The Red Crag Auditorium and “Happy Garden”

The Red Crag Auditorium and “Happy Garden”

Exiting through the small western gate of the office building and passing the “Banana Tree,” you’ll reach the “Happy Garden” in about 10 meters, where the auditorium of the Southern Bureau and the Office is located. This auditorium was decided to be built in the autumn and winter of 1944 by the Southern Bureau and the Office, in response to the then international and domestic situation, to prepare for more comrades coming to work in Chongqing in the future.

The auditorium broke ground in early 1945 and was completed in August. Comrades from the Southern Bureau and the Office designed it themselves and participated in its construction. The entire building has one floor above ground and one below, covering a land area of 199 square meters and a floor space of 398 square meters. The ground floor served as the auditorium, while the second floor was used for dormitories. On the evening of August 30 of that year, comrades from the Southern Bureau and the Office held a welcome banquet and completion ceremony here for Mao Zedong’s arrival in Chongqing for negotiations. Mao Zedong was very pleased to meet with comrades from the Southern Bureau, the Office, and the Xinhua Daily here.

The “Happy Garden” at the entrance of the auditorium is a small earthen flatland of about 40 to 50 square meters, dug out by the comrades of the Southern Bureau and the Office. It served as the main venue for learning and recreation for the comrades of Red Crag. In their spare time, the comrades often read books, newspapers, sang songs, rehearsed plays, and engaged in recreational activities here. The stage of the auditorium featured performances of yangge operas brought from Yan’an, such as “A Red Flower,” “Brother and Sister Open Up Wasteland,” “Husband and Wife Learn to Read,” and “Niu Yonggui Gets Wounded.” Every weekend, dances were also held in the auditorium, where comrades from the Southern Bureau and the Office joyfully danced to the accompaniment of their own small band. On the hillside side of the “Happy Garden,” near the mountain, comrades built walls with bamboo strips and created the richly contented “Happy Garden Wall Newspaper.” Revolutionary optimism and a vibrant, colorful recreational spirit filled the valley of Red Crag.

Source: Chongqing Hongyan Cultural Development Management Center; Author: Liu Liqun