Former Site of the Headquarters of the "Second Field Army" in Hong’an

Former Site of the Headquarters of the "Second Field Army" in Hong’an

The former site of the headquarters of the "Second Field Army" in Hong’an is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

The former site of the headquarters of the "Second Field Army" in Hong’an is located at the eastern end of the Old Street in Hong’an Ancient Town, Xiushan County. The site is a traditional two-story courtyard building with a total of two halls and eight rooms. The ground floor housed the quarters of Chief of Staff Li Da and Deputy Director of the Political Department Zhang Jichun, while the upper floor was where Deng Xiaoping and Liu Bocheng stayed.

On November 6, 1949, the vanguard unit of the 106th Regiment of the 12th Army of the Third Corps of the Second Field Army arrived at Chadong from Huayuan County, Hunan. With the help of local residents on both riverbanks, they converted wooden boats into makeshift ferries. Under the cover of heavy machine gun fire, over 20 dockworkers poled the boats, carrying dozens of PLA soldiers toward the Hong’an dock. They advanced while engaging the enemy, and the defending forces in Hong’an quickly collapsed. The battle ended in less than half an hour, and the PLA successfully entered Hong’an—the first town in southeastern Sichuan. After Liu and Deng—commanders of the Second Field Army’s Front Committee and headquarters—arrived in Hong’an, they set up camp at the then Fuxing Bank. That evening, the headquarters used a diesel generator to light up the entire street. Liu and Deng walked out onto the streets and warmly greeted the local residents.

The former site of the headquarters of the "Second Field Army" in Hong’an is a Chongqing Municipal Patriotic Education Base.