Xixian County Jinxi Revolutionary Memorial Hall

Xixian County Jinxi Revolutionary Memorial Hall

The Xixian County Jinxi Revolutionary Memorial Hall is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Jinxi Revolutionary Memorial Hall is located on the slopes of Longfeng Mountain in Chejiapo Village, 1.8 kilometers southwest of Xixian County, Linfen City. The memorial hall has a total construction area of 3,420 square meters, with a main building area of 3,252 square meters and an exhibition area of 2,780 square meters. It features three exhibition halls covering the Agrarian Revolution, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the Liberation War, including modules on the Party’s early activities such as the establishment of revolutionary armed forces, the Red Army’s Eastern Expedition, the Jinxi Conference, the Wucheng Campaign, base area construction, the Jinxi Incident, the Dongchuan Campaign, the liberation of the entire region, active support from the people, and the great victory. In December 2009, it was awarded the title of “Shanxi Provincial Patriotic Education Base” by the Shanxi Provincial Committee and Provincial Government.

Red Links

The Jinxi Revolutionary Base Area was established by the Communist Party of China and the people’s army it led, with the strong support of the masses. It was part of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Revolutionary Base Area and also a component of Shanxi’s revolutionary old base areas. It took shape during the tumultuous years following the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan. The term “Jinxi” generally refers to the narrow, north-south strip along the Yellow River in Shanxi. It was centered around Xixian County and radiated to surrounding counties and cities, encompassing nine complete counties: Xixian, Jiaokou, Fenxi, Shilou, Yonghe, Daning, Puxian, Jixian, and Xiangning. The area covered approximately 13,000 square kilometers, with a population of about 320,000 (according to statistics before 1939). If including the historically connected peripheral areas of counties and cities such as Zhongyang, Xiaoyi, Hongtong, and Linfen, the area could expand by more than half and the population would double.

The Jinxi Revolutionary Base Area served as a foothold and expansion ground for the Red Army’s Eastern Expedition and the Eighth Route Army’s advance into Shanxi to resist Japanese aggression. It was a strong bulwark in defending Yan’an and the Party Central Committee, a strategic rear base supporting the liberation of the whole country, and a crucial transportation hub linking the liberated areas of North China and Central China under the Party Central Committee’s command, making it of great strategic importance. Veteran proletarian revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, He Long, Ye Jianying, Lin Feng, Chen Geng, and Wang Zhen left their glorious footprints here, where the seeds of revolution took root and flourished. Jinxi was also a site trampled upon by the Japanese invaders’ inhumane “Three Alls Policy” (kill all, burn all, loot all), as well as a region ravaged by the brutal rule of the Shanxi warlord Yan Xishan’s regime, marked by the oppressive “combination of soldiers and peasants” policy. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the broad masses of the Jinxi people persisted in resisting Japan and opposing compromise, upheld unity and opposed division, promoted progress and opposed regression, maintained the united front, engaged in underground struggle, and carried out armed resistance. They made tremendous sacrifices and contributions to fighting the Japanese aggressors, overthrowing the “three big mountains,” and achieving the liberation of Jinxi and the whole nation.