Former Site of the Yunlong Reorganization of the Qiongya Workers' and Peasants' Red Army

Former Site of the Yunlong Reorganization of the Qiongya Workers' and Peasants' Red Army

The Former Site of the Yunlong Reorganization of the Qiongya Workers' and Peasants' Red Army is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level and a classic red tourism destination.

The Former Site of the Yunlong Reorganization of the Qiongya Red Army is among the first 100 national patriotic education bases, a Hainan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, and a Hainan Provincial Revolutionary Tradition Education Base for Youth. It is located in Yunlong Market, Qiongshan District, Haikou City. The managing authority is the Civil Affairs Bureau of Qiongshan District, Haikou City.

The Former Site of the Yunlong Reorganization of the Qiongya Red Army was established in 1952, with expansions and renovations carried out in 1984, 1989, and 1998 by the former Qiongshan County People's Government. The original site was the temple grounds of the “June Old Woman” Temple, which became known as the Reorganization Site after the Qiongya Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was reorganized here into the “14th Independent Regiment of the Guangdong People’s Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Corps” on December 5, 1938. The site covers an area of 15 mu, and a marble pillar on the right side of the main gate bears an inscription by Comrade Ma Baishan (a veteran of the Qiongya Column and former deputy commander of the Hainan Military Region): “Former Site of the Yunlong Reorganization of the Qiongya Red Army.” Sixteen meters directly in front of the gate stands a full-body bronze statue of an independent regiment soldier holding a steel rifle, with a total height of 10.4 meters — the statue itself is 4.6 meters tall, and the base is 5.8 meters. The front of the base is inscribed with Marshal Xu Xiangqian’s calligraphy: “Vanguard of Qiongya’s Anti-Japanese Resistance,” while the back features an introduction to the Yunlong Reorganization.

Behind the statue is the memorial hall, measuring 40 meters in length, 8 meters in width, and 7 meters in height, with blue glazed tile roofing, covering an area of over 300 square meters. Around the hall are planted 23 pine trees, symbolizing the glorious 23-year history of the Qiongya revolutionary armed struggle where the red flag never fell. To the left of the hall is a winding corridor and wall gallery, 38 meters long and 3 meters high, engraved with inscriptions by proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation such as Zhu De, Chen Yi, Xu Xiangqian, Nie Rongzhen, Yang Shangkun, Peng Zhen, and Bo Yibo. The exhibition hall displays weapons such as pistols and rifles, military uniforms, flags, historical photos, letters, and other items used by the people’s army at the time, presenting a moving historical panorama of the Qiongya revolutionary struggle. To the northwest of the statue is the reception hall, where wooden relief paintings depict scenes such as “Hard Times,” “Fighting the Japanese,” and “Crossing the Sea for Battle.” To the east of the statue are the “Bandit-Suppressing Pavilion” and the “Triumph Pavilion.”

After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7, 1937, the Qiongya Special Committee of the Chinese Communist Party implemented the Party Central Committee’s policy on establishing a united front for national resistance against Japan. They proposed to the Kuomintang authorities the principle of “ceasing the civil war and uniting to resist Japan,” expressing willingness to reorganize the Qiongya Workers' and Peasants' Red Army under the premise of unity in the anti-Japanese struggle. An agreement was reached with the Qiongya authorities of the Kuomintang on October 22, 1938. On December 5, the reorganization ceremony and the Anti-Japanese Oath-taking Assembly were grandly held at the “June Old Woman” Temple in Yunlong. The unit was designated as the “14th Independent Regiment of the Guangdong People’s Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Corps” (abbreviated as the “Qiongya Anti-Japanese Independent Regiment”), with Feng Baiju as its commander. Representatives from all walks of life, officials of the local Kuomintang authorities in Qiongya, and tens of thousands of masses from various regions attended the ceremony. Feng Baiju, speaking on behalf of the officers and soldiers of the Independent Regiment, expressed their determination to defend Qiongya and proclaimed the birth of the Qiongya people’s anti-Japanese force. Starting from March 1939, the Independent Regiment was successively expanded into the Independent Brigade and the Independent Column. In October 1947, it was officially named the “Qiongya Column of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army” by the Central Military Commission, with Feng Baiju serving as both commander and political commissar.

The Yunlong Reorganization was a major event in the history of the Qiongya revolutionary armed struggle under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as a significant milestone in the history of Kuomintang-Communist relations in Qiongya. It marked the victory of the policy of the united front for national resistance against Japan in Qiongya, reflected the common aspiration of the Qiongya people for unity in resisting Japan, and strengthened the people’s confidence in the anti-Japanese struggle. From then on, under the leadership of the Qiongya Special Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the Independent Regiment adhered to the principles of Kuomintang-Communist cooperation and unity in resisting Japan, independently developed and expanded itself, mobilized the masses, and carried out guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, becoming the vanguard and mainstay of the anti-Japanese resistance in Qiongya.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level