Chengman Yuan

Chengman Yuan

Chengman Yuan

Chengman Yuan Village in Qingshui Pu Town is situated in the northeastern part of Bijie City, about 86 kilometers from the city center. With an elevation ranging from 550 to 900 meters, the village has in recent years capitalized on its strengths to promote rural eco-tourism. By combining resources including sightseeing orchards, rural tourism accommodations, historical landmarks, and red tourism sites, it attracts visitors to explore and experience the profound historical culture of the Chengman Yuan scenic area; its vibrant and moving ecological environment; and the socialist new countryside scene filled with the fragrance of oranges. This has yielded gratifying results: using tourism as a platform to boost the economy; drawing merchants from all over for bustling trade; and benefiting both urban residents and fruit farmers on their path to prosperity.

Chengman Yuan Village is located in the Chishui River valley, blessed with exceptional geographical and climatic advantages ideal for growing citrus and other fruit crops. Currently, nine major citrus varieties are cultivated, including navel oranges, blood oranges, mandarin oranges, Wenzhou honey tangerines, red oranges, Xinhui oranges, crystal sugar sweet oranges, ponkan, and red-hearted pomelos. Supplementary fruits include peaches, plums, and pears. The total planting area includes 3,000 mu of citrus, 2,500 mu of peaches and plums, and 1,300 mu of pears.

Benefiting from its prime location and climate, and utilizing carefully selected superior varieties from various regions along with scientific farming techniques, the citrus produced in Chengman Yuan boasts characteristics such as long-lived, high-yield trees with strong economic returns; rich nutrition and excellent color, aroma, and taste; comprehensive utility with every part of the fruit usable; and a wide variety that allows for year-round sales. The annual fruit yield exceeds 6 million kilograms, which is widely distributed across the province as well as in neighboring provinces such as Sichuan and Yunnan.

Chengman Yuan is a land steeped in red cultural history. It bears witness to heroic sagas in armed resistance against enemies, the establishment of people's political power, the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, supporting the military and caring for soldiers' families, and the work of the militia.

Zhao Wenhai, commander of the Guizhou Guerrilla Detachment, is a representative martyr who shed his blood on this hallowed ground. Zhao Wenhai (1898–1941), born in Naxi County, Sichuan Province, joined the Communist Party of China in 1936. Following directives from the Special Committee of the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Border Area Guerrilla Column of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, he went to Guizhou to form a guerrilla detachment and was appointed its commander. Centering activities around Bijie in northwestern Guizhou, he mobilized the masses and established the Guizhou Guerrilla Detachment.

In 1938, Zhao merged his forces with those led by Ruan Junchen, political commissar of the Guizhou Guerrilla Detachment, forming a unit of over 1,000 soldiers and more than 500 guns, officially establishing the “Guizhou Guerrilla Force.” Zhao served as commander, Ruan as political commissar, commanding three battalions—Huang Yulong, Lu Mingxuan, and Zhan Shaowu—and establishing a guerrilla warfare zone centered around Huangtang and Duipo in Bijie, Shuitianzhai in Weixin (Yunnan), and LianDao Wan in Zhenxiong. They carried out revolutionary activities such as promoting anti-Japanese resistance, mobilizing the masses to resist taxes and reduce rents, and punishing local tyrants.

In 1939, as Japanese forces advanced toward Dushan, Zhao and Ruan dispatched 600 elite soldiers to join the Independent Regiment of the 99th Division of the National Revolutionary Army to fight on the front lines of the War of Resistance. Zhao led the remaining troops to continue anti-Japanese propaganda, organize the masses, raise military funds, expand their forces, and persevere in the struggle.

In April 1941, the Bijie Administration and independent battalions from Zhenxiong, Yiliang, and Weixin, along with local militias, launched a new “encirclement and suppression” campaign against the guerrillas. The guerrillas fought a circuitous battle along the Bijie-Zhenxiong border. Eventually, due to ammunition and food shortages, and being vastly outnumbered, they were surrounded. After breaking through the encirclement, Zhao became a wanted man. On August 7 of that year, Zhao Wenhai and his son Zhao Yincheng (a guerrilla fighter) secretly went to the Chishui River to gather supplies but were captured by spies. Father and son were executed under an old yellow-leaf tree by the Chishui River. Zhao Wenhai was only 43 years old when he heroically sacrificed his life.

The Chishui River Bridge spans the border between Guizhou and Sichuan and is a key structure along National Highway 321. For a time, it also served as a strategic defense bridge. It was a joint project between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party—the bridge piers were built before liberation by the Kuomintang, while the bridge deck was completed later by the Communist government after it came to power. Air-raid shelters, gun towers, and sentry posts were essential defense facilities ensuring the bridge’s safety and the unimpeded passage of vehicles and pedestrians.

In the yards of farmhouses and on rocks along the roadside stand several weather-beaten, time-worn yellow-leaf trees. According to forestry experts, these trees belong to the Moraceae family and Ficus genus. They are tall deciduous trees that thrive in water and sunlight. Their leaves are alternate, oblong or oval-oblong in shape. Inflorescences appear singly or in pairs at leaf axils, turning yellow or red upon maturity. The inflorescence lacks a peduncle, and flowering and fruiting occur year-round. These trees grow rapidly, spread easily, and have the unique ability to parasitize other trees or grow on isolated rocks. Their roots are highly adaptable, changing shape to fit any gaps in the natural terrain. Verified by forestry authorities, some of these managed yellow-leaf trees are at least two to three hundred years old, with a few exceeding five hundred years. They stand 20–30 meters tall, with trunks measuring 5–6 meters in girth, and their canopies cover over 100 square meters. Clinging to rocks in uniquely contorted forms, their roots twist and curl in diverse postures, each displaying distinct grandeur. Revered as sacred trees by locals, these treasured giants silently observe every change in Chengman Yuan Village by the Chishui River, bearing witness to the past hardships and present happiness of the local people; showcasing the region’s abundant natural beauty and gifted people; and sheltering the land with favorable weather and bountiful harvests.