Former Site of the Panglong Campus of the Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University

Former Site of the Panglong Campus of the Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University

The former site of the Panglong Campus of the Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University is a cultural tourism attraction.

The former site of the Panglong Campus of the Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University is located in Panglong Town, 70 li (approximately 35 kilometers) east of Wuxiang County. In December 1939, the First Branch of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, following instructions from the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao, relocated from Yan'an to Panglong Town in Wuxiang County. In February 1940, the headquarters campus of the university, which was stationed in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region, moved southward to Wuxiang in order to facilitate direct command by the Party Central Committee’s Northern Bureau and by Commander-in-Chief Zhu De and Deputy Commander Peng Dehuai, merging with the First Branch and the Tai South Garrison Unit. Vice President Luo Ronghuan, Educational Director He Changgong, Political Director Zhang Jiuchun, and Training Department Head Wang Zhittao were appointed. The headquarters campus oversaw 10 branch campuses as well as the Taihang Branch, the Taiyue Branch, and the Army Middle School. Students were divided into four regiments, one special subjects battalion, and two directly affiliated women’s teams, totaling 4,900 students, who were accommodated in nearby villages such as Baijiazhuang, Hanjianao, Donggou, Shangyuan, and Wen Zhuang. Under normal circumstances, they conducted classes, production activities, and military drills at the company level within their stationed villages. On major holidays or during specific events, activities would be held at the university headquarters in Panglong Town.

On April 15, 1940, the headquarters campus of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University held the opening ceremony for the sixth term in Panglong Town. Commander-in-Chief Zhu De delivered an address, and Deputy Commander Peng Dehuai gave a speech.

The students of the sixth term mainly came from cadres of the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, and the Decisive Death Squad. Their primary mission was to cultivate key personnel for building up the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army.

At that time, the faculty and students of the Anti-Japanese University not only overcame various difficulties in supplies to ensure their own survival and development, but also helped with local work as much as possible, such as the Constitutional Reform Movement, social and cultural education, and armed forces construction and training. This played a significant role in advancing the development of the base areas.

On June 1, 1940, Vice President Luo Ronghuan was appointed as Director of the 18th Group Army Field Political Department, and Teng Daiyuan succeeded him as Vice President.

During the first phase of the Hundred Regiments Offensive, the Anti-Japanese University dispatched a group of cadres to participate. Especially during the third phase of the counter-"mopping-up" operations, the university organized its own "Hongling Battle" and "Sanmu Battle," and cooperated in the famous Yangjia’ao Annihilation Battle, achieving glorious results.

In December, the sixth term of the Anti-Japanese University graduated. During this period, the headquarters and branch campuses trained a total of 14,040 cadres. According to the orders of Commanders-in-Chief Zhu and Peng, these cadres were assigned to key positions in the Party, government, and military organizations.

On August 1, 1980, the former site of the Panglong Campus of the Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University was designated as a county-level key cultural relics protection unit.