Red Army Slogans Museum

Red Army Slogans Museum

The Red Army Slogans Museum is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a classic red tourism destination, and a patriotic education base.

The Red Army Slogans Museum, a national 3A-level attraction, is the first thematic museum dedicated to Red Army slogans in China, approved by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. It has been included in the list of National Classic Red Tourism Attractions. The museum is situated at Dacopeng in Xiayang Town, Yanling County, where Mao Zedong led the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army to hold a mass rally. The site spans a total area of 13,500 square meters. The main exterior walls of the museum are entirely red, and its front features three red flags on each side, symbolizing the enduring presence of the "border region’s red flag."

Yanling County, formerly known as Ling County, is located in the southeastern border of Hunan Province, in the middle section of the Luoxiao Mountain Range. It was an important part of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base. In the grand tapestry of China’s revolutionary history, Yanling County played a significant role by marking the pivotal shift of the Chinese revolution’s focus from urban to rural areas; hosting the first meeting between Mao Zedong and [name redacted]; implementing the first initiative of “the Party commands the gun” through establishing Party branches at the company level; launching the first land redistribution campaign in a revolutionary base area; and providing essential political education for the troops. From 1927 to 1937, revolutionary leaders such as Mao Zedong, [name redacted], Chen Yi, and Peng Dehuai led various Red Army units here to establish worker-peasant armed strongholds and carried out revolutionary activities related to Party building, military development, and governance. “The blood of Luoxiao forged swords and books, and the red soil of Xiang-Gan etched their legacy.” While fighting bravely, Red Army soldiers left behind thousands of slogans across the Hunan-Jiangxi border, making Yanling County the place with the highest number of preserved Red Army slogans in the country.

The idea of building the Red Army Slogans Museum originated in 1997. At that time, Zhang Wenbin, then Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, visited Yanling County. After listening to a report from the county’s Party committee and government on the protection of Red Army slogans and inspecting the preservation efforts on-site, he stated that it was essential to construct a museum that would integrate display, protection, and research functions. He also inscribed the name “Red Army Slogans Museum” on the spot.

In 2006, the protection of Red Army slogans gained special attention from the provincial Party committee. In June of that year, a research team from the Provincial Propaganda Department visited Yanling County. By the end of July, Jiang Jianguo, member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Minister of Propaganda, led officials from relevant provincial departments to conduct an on-site inspection in Yanling. On August 2, a coordination meeting on the protection of Red Army slogans in Yanling was held in Zhuzhou City. It was decided that with support from the provincial and municipal governments, the first national Red Army Slogans Museum would be built in Yanling.

In December 2006, the Construction Command of the Red Army Slogans Museum was established to begin preparatory work, including site selection, planning and design, land acquisition and demolition, geological surveys, and the preservation of Red Army slogans.

With strong support from the national government and the Hunan Provincial Party Committee and Government, the project was officially approved in 2007, construction began in 2008, and the museum was completed in May 2011. On June 9, the museum had its trial opening. Subsequently, the Provincial Propaganda Department designated it as a “Hunan Patriotic Education Base”; the Propaganda Department of the Provincial Party Committee and the Political Department of the Provincial Military Region named it a “Political Education Base”; the Provincial Government recognized it as a “Hunan Provincial National Defense Education Base”; the National University of Defense Technology designated it as a “Core Values Cultivation Base for Contemporary Servicemen”; the China Executive Leadership Academy Jinggangshan listed it as a “Field Teaching Site”; and the Hunan Provincial [committee name redacted] established it as a “Hunan Integrity Culture Education Base.” The Red Army Slogans Museum Scenic Area was included in the second batch of National Classic Red Tourism Attractions and was rated as a national 3A-level tourist attraction.

The Red Army Slogans Museum is located at Dacopeng in Xiayang Town, Yanling County, where Mao Zedong once led the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army to hold a mass rally. The entire scenic area covers an area of 13,500 square meters. The main building of the museum stands 16.2 meters tall and 71 meters wide, covering a ground area of 1,572 square meters and a total construction area of 3,892 square meters. Its outer walls are entirely red, and the front is adorned with three red flags on each side, symbolizing the “enduring red flag of the border region.” Upon entering the foyer, visitors are greeted by a large relief sculpture titled “The Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army in Yanling.” A massive red five-pointed star is embedded in the ceiling of the hall, symbolizing the Chinese revolution. Bathed in the glow of the red star, visitors step into the exhibition rooms amidst a red-hued atmosphere.

The architectural design of the museum is rooted in its historical background, highlighting the theme of slogans. While adopting modern architectural concepts, materials, and construction techniques, the design also incorporates elements of traditional dwellings from the Hunan-Jiangxi border region. The overall structure boasts harmonious proportions, a majestic appearance, and profound symbolism, representing an organic fusion of revolutionary tradition with modern spirit, as well as historical culture with contemporary technology.

The museum has eight exhibition rooms, including six dedicated to Red Army slogans, located on the first and second floors, covering a total display area of approximately 2,400 square meters. There is one slogan storage room and one temporary exhibition hall on the third floor. Additionally, there are auxiliary facilities such as a lecture hall, VIP rooms, a fire monitoring room, and a resource room.

The display of slogans and cultural relics employs various formats such as platform-style, cabinet-style, niche-style, inlaid-style, flat cabinet-style, and panel-style displays, supplemented by multimedia tools like projections, videos, and touchscreens. Moreover, according to the content and historical context of each exhibition room, scene reconstructions, sculptures, sand tables, models, panoramic paintings, charts, and other forms are used. Modern audiovisual techniques involving sound, light, and electricity are also employed to illustrate the background of the slogans, create immersive atmospheres, revive historical scenes, and offer visitors a vivid, lifelike experience.