Red Detachment of Women Memorial Park

Red Detachment of Women Memorial Park

The Red Detachment of Women Memorial Park is a classic red tourism site and a patriotic education base.

The Red Detachment of Women Memorial Park is a national patriotic education base, a Hainan Provincial patriotic education base, and a national classic red tourism site. It is located on Wanshipo Hill in Jiaji Town, Qionghai City. The park was invested in and is managed by Hainan Huihai Tourism Development Co., Ltd.

The memorial park comprises five sections: the Peace Square, the Memorial Square, the Red Detachment of Women Memorial Hall, Yelinzhai, and the Tourism Service Area, covering a total area of 200 mu. Peace Square is situated at the front center of the memorial park and can accommodate thousands of people. The central stage is backed by a giant sculpture featuring the bamboo hats of the women soldiers, military bugles, doves of peace, and broken chains. The Memorial Square is located in the northwest part of the park and features a statue of a Red Detachment of Women soldier, a relief wall depicting the combat history of the detachment, areas for planting memorial trees, and spaces for enjoying performances of traditional folk arts by the women soldiers. Yelinzhai is located in the southwest part of the park and resembles a “southern mansion” in appearance. Inside, there are exhibition rooms for books, periodicals, and craft souvenirs, as well as residential areas where four surviving Red Detachment of Women veterans, all over 90 years old, reside. The Tourism Service Area is located on the west side of the park and includes a shooting entertainment venue themed around the Red Detachment of Women, shops selling island-style clothing and local specialties, and dining facilities for guests. The park is shaded by trees, covered with lush green grass, and filled with birdsong and floral fragrance. Hainan Huihai Tourism Development Co., Ltd. began constructing the Red Detachment of Women Memorial Park in 1998, investing a total of 25 million yuan, and the park was completed and opened to visitors on May 1, 2000.

In 2002, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee allocated 3 million yuan to build the Red Detachment of Women Memorial Hall. The hall has three floors, is centrally located within the memorial park, covers a land area of 770 square meters, and has a built-up area of 1,520 square meters. In the front courtyard of the memorial hall stands a giant statue of a Red Detachment of Women soldier, majestic and heroic in appearance. The front of the memorial hall is designed in the shape of the August 1st five-pointed star, signifying that the Women’s Detachment was part of the structure of the People’s Army and symbolizing how the Red Detachment of Women defended the red Soviet regime with revolutionary armed forces. The first floor of the hall houses the Red Detachment of Women Exhibition Room, while the second floor contains a screening room and a live multimedia exhibition room. Since 2000, the memorial park has received 500,000 domestic and international visitors annually. More than 20 Party and state leaders, including members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee such as – and –, have visited the memorial park.

In June 2001, the memorial park was designated by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee as a “National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base.” In March 2005, it was recognized as a national classic red tourism site by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, and the National Tourism Administration.

On May 1, 1931, the Women’s Special Company of the Third Regiment of the Second Independent Division of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army (i.e., the Red Detachment of Women) was established in Leihui County (now Qionghai City). The company had three platoons with a total of 100 members, all female except for porters and buglers. The Women’s Detachment successively participated in battles such as those at Wenshi, Xuedao, Zhongbai, and Fenjie, providing agile and clever support to the main forces of the Third Regiment. In 1932, the Qiongya Special Committee of the CPC established a second Women’s Special Company. During the Qiongya region’s second counter-“encirclement and suppression” campaign, some members of the Women’s Detachment bravely sacrificed their lives, while others were scattered or captured. Both the First and Second Companies of the Women’s Detachment were eventually disbanded. Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai spoke highly of the Red Detachment of Women, praising them as a “model for the world revolution.”

Address:

Dongguan Expressway Guantang Entrance, Wanshipo, Jiaji Town, Qionghai City

Telephone:

0898-62802175,0898-62802176

Opening Hours:

8:00–17:30; last admission at 17:30

Best Time to Visit:

All year round

Public Transport:

1. From the train station, take a taxi or Bus No. 6 to the bus station, then transfer to Bus No. 1 (Tayang–Guantang), and get off at 【Red Detachment of Women Memorial Park】.

2. From the bus station or city center: The scenic area is about 7 km away. Take Bus No. 1 (Tayang–Guantang) and get off at 【Red Detachment of Women Memorial Park】.

Tips:

The “Red Detachment of Women Memorial Park” is a cultural tourism area built to commemorate the “Women’s Special Company of the Second Independent Division of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army,” which was formed during the Second Revolutionary Civil War. Located in Jiaji Town, Qionghai City, at the central park, the statue is carved from granite, faces south, and stands 3.7 meters tall, with a total height (including the base) of 6.8 meters. The base is paved with flagstones and is hexagonal, enclosed by stone railings, covering an area of 40 square meters. Behind the statue is a garden with flower beds. The statue vividly portrays the heroic spirit of a generation of women soldiers—barefoot, wearing bamboo hats, and marching through dust and wind. On the front of the statue’s base is a gold-lettered inscription: “Red Detachment of Women.” The back of the base is inscribed with the following text: “The Red Detachment of Women refers to the Women’s Special Company of the Second Independent Division of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army.” Established on May 1, 1931, in the revolutionary base area of the Fourth District of Leihui County, under the leadership of the Qiongya Special Committee of the CPC, they excelled in protecting leadership organs and mobilizing the masses. They also fought alongside the main forces, fearlessly sacrificing themselves in battles such as the ambush at Shamailing, the fire attack on the Wenshi fort, the capture of the Yangjiang stronghold, and the defensive battle at Ma’anling. Their actions contributed immortal merit to the Qiongya revolution. They stand as a banner for the women’s liberation movement, an honor for the people of Hainan, and their revolutionary spirit will live forever. It is now a provincial-level key protected revolutionary memorial building.