Former Site of the Field Hospital at the Longtan Battle during the War of Resistance Against Japan – Wang Family Ancestral Hall

Former Site of the Field Hospital at the Longtan Battle during the War of Resistance Against Japan – Wang Family Ancestral Hall

The Former Site of the Field Hospital at the Longtan Battle during the War of Resistance Against Japan – Wang Family Ancestral Hall, is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

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During the war of resistance, our Wang Family Ancestral Hall, due to its uniquely advantageous location, was used as a field hospital for the Chinese army during the Longtan Battle of the Western Hunan Campaign. It made due contributions to the nationwide liberation war for China. To commemorate the brave soldiers who fought the enemy, to showcase the patriotic traditions of the Wang family, and to ensure that future generations remember history and never forget national humiliation, a corner of the ancestral hall has been dedicated to establish this exhibition room for the field hospital.

The exhibition content consists of two parts: one is the text and photo panels mounted on the four walls, and the other is the physical objects displayed in exhibit cases.

In addition to the preface and conclusion, the main part of the text and photo panels includes sections on “The Fascist Crimes and Atrocities of the Japanese Invaders in China,” “The Western Hunan Campaign,” “The Longtan Battle,” and “The Field Hospital.”

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These two panels discuss the fascist crimes and atrocities of the Japanese invaders in China.

From July 7, 1937, when the Japanese army bombarded the Lugou Bridge, to August 21, 1945, when General Itagaki Seishiro surrendered in Zhijiang, the Japanese army trampled on Chinese soil for eight years. Throughout these years, wherever the Japanese went, they burned, killed, looted, and committed all manner of atrocities, subjecting millions of our compatriots to humiliation or tragedy. This part of history is relatively well-documented in historical records and widely reported in the media. Here, only brief introductions are provided on aspects such as “comfort women,” the “Three Alls Policy,” the abduction of “comfort women,” forced conscription, germ warfare, chemical warfare, and forced labor.

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The next four panels discuss the Western Hunan Campaign.

The Western Hunan Campaign began on April 9, 1945, and ended on June 7, lasting two months. A total of 12,498 Japanese soldiers were killed and 23,307 were wounded. It was the largest battle in which Chinese forces inflicted the most casualties on the Japanese army, achieving a complete victory where Chinese troops triumphed and the Japanese forces were utterly routed. Japan once claimed it was “the single greatest defeat on the Chinese mainland.” It was also the concluding battle of China’s War of Resistance Against Japan.

In 1944, the global anti-fascist war had begun to shift into a strategic counteroffensive phase. Due to overextended supply lines and under the fierce attacks of British and American forces, the Japanese army found itself increasingly beleaguered and at a disadvantage. To reverse their unfavorable situation, the Japanese attempted to occupy the Zhijiang Air Force Base and planned to advance into Sichuan to threaten Chongqing. Thus, under the unified command of Lieutenant General Bansei Naoji, in April 1945, they assembled about 80,000 troops from seven divisions and launched their most frenzied “Zhijiang Operation” along three routes. On our side, this was called the Western Hunan Campaign, also known as the “Xuefengshan Campaign.”

The highest commander of the Chinese forces in the Western Hunan Campaign was General He Yingqin, Commander-in-Chief of the Army. The main combat force was the Fourth War Area Army under Wang Yaowu (you may refer to the illustration: “This is He Yingqin,” “This is Wang Yaowu”).

The entire Western Hunan Campaign can be divided into two phases: the defensive phase and the counteroffensive phase.

In the early stages of the campaign, due to the long front lines and the fierce enemy offensive, our forces adopted an “active defense” strategy—holding key positions, deploying flexibly, conducting layered blocking of the enemy, and encircling them for annihilation. By the end of April, the Japanese forces were completely trapped in our deep defensive zone; on May 5, He Yingqin urgently ordered a full-scale counteroffensive. Under the strong offensive of our forces, coupled with effective air support from the American Flying Tigers led by Claire Chennault, the Japanese were unable to advance or retreat and were encircled and annihilated by our troops. By early June, the entire campaign ended with the complete rout of the Japanese forces.

The great victory in the Western Hunan Campaign was in no small part thanks to the Flying Tigers. This panel provides a brief overview of the Flying Tigers; you may browse the detailed content at your leisure.

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The following four panels introduce the Longtan Battle.

The Longtan Battle, also known as the Longtan Si Battle or the Great Victory at Longtan Si, was one of the ten major battles of the Western Hunan Campaign. The Longtan Battle successfully halted the further westward advance of the Japanese army.

On April 17, 1945, the vanguard of the Japanese 109th Regiment—the Iijima Advance Unit—invaded Longtan, encountering first the local militia self-defense team led by Xiang Chengzu and later a mere hundred-strong cultural troupe left behind by the 100th Army at Maojia’antang in Zhuangxi River. Thus began the Longtan Battle.

At the time, due to misjudgments about the Japanese forces’ situation by the command of the Fourth War Area Army, the forward units defending the Longtan–Shanmen line—the 51st Division of the 74th Army and the Wenchang Unit—were redeployed on the same day (April 17) to the Xupu–Qiaojian line to counter the Japanese thrust toward Xinhua and Yangxi. As a result, the defenses at Longtan were extremely weak, consisting only of a hundred or so cultural troupe members left by the 100th Army at Maojia’antang and a few dozen poorly armed soldiers from Xiang Chengzu’s self-defense team.

Coincidentally, April and May are peak seasons for lime production in the area. Qingxilong, three kilometers from Longtan Town, is the largest lime production base in the region. At noon and 4 p.m. each day, the various work sites would conduct synchronized blasts to break up ore, resulting in loud explosions and billowing smoke across several hills and valleys. After encountering our forces, and witnessing the sounds and smoke from Longtan, the Japanese, unclear about our actual strength, hastily occupied key positions such as Qingshanjie, Hongyanling, and Yingxing Mountain, halting east of the Guidong River and daring not to cross rashly toward Longtan Town.

After encountering the Japanese, Xiang Chengzu’s self-defense team immediately sent word to Tang Guanying, the deputy commander of the 100th Army stationed in Tangwan. Tang radioed the command post of the Fourth War Area Army, which promptly ordered the 51st Division—which had just left Longtan and was marching between Xiaohenglong and Tongxihé—to return to Longtan that very night. Upon returning to Longtan, the 51st Division quickly occupied key positions and launched a counterattack against the invading Japanese. Because the favorable terrain east of the Guidong River had been largely occupied by the Japanese, the Battle of Longtan was extremely difficult. Fierce fighting took place in battles such as the struggle for Yingxing Mountain, hand-to-hand combat, and the bloody battle to recapture Qingshanjie.

During the battle for Yingxing Mountain, the 7th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 153rd Regiment, tasked with the main assault, engaged in close-quarters combat with the Japanese. When reinforcements arrived, only seven soldiers remained in the entire company.

In the battle at Mayingyan, a company of the 152nd Regiment engaged in face-to-face, sword-to-sword hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese. Although they annihilated an entire Japanese company, our forces also suffered heavy casualties, with only five bloodied soldiers remaining.

In the battle for Qingshanjie, the “suicide squad” blew up the bunker that the Japanese relied on for stubborn resistance with indomitable fighting spirit and recaptured the crucial Qingshanjie position. However, facing the intense firepower of over ten enemy machine guns, our forces also suffered over a hundred casualties...

The commander of the 51st Division, Zhou Zhidao, described the Battle of Longtan as “a true portrayal of every inch of land bought with every drop of blood.” After the victory in the war of resistance, people renamed Yingxing Mountain as Hero Mountain, built a cemetery for fallen soldiers at Qingshanjie, and engraved the words “White Blade Annihilates the Foe” at Mayingyan to commemorate the martyrs who died.

During the Japanese invasion of Longtan, the anti-Japanese fervor among the populace reached unprecedented heights. Local self-defense teams led by Xiang Chengzu, Chen Zhijin, and Lan Chunda actively cooperated with regular troops to combat the enemy. The people of Longtan spontaneously established organizations such as the "People's Combat Command Post" and the "Anti-Japanese Military-Civilian Cooperation Team," providing strong support to the fighting forces.

The atrocities and brutal acts committed by the Japanese during their invasion of Longtan were appalling and too numerous to list. According to investigation data from the Longtan District Office in 1956: a total of 147 innocent civilians were killed, 107 were injured, and 426 women were raped, with 32 dying as a result. Livestock, including draft oxen, were nearly all slaughtered, food supplies were looted, 113 houses were burned down, and over 8,000 people were displaced and left homeless.

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These four panels introduce the field hospital.

After the Battle of Longtan commenced, our Wang Family Ancestral Hall became the treatment center for wounded soldiers (refer to the map). Wounded soldiers from frontline positions such as Yingxing Mountain, Cheyan Eagle, Dahua, Guidong, and Xiaohuangsha were escorted along this ancient bluestone path, passing through Lianhe, Longtan Town, Yanban, Yanwan, crossing Xiangxing Bridge and Wanshou Bridge, and brought to the Wang Family Ancestral Hall, Ancestral Master Hall, Shuikou Nunnery, Maoping Courtyard, and nearby civilian homes for medical care. Severely injured soldiers were treated here before being transferred to the headquarters of the Fourth War Zone Field Hospital in Shixiajiang, Dongkou, for further treatment. Dozens of soldiers who succumbed to their injuries here were buried on the hillside to the right of the ancestral hall (refer to photo), which is an image of the restored martyrs’ gravesite. This is the home of Wang Zaizhen, where medical personnel of the field hospital stayed and took meals at the time. This is the Ancestral Master Hall, this is Shuikou Nunnery, this is Maoping Courtyard—all were used as shelters for the wounded. This is Wanshou Bridge. These are the spirit tablets of anti-Japanese martyrs enshrined in the ancestral hall. Since 1947, members of the Wang family have regularly offered incense and paid homage on Tomb-Sweeping Day and at other times. This is Geduping, the training ground for nearby stationed troops at the time. A display platform called Yaowutai was once set up here, and when victory in the Battle of Longtan was achieved, the military cultural troupe performed here for an audience of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

At the time, the director of the field hospital was Liu Guangji. After the liberation, he worked at Hengdong County People’s Hospital. He is now 99 years old, retired, and enjoying his later years (refer to photo). This is Liu Guangji during the war period, and this is Liu Guangji at the age of 92. This is a photo taken by Mr. Wang Zaigai during his visit to the former director Liu Guangji in Hengdong in the winter of 2007 (refer to photo). This is the appointment letter given to Liu Guangji by Chiang Kai-shek, and this is the one from General Shi Zhongcheng, commander of the 74th Army—both originals are stored in the Hengdong County Archives.

On May 12, 2007, Director Liu Guangji, accompanied by his son, also visited Longtan to trace the remnants of the war (refer to photo). These are two photos of Mr. Liu Guangji visiting the Gongxing Mountain Martyrs' Cemetery.

These are two poems written by Mr. Liu Guangji in the 1980s in mourning for the martyrs.

This is an excerpt from Mr. Liu Guangji’s "My Memoirs," which mentions details about the field hospital.

This is a memoir article about the field hospital by Mr. Wang Junhua.

These are actual wartime photos collected by Mr. Liu Guangji: medical instruments used at the time, Japanese military short coats as war trophies, photos of villagers feeding tea to the wounded, as well as shell casings, bullet tips, Japanese military mess tins, and other items, all housed in the Longtan Cultural Museum’s Exhibition Room on the Battle of Longtan during the Western Hunan Campaign of the Anti-Japanese War.

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This panel introduces Yangquepo, an important military garrison at the time.

Yangquepo was a residential compound of the Wang family, featuring six large courtyards and well-preserved, classic-style architecture that has remained largely unchanged to this day.

At the time, the 3rd Battalion of the 51st Division Reserve Regiment was stationed here (refer to photo). This is the battalion headquarters at the home of Wang Zaizhou; this was the medical station of the battalion headquarters; this was the radio station building; this was the quarters for the 1st Infantry Company at the home of Wang Xiuyao; this was the 2nd Infantry Company at the home of Wang Xiukang; this was the 3rd Infantry Company at the home of Wang Xiubao; this was the Machine Gun Company at the home of Wang Benyao. This is a sedan chair once used by military and political figures such as Wang Yaowu, preserved by the Wang Xiuyao family. This is a U.S.-made 60mm mortar shell container, preserved by the Wang Xiubao family.

At the time, the stationed troops also built three sentry posts, four mess halls, a material supply station, and a military supply warehouse at Yangquepo. They also cleared over four acres of flat land behind the courtyard to serve as a training ground. After the Battle of Longtan, these facilities were dismantled or abandoned.

Huangmaoyuan Town: a town under the jurisdiction of Xupu County. It was known as Huangmaoyuan Township in 1956, became a commune in 1958, reverted to township status in 1984, and was established as Huangmaoyuan Town in 1995. Located in the southern part of the county, it is 63 kilometers from the county seat. Covering an area of 116 square kilometers, it has a population of 36,000. The town government is located in Jinzhong. National Highway 320 and Provincial Highways 1840 and 1808 pass through the area. It administers Zuoxiaping, Jinzhong, Mao Wan, Fangjialong, Hongjin, Fengyuan, Mao Cichong, Aijia, Jingjiang, Xiping, Da’ao, Youma, Wanshou, Wantan, Shuliang, Dabu, Fen Shui, Jintao, Yanao, Qili, Hengpo, Hetian, Gaoqiao, Hezhong... For more detailed information on Huangmaoyuan Town++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units