Site of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base

Site of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base

The Site of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Site of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base is located on the Julu Mountain slope to the northwest of Nanqu Village, Leiming Town, Ding’an County, covering an area of 17 mu. It consists of eight projects: the Exhibition Room of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base, the Red Wall, General’s Well, the Monument of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base, the Monument to Martyred Soldiers of Leiming Township in the War Against Japanese Aggression, a parking lot, Yue Pond, and the surrounding walls. This historical site scenic area has been jointly constructed since early 2007 through villagers’ fundraising and government investment. The first phase, comprising the eight projects, was completed on April 4, 2015. The site is only 1.5 kilometers from the main road of Leiming Town, Dinglei Road, 1.8 kilometers southeast of Leiming Market, 14 kilometers north of Ding’an County seat, about 7 kilometers northeast of the Hainan Eastern Expressway, 6 kilometers east of the Taoist cultural site Wenchifeng Taoist Cultural Garden, and 7 kilometers from Nanli Lake Scenic Area, offering extremely convenient transportation. The eight economic cooperatives of Nanqu Village span 3.4 kilometers, with over 200 households and more than 2,000 residents. The surrounding villages include Sanxiang, Qichangpo, Meilongpo, Nanjiudian, Baima, and Hong’an, making the area lively and bustling.

This is an important site of the joint anti-Japanese efforts by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in Qiong Ya. In early April 1941, Feng Baiju, Secretary of the Qiongya Special Committee of the CPC, Commander and Political Commissar of the Anti-Japanese Independent Regiment, led 11 people to Nanqu Village, Leiming Township, Ding’an County to carry out anti-Japanese propaganda. The local elder Wang Ligui arranged for them to stay in the homes of five farming households in the northeastern part of the village on Julu Mountain—1 household surnamed Wang, 3 surnamed Wu, and 1 surnamed Lin. Feng Baiju stayed at the home of the elderly landlord Wang Shichun. During their stay, Feng Baiju and his comrades met with Wang Jiwu, a renowned democratic figure in Qiong Ya during the war of resistance, who lived in Meiran Village at the foot of Jinji Ridge and had served as the secretary of the wartime party-government office, a united anti-Japanese organization of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in Qiong Ya, to discuss strategies against the Japanese. Wang Zhifa, commander of the First Battalion of the Ding’an County Reserve Guerrilla Brigade under the Nationalist Government in Nanqu Village, often listened to Feng Baiju's anti-Japanese propositions and secretly undertook perimeter security for Feng Baiju and his team. Feng Baiju and his comrades mainly promoted and mobilized the masses to participate in and support the anti-Japanese cause in various forms through nighttime speeches, singing anti-Japanese songs, and playing the harmonica. The idea of a united front between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party gradually gained widespread support, and deep bonds were formed between Feng Baiju and the local people.

On April 29, 1939, 3 armored vehicles from the Japanese Sakata Mixed Brigade stationed in Dingcheng set out via Jinji Ridge, Binwen (now Fuwen), and Longmen, attempting to attack the “Qiongya Wartime Party-Government Office,” a united anti-Japanese front organization of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party stationed in Hanlin. Upon reaching Longmen, the armored vehicles turned back toward Leiming. The Leiming Township organizations of both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, having received advance notice, assembled two armed squads in Leiming Market. Given the disparity in strength, the leadership of the CPC Shijin Party Branch and Wang Zhifa (a native of Nanqu Village), captain of the First Battalion of the Ding’an County Reserve Guerrilla Brigade, along with Wang Weilu (also a native of Nanqu Village), the squad leader, decided to ambush the Japanese forces. Around 3 p.m., over ten members organized by the Shijin Party Branch, including Wu Kedao, Wu Wenqiu, Wu Zhixi, and Wu Tanchun, lay in wait on the east side of the road in Leiming Market. Wang Weilu led six members, including Wang Chengxiang, Wang Chengfu, Wang Shiyong, Wang Lichun, Chen Changguo, and Mo Dengshi (five from Nanqu Village and one from Toutou Village), to ambush at the “Twin Tomb” on the west side of the Japanese convoy’s inevitable route. Wang Zhifa positioned over ten members on Lingpo Mountain (now the site of Leiming Middle School) to await action. Around 4 p.m., the three Japanese vehicles approached. When the last armored vehicle entered the ambush zone, both squads opened fire and threw grenades, killing and injuring several Japanese soldiers. The panicked Japanese returned heavy machine gun fire. The other two armored vehicles, noticing the attack on the last vehicle, immediately turned around to provide support. Wang Weilu quickly directed five members to provide cover while personally leading Wang Chengxiang forward to attack the military vehicle with grenades. The Japanese machine guns continued to rake the ambush squad with relentless fire, and tragically, Wang Weilu was fatally shot, while Wang Chengxiang sustained a shoulder wound. Facing overwhelming firepower, Wang Zhifa swiftly led a few men to assist, with Wang Lichun carrying Wang Weilu on his back and two others helping Wang Chengxiang retreat. Members such as Wu Kedao and Wu Wenqiu also withdrew from combat. The next day, Wu Xiong, the Magistrate of Ding’an County, personally led a team to identify Wang Weilu’s remains, consoled his family, posthumously recognized him as a martyr, and held a memorial service. Wang Yi, former Commander of the Qiongya Garrison and Lieutenant General of the Army, praised the “Battle of Leiming Market” in his 1946 inscription for the “Monument to Martyred Soldiers of Leiming Township in the War Against Japanese Aggression” as “the first cry of our local forces in Qiong Ya sacrificing themselves against the Japanese.”

On February 26, 1942, the Leiming Reserve Squadron, often active in Tanlu Village, received a tip-off: enraged by guerrilla attacks, the Japanese planned to launch a punitive expedition soon. Fearing civilian casualties, the guerrillas quickly packed up and moved to the north bank of the Tanlu Stream to prepare for battle. At around 6 a.m. on the 27th, Wang Zhifa, Captain of the First Battalion of the Ding’an County Reserve Guerrilla Brigade, led over 70 reservists from Leiming and Binwen Townships to ambush in the bushes on the north bank of the Tanlu Stream in Binwen Township (now Fuwen Town). Nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers then attacked from two directions—Shenshui and Xitou Villages. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Captain Wang Zhifa calmly commanded the battle. He ordered the squad leader of one team to lead six men to guard a shallow but rapid section of the stream crossing, while the rest prevented the Japanese from fording the stream. When six or seven Japanese soldiers reached the middle of the 20-meter-wide Tanlu Stream, the guerrillas opened fire. To confuse the enemy, Wang Zhifa moved back and forth, sweeping the area with his machine gun, repeatedly repelling attempts by the Japanese to cross northward. The unpredictable and sudden attacks left the Japanese uncertain of the guerrillas’ numbers and firepower, causing most to withdraw from the stream. Around noon, the Japanese deployed four fighter planes to strafe the area at low altitude along the stream banks. Flying less than 10 meters above the ground, the planes raked the guerrilla positions with machine gun fire, forcing the fighters to take cover in the bushes. Though severely wounded, Wang Zhifa continued to fire his machine gun. A bullet struck him in the left chest, and he died a hero at the age of 29. The battle lasted over eight hours, and the Japanese failed to cross the stream, retreating in disarray to their Leiming stronghold. The deputy battalion leader led the remaining forces to retreat to Shenshui Village. Fifteen guerrillas also lost their lives in this battle. Lieutenant General Wang Yi later praised the “Battle of Tanlu Stream” in his inscription for the monument as “a rare example of valor in the anti-Japanese struggle by local forces.”

After the victory in the War of Resistance, the Nationalist Government erected a “Monument to Martyred Soldiers of Leiming Township in the War Against Japanese Aggression,” standing 2.07 meters tall, 0.69 meters wide, and 0.1 meters thick. Qi Yuesong, then serving as the Commissioner of the Ninth Administrative Region of Guangdong Province and Commander of the Security Forces, a Major General, inscribed the title. The central inscription reads “Sacrificed for the Nation,” with “For Martyr Wang Zhifa” on the left and Qi Yuesong’s signature on the right. On the back, Wang Yi, Commander of the Qiongya Garrison and Lieutenant General, composed an approximately 800-word tribute. Originally erected in front of the Leiming Township government building, the monument fell over in the early 1950s. Recognizing its connection to over ten fallen guerrillas from Nanqu Village, including Wang Weilu, six villagers carried it back to the village for safekeeping.

Both the Battle of Leiming Market and the Battle of Tanlu Stream were born under the banner of the united front between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in the war of resistance. During the Liberation War, the villagers of Nanqu actively raised funds and provisions to support the Qiongya Column and the Crossing-the-Sea Army in liberating Hainan Island.

Since 2006, with the care of Ding’an County governments at all levels and the assistance of the Ding’an County Party History Research Office and the Ding’an County Museum, this revolutionary village has strived to uncover red and ancient historical materials. In the autumn of 2008, villagers funded the erection of a 50cm × 80cm × 3cm stone tablet in front of the Site of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base, inscribed with the words “Site of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base.” On January 6, 2011, to facilitate the filming of the documentary “Blood Soaked Qiongya” by three CCTV journalists including Ren Jiyao the following day, the entire village mobilized to hastily construct an 800-meter dirt road from the village entrance to the site, paved with mixed gravel. The “Monument to Martyred Soldiers of Leiming Township in the War Against Japanese Aggression” was also erected approximately 4 meters southeast of the “Site of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base” tablet, with the two standing side by side. The filming was successfully completed the next day. After County Chief Fu Lidong of Ding’an County visited Nanqu Village in April 2012, the county government allocated 450,000 yuan in September of that year to pave the 800-meter dirt road from the village entrance to the site. Later that year, the Ding’an County government listed the site as a second batch county-level cultural relic protection unit. The county museum continued to apply for further protection funding, which was granted. Coupled with additional fundraising by villagers, 10 mu of land was allocated to build a parking lot, improve the site environment, carry out greening, and erect a new 60cm × 120cm × 3cm stone tablet for the Site of General Feng Baiju’s Anti-Japanese Base. The back of the tablet features a 900-word introduction authored by the Ding’an County Party History Research Office. Bases were added under both this tablet and the adjacent “Monument to Martyred Soldiers of Leiming Township in the War Against Japanese Aggression,” greatly enhancing their visual impact.

The house where General Feng Baiju once stayed, originally inhabited by his landlord, collapsed in 1971. It was rebuilt as an “Exhibition Room” in the winter of 2013. With the support of the Ding’an County Government and Nanqu villagers, and under the guidance of the Provincial Party History Research Office, the Ding’an County Party History Research Office designed eight major sections: Preface, Ancient Nanqu, Red Nanqu, Green Nanqu, Modern Nanqu, Contemporary Nanqu, Epilogue, Archival Materials, and Art Appreciation. These sections highlight the stories of Nanqu people’s loyalty to the Party, anti-Japanese martyrs, ancient history, Republican-era culture, and achievements in socialist construction. Since its construction, the site has attracted a growing number of visitors. In recent years, nearly 100,000 officials and visitors from provincial, municipal, county, and town levels have come to pay their respects each year. Japanese scholar Masaya Sato has also visited the site multiple times for research and reflection, as have Korean journalists. Schools in Ding’an County hold commemorative activities at the site during important holidays such as Qingming Festival, July 1st, August 1st, and September 3rd.