Former Site of the Huangyadong Arsenal

Former Site of the Huangyadong Arsenal

The Former Site of the Huangyadong Arsenal is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism destination.

Former Site of the Huangyadong Arsenal

Former Site of the Huangyadong Arsenal (Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units)

Era: 1939–1943

Address: Xiachiyu Village, Huangyadong Town, Licheng County

"Huangyadong" is the name of a mountainous area, generally referring to a region spanning approximately 10 square kilometers. At that time, the arsenal was built in the Shuiyao Valley, including production areas, administrative areas, and living quarters. Today, the remains of the original factory buildings and some restored workshops still exist. Only ruins remain of the residential area. To the north of the factory area lies Huanglong Cave, a natural rock cave situated atop a cliff, which served as an ammunition depot at the time. Opposite the cave, at the base of a protruding cliff, was the office of General Zuo Quan.

The Huangyadong Arsenal was expanded in 1939 after relocating the Han Zhuang Arms Repair Workshop to this location. At that time, the annual production of weapons could equip 16 regiments, primarily supplying the North China battlefield. In 1943, when Japanese forces invaded the arsenal, it was severely damaged, leading to a withdrawal to Xi’an Village in Pingshun.

Huangyadong is located beneath Ban Mountain Ridge, west of Shangchiyu Village, Dongyadi Town, Licheng County. Facing a narrow river valley plain, it spans about 10 square kilometers and is named after a natural cave on a 1,600-meter-high yellow cliff that can accommodate a hundred people. This site is the former location of the Eighth Route Army Arsenal and also the battlefield ruins of the “Battle of Huangyadong Defense.” Surrounded by steep peaks and towering cliffs, it embodies the majestic beauty of the Taihang Mountains and is a newly developed tourist attraction.

In July 1939, following the instructions of Commander-in-Chief [Zhu De] and Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo Quan, the Eighth Route Army’s Ordnance Department established an arsenal in the Shuiyao Mountains of Huangyadong. It mainly produced rifles, hand grenades, horse-tail grenades, and Type 50 cannons. The annual production could equip sixteen regiments, making it a major ordnance base for the Eighth Route Army at the time.

From November 11 to 19, 1941, over 5,000 troops from the Fourth and Sixth Mixed Brigades of Japan’s 36th Division (under Lt. Gen. Ikeno) launched a combined land and air assault on Huangyadong. Over 900 soldiers of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters Special Task Regiment were ordered to defend the site. Leveraging the treacherous terrain, they fought fiercely for eight days and nights, killing over 1,000 enemy soldiers and achieving a brilliant casualty ratio of six to one (enemy to friendly), “setting an unprecedented record in the history of Sino-Japanese warfare.” They once again thwarted the Japanese forces’ attempt to destroy the Eighth Route Army’s ordnance production capabilities. In the book *Comprehensive Study of the Campaign*, the military commission praised this defense battle as a “model anti-sweeping operation since 1941.”

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, local governments have continued to use Huangyadong as a base for revolutionary tradition education and patriotic education. Infrastructure has been gradually improved, parts of the historic site have been restored, tourist attractions have been developed, and the integrated lodging, dining, and entertainment resort Bolong Mountain Villa has been newly built. A tourism program called “Spend a Day as an Eighth Route Army Soldier” has also been added, attracting many visitors.

Starting from Bolong Mountain Villa, visitors cross the white marble memorial archway inscribed with “Huangyadong” by [Comrade], entering the Wengyi Corridor at the entrance. The corridor is 0.5 kilometers long, with cliff tops on both sides almost meeting, creating a view like a “skyline” when looking up. It is winding, deep, and serene, with clear springs and waterfalls cascading below, splashing like scattered pearls and jade. It is so steep and narrow that “one man could hold the pass against ten thousand.” Exiting the corridor, there are 120 stone steps, beside which bunkers remain, making the area extremely strategic. Back then, 17-year-old bugler Cui Zhenfang eliminated over a hundred Japanese invaders using this vantage point before sacrificing heroically. Further ahead, the landscape suddenly opens up to a newly developed highland park. At its center, a spring is dammed to form a lake, spanned by a winding zigzag bridge, with the “Jingying Pavilion” in the middle for visitors to enjoy the scenery and rest. Towering peaks, peculiar rocks, cloud-piercing waterfalls, along with supporting sights such as the Anti-Japanese Tower, Rainbow Bridge, and Little Hill Pavilion, create a vibrant natural painting. Ascending further along the mountain ridges leads to the Martyrs’ Cemetery. The cemetery consists of a monument, graves, inscribed stones, and a memorial hall, standing amidst evergreen pines and cypresses. About 500 meters northwest of the cemetery, halfway up the cliffside, lies Huangyadong. Visitors can sidle along an iron suspension ladder to enter the cave. The cave is trumpet-shaped, 18 meters wide, 72 meters deep, and 25 meters high, and was once used as a warehouse for the arsenal. Two yellow dragons are carved among the crevices to enhance the atmosphere. Legend says the Yellow Dragons acted righteously, bringing rain to help the people. Over time, the yellow mist they exhaled stained the cliff yellow—hence the cave is also known as Huanglong Cave or Huangyan Cave.

Descending from Huangyadong, you’ll find the modest living quarters of Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo Quan. Following a mountain path southeast leads to the former site of the Shuiyao Arsenal, where the “Battle of Bloody Shuijiao Entrance” took place. The site remains today, and visitors cannot help but be moved when seeing the extreme hardships and sacrifices made by the ordnance workers under such difficult conditions in support of the resistance efforts behind enemy lines. On the southern hilltop stands a square pavilion, in the center of which is erected a “Shuiyao Arsenal Monument,” inscribed with over a hundred resolute words praising the great achievements of the creators of the people’s military industry.

Huangyadong, with its steep mountains, rushing waterfalls, and lush forests, forms a natural park. As a result, the state recently approved the establishment of the Huangyadong National Forest Park, injecting new vitality into Huangyadong’s tourism industry.

Huangyadong Town: Located in the northern mountainous region of Licheng County, Shanxi Province, Huangyadong Town sits at the junction of two provinces and four counties. It borders She County in Hebei to the east, Zuoquan County in Jinzhong to the north, and Wuxiang County to the west. The town administers 22 administrative villages, covering a total area of 123.5 square kilometers, with 4,699 acres of arable land and a population of 13,774 (7,038 male and 6,756 female). There are 374 non-agricultural residents, and the natural population growth rate is 0.6‰. Huangyadong Town boasts abundant mineral resources, convenient transportation, beautiful scenery, and outstanding people.

　Huangyadong is located within Licheng County, in the Taihang Mountains… More details about Huangyadong Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units