Martyr Dai Yuanhuai’s Tomb

Martyr Dai Yuanhuai’s Tomb

Martyr Dai Yuanhuai’s Tomb is a classic site on China’s red tourism routes.

Martyr Dai Yuanhuai’s Tomb is located in Group 10, Hongwei Village, Shipai Township, Gong County, at the local place known as “Guanyin Well,” approximately 87 kilometers from Gong County’s county seat.

Dai Yuanhuai (1909–1935), courtesy name Anlan, was a native of Yuqian Township, Taihe County, Jiangxi Province. In 1928, he joined the armed struggle led by the Party. In 1929, he joined the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and the Communist Party of China. In 1930, he was appointed head of the Youth Work Department of his unit. In 1931, he was sent to study at the Central Party School and, after graduation, became head of the Propaganda Department of the Guangdong-Gan Provincial Committee of the CPC. In 1934, he served as captain of the Red Expansion Team in Huichang County, where he repeatedly achieved military successes in combat and was received and commended by Mao Zedong. He later became chairman of the Guangdong-Gan Provincial War Zone Committee. On the eve of the Long March, he was appointed head of the Political Department of the Eighth Red Army Corps. In January 1935, he crossed the Wu River with the Central Red Army. In February of the same year, following the Zaxi Conference’s decision to select a group of cadres to stay behind and form guerrilla units, he served as head of the Organization Department of the CPC Southern Sichuan Special Committee and head of the Organization Department of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army Southern Sichuan Guerrilla Column. He carried out guerrilla warfare in the border areas of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou, diverting and striking enemy forces to support the strategic transfer of the Central Red Army. In March of that year, the Southern Sichuan Guerrilla Column was heavily encircled by the Sichuan Army’s Huang Jinzhang Regiment on Dashipan Mountain in Shipai Township, Gong County. To cover the column’s breakout, he sacrificed his life in fierce battle at the young age of 26.

After Dai Yuanhuai’s death, local residents spontaneously buried him. The site now consists of an unmarked earthen grave.

Shipai Township: In 2019, Shipai Township was abolished, and its administrative area was placed under the jurisdiction of Cao Ying Town, with the People’s Government of Cao Ying Town located in Group 4, Fengming Village.

Gong County’s Shipai Township is situated in the southeastern frontier of Gong County, at the junction of two provinces and three counties. Its southeastern border meets Weixin County in Yunnan Province; it connects to Cao Ying Township of Gong County to the west; and it links to Jiusi Town of Xingwen County to the north. The township’s elevation ranges between 400 and 1,500 meters. It mainly consists of mid- and low-altitude mountainous areas and hilly regions, with an average annual rainfall of around 1,200 mm and an average temperature of 22°C. Water resources are abundant, with the Dashipan River running eastward through the area and the Jianwu … More details about Shipai Township++