Former Site of the Baiyige Revolutionary Base

Former Site of the Baiyige Revolutionary Base

The Former Site of the Baiyige Revolutionary Base is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province and a classic red tourism destination.

The "Memorial Site of Revolutionary Activities at Baiyige" was an important base of operations for our army and also served as the command center of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army's liberated areas. In July 1946, in order to strike against the enemy, the ever-victorious troops under the command of Commander Liu Bocheng recovered more than ten county towns including Puxian and Fanxian within a month. Among them, they killed, wounded, or captured over 31,000 officers and soldiers. In early November of that year, the command headquarters of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army held a military meeting for cadres at the regimental level and above in Baiyige Village. The meeting was convened in a large courtyard belonging to Mr. Wang Canzhao in the northern part of the village, surrounded by trees, with soldiers of the Liberation Army standing guard with rifles. At the center of the podium hung portraits of Chairman Mao and Commander Zhu. Comrade Zhang Jiuchun, the deputy political commissar of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, announced the opening of the conference. This was followed by a political situation report delivered by Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping, who called on all officers and soldiers to boost their revolutionary spirit, achieve several more major victories, strive for final success, and report their battle achievements to the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao. Commander Liu Bocheng gave a report on military issues, summarizing the achievements of the past four months and pointing out that "the outcome of war is not determined by the gain or loss of individual cities or territories. The key lies in whether strength is preserved or lost." He further stated, "Preserve manpower even if territory is lost, for territory can be retaken eventually. But lose manpower while holding territory, and you will lose both. Once the main forces of the Kuomintang army are reduced to a certain extent, they will neither be able to attack nor defend, and will find themselves in a difficult position. In response to this, our army must hold our rifles firmly, concentrate our superior forces, and continue to eliminate the Chiang Kai-shek regime."

The situation in the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan liberated area improved, and the revolutionary people celebrated the heroic and skillful combat achievements of our People’s Army. At that time, local residents spontaneously provided meals, water, and comfort items to the soldiers. The atmosphere for the nationwide liberation battle reached an unprecedented high and was commended by the leadership of the General Logistics Department.

After the meeting, Duan Zijing (father of Duan Junyi), Wan Danru (aunt of Wan Li), and other members of the Administrative Office of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Liberated Area specially hosted a banquet for Liu and Deng in the southern room of their homes. Liu and Deng expressed deep gratitude for everyone’s hospitality and support, and hoped that the council members would unite people from all walks of life—those with money to contribute funds, those with strength to contribute labor, and those with knowledge to contribute expertise—to eliminate Chiang Kai-shek and liberate all of China.

In December 1983, to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the military meeting held by the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army in Baiyige Village, Puxian, a memorial stele was erected in the village marking the residence of Liu and Deng. The front of the stele bears six large characters reading “Residence of Liu and Deng, Command Headquarters of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army,” with the inscription below: “Erected with respect by the People’s Government of Fan County.”

The house where Liu and Deng stayed at that time is now located within the campus of Baiyige Primary School. In March 1989, it was renovated to restore its original appearance and has since become a base for educating young people about revolutionary traditions and outlook on life.