Xiangjiang Campaign – Xinxu Blocking Battle Jiuhai Well Red Army Memorial Park

Xiangjiang Campaign – Xinxu Blocking Battle Jiuhai Well Red Army Memorial Park

The Xiangjiang Campaign – Xinxu Blocking Battle Jiuhai Well Red Army Memorial Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Xiangjiang Campaign – Xinxu Blocking Battle Jiuhai Well Red Army Memorial Park is located approximately 8 kilometers north of Xinxu Town, Guanyang County, and marks the site where over a hundred Red Army soldiers sacrificed their lives during the Xinxu Blocking Battle. Starting in 2003, the county committee and government raised funds to construct the Jiuhai Well Red Army Martyrs Monument and protective fences. The project was completed in October 2004 and opened to the public. It features a martyrs’ cemetery, memorial square, monument, and a roll of honor. It is one of the must-visit sites for those traveling to Guanyang County for red tourism.

The Xinxu Blocking Battle was one of the most grueling and tragic engagements of the Xiangjiang Campaign, lasting three days and nights. Guilin’s Guanyang County was the first stop in Guangxi for the Central Red Army. The Xiangjiang Campaign – Xinxu Blocking Battle Memorial Park in Guanyang includes the Jiuhai Well Red Army Memorial Park and the Xiawali Battlefield Aid Station, among other red heritage sites, making it an important base for national patriotic education and revolutionary tradition education.

Guangxi’s Guanyang County is the site of the Xinxu Blocking Battle—one of the three major engagements of the Xiangjiang Campaign. In September 2014, the county planned and expanded the original Jiuhai Well Red Army Memorial Park, constructing the Xiangjiang Campaign – Xinxu Blocking Battle Jiuhai Well Red Army Memorial Park, and relocated the remains of martyrs scattered among local communities to the Jiuhai Well Red Army Cemetery.

From November 27 to November 30, 1934, to cover the main force and the Central Military Commission Column—comprising the central leadership—as they crossed the Xiang River and broke through the enemy’s fourth blockade line, three regiments of the Third Red Army Corps engaged in four days of fierce fighting against seven regiments of the Guangxi clique army in Xinxu. They accomplished their blocking mission but at a great cost.

Due to the urgent situation, more than 100 seriously wounded Red Army soldiers were unable to be evacuated when the Red Army retreated. They were bound with ropes by the enemy and thrown alive into Jiuhai Well, where they died heroically. To honor these martyrs and console their spirits, on August 13, 2017, Guanyang County initiated the exploration and recovery operation of the Jiuhai Well Red Army martyrs’ remains. Over 20 human skeletons were cleared from a bend in the underground river within the well. On September 26 of the same year, Guanyang held a grand burial ceremony, interring the first batch of Jiuhai Well Red Army martyrs’ remains in the martyrs’ cemetery, allowing them to rest in peace.

During the Xinxu Blocking Battle, the 34th Division of the Fifth Red Army Corps, known as the “Suicidal Rear Guard,” was cut off by the enemy after covering the crossing of the Xiang River by the main force of the Central Red Army, and nearly all its members were killed. Division Commander Chen Shuxiang was captured after being shot in the abdomen during a breakout. Refusing to yield, he used his last bit of strength to strangle himself with his own intestines and died a heroic death. “We shed the last drop of blood for the Soviet,” said Fan Haiyun, deputy director of the Xiangjiang Campaign Red Culture Inheritance Center in Guanyang County, his eyes brimming with tears as he recounted this history. He added with emotion: “We must remember this red history and these red stories, learn from the revolutionary martyrs’ spirit of sacrifice, inherit and carry forward the glorious revolutionary traditions, and ensure that the spirit of the Long March is passed down through generations.”

Today, although the red flags have faded, the deep bond between the military and the people has not. On the nearby green mountains, bamboo shoots break through the soil. Every blade of grass and every tree here tells the story of heroes; every mountain and stone stands as a witness to history. The spirit of the Long March, forged by blood and devotion, will surely be passed down through generations. Times have changed, conditions have changed, but the ideals and cause for which our Communists have fought remain unchanged. Each generation has its own Long March to undertake, and each of us must walk our own path well. The Long March goes on forever.

Address: North of Xinxu Town, Guanyang County, Guilin City

Suggested transportation route: Enter Beihuan North Road from Guanyang Bus Terminal, then take G241 to reach the Xiangjiang Campaign – Xinxu Blocking Battle Jiuhai Well Red Army Memorial Park

Xinxu Town: Xinxu Town administers 16 village committees: Xinxu, Guiyang, Pingtian, Xinwei, Guangming, Hemu, Guohao, Gonggeng, Longtang, Chaoli, Longqiao, Xiaolong, Dalong, Jiefang, Heli, and Hongshuiqing.

Xinxu Town is a mountainous township in northern Guangxi, located in the northwest of Guanyang County. It borders Quanzhou County to the west and north, Wenshi Town to the northeast, Shuiche Township to the east, and Guanyang Town to the south. The town government is situated in Xinxu, 15 kilometers from Guanyang County town and 144 kilometers from Guilin City. The township enjoys relatively convenient transportation—the provincial Quansha Highway runs north to south through the area, and there are three township-level roads... More details about Xinxu Town++