp

The Former Site of the Wei County Western Civilians' Internment Camp is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Scattered between Weifang Guangwen Middle School and the People's Hospital are several deep-gray European-style buildings from the late 19th century — a solemn old church standing quietly and the red-tiled, blue-brick Le Dao Yuan. This is the site of the Wei County Internment Camp, where the Japanese established during WWII to detain foreigners in China.

In December 1941, Japanese forces launched a sudden attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, triggering the Pacific War. The Japanese government forcibly detained civilians from enemy nations such as the United States and Britain in the territories they occupied, establishing internment camps to confine them. Civilians in the southern occupied areas were forcibly relocated to over ten camps in Shanghai and Hong Kong, while those in the northern occupied areas were imprisoned in the Wei County Camp in Shandong.

In March 1942, Tang Benxuan, the Japanese military police commander in Wei County, led Japanese military police and puppet troops to occupy Le Dao Yuan, expelling all residents, numbering and sequentially reorganizing the buildings and areas, and carrying out demolitions and renovations to detain civilians. This became what the Japanese called the "Wei County Enemy Nationals Group Living Facility," also known as the Wei County Internment Camp. Also referred to as the Le Dao Yuan Internment Camp, and because it was located in Shandong Province, some foreigners called it the Shandong Internment Camp. It was the largest Allied "internment camp" in Asia during WWII.

From March 1942 to August 1945, the Wei County Internment Camp held 2,008 civilians from nearly 20 countries including Britain, the United States, France, New Zealand, Canada, Cuba, Greece, Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Among the detainees were many notable figures, such as Rev. John H. Gillespie, former advisor to Chiang Kai-shek; Eric Liddell, the world-renowned athlete and Olympic 400-meter champion; Dr. D. E. Hoste, academic dean of Cheeloo University; and Angus Ward, a teacher at Fu Jen Catholic High School who later became the second U.S. Ambassador to China after the founding of the People’s Republic.

After the liberation of the Le Dao Yuan Internment Camp, most of the detained civilians returned to their home countries. For the survivors of the camp, this extraordinary experience has become an indelible memory. They kept in touch, organized the Le Dao Yuan Internment Camp Alumni Association, wrote memoirs, built websites, and held commemorations. The people of Weifang also have not forgotten these foreigners from afar, nor the deep bonds of friendship formed across the walls that once separated them.

Guangwen Subdistrict: Located in the city center of Weifang, Guangwen Subdistrict is traversed by the Yu River and Zhangmian River from east to west, boasting a beautiful environment, convenient transportation, and a prime location. The area under its jurisdiction extends east to Beihai Road, west to Yuanfei Road, south to Jiankang Street, and north to Dongfeng Street, covering 10 villages and residential communities, with a total area of 4.22 square kilometers and a population of 82,000. Since 2009, under the correct leadership of the District Party Committee and District Government, the Guangwen Subdistrict Party Working Committee and Office have united and led Party members, cadres, and the general public in fully implementing the District Party Committee and Government’s “1366” strategic plan, actively practicing the “two practicals” work style, emancipating the mind, tackling difficulties... More details about Guangwen Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units