The Revolutionary History Memorial of the Xifeng Concentration Camp

The Revolutionary History Memorial of the Xifeng Concentration Camp

The Revolutionary History Memorial of the Xifeng Concentration Camp is a National AAAA-level Tourist Attraction, a Classic Red Tourism Destination, and a Patriotic Education Base.

The site of the former Xifeng Concentration Camp is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. The Revolutionary History Memorial of the Xifeng Concentration Camp is a National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base, a National Integrity Education Base, a National Defense Education Demonstration Base, and one of China’s Top 100 Classic Red Tourism Attractions. Established in 1997, the memorial was initially set up as a deputy-section-level self-financing public institution, administratively affiliated with the Xifeng County Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau. In 2006, it was upgraded to a section-level unit, under the administrative jurisdiction of the Xifeng County Culture, Sports, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau. On April 20, 2008, after the Revolutionary History Memorial of the Xifeng Concentration Camp officially opened to the public free of charge, it was re-designated as a fully government-funded public welfare institution, administratively under the Xifeng County Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports Bureau.

The Xifeng Concentration Camp consists of two parts: the main camp located in the Yanglangba area, and the nearby Xuantian Cave where General Yang Hucheng was imprisoned, which is 14 kilometers away. The main camp is situated in Maodong Village, Yanglangba, 6 kilometers south of Xifeng County in Guizhou Province, and is also known as the Maodong Concentration Camp. Covering an area of 57,124.4 square meters, the site was originally the estate of a landlord surnamed Liu before 1938. After the arrival of the Military Statistics Bureau (Juntong) in 1938, the landlord was driven out, and more than ten buildings were constructed, turning it into a concentration camp. From its establishment in 1938 until its closure in 1946, over 1,200 communists, patriotic generals, and democratic figures—including Yang Hucheng, Ma Yinchu, Huang Xiansheng, Luo Shiwen, Che Yaoxian, Zhang Luping, and Xu Xiaoxuan—were imprisoned here. Among them, over 600 were secretly killed or tortured to death, more than 400 went missing, and fewer than 100 survived. This killing field was outwardly referred to as the “Xifeng Field Headquarters of the Military Committee of the National Government,” but internally called the “New Prison.”

Xuantian Cave is a naturally formed ancient cave in the Nanwang Mountain range of Xifeng, created over hundreds of millions of years. Located 8 kilometers from the county seat, it gained its name during the late Ming Dynasty when a Sichuan Taoist named Ban Yue traveled here and built a Taoist temple inside, enshrining the God Xuanwu. By the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, it had become a popular pilgrimage site bustling with worshippers and tourists featuring dozens of deities. In 1938, the Military Statistics Bureau seized the site to imprison General Yang Hucheng and his family for eight years. From then on, the cave lost its spiritual significance, visitors ceased to come, and the once-thriving sacred destination turned into a living hell.

The first phase of restoration and opening took place in May 1997, and has since welcomed nearly 6 million domestic and international visitors. Party and state leaders such as Xi [Zemin], Li Peng, [Jiang Zemin], [Li Ruihuan], [Hu Jintao], [Xi Jinping], and others have visited the site. In April 2003, [Hu Jintao] inspected the Xifeng Concentration Camp Memorial and instructed that “the Xifeng Concentration Camp Memorial should be well-built, well-managed, and serve its intended functions and roles effectively.” To implement these directives, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the CPC, the provincial government, the Guiyang Municipal Committee of the CPC, and the municipal government placed great emphasis on the project, investing nearly 20 million yuan in the construction of the second phase. The new memorial, with a total floor area of 3,800 square meters, was completed and opened on August 19, 2005. The “Unquenchable Flames” exhibition features a wealth of moving stories and figures, using precious cultural relics, texts, images, charts, photos, as well as sound, light, electricity, and scene simulations to comprehensively present the history of the Xifeng Concentration Camp, the activities of revolutionary martyrs within the prison, and to highlight a chapter of struggle and victory in China’s revolutionary history.

To enrich the exhibition content, over 60 cultural relics have been collected through years of field research.

The Revolutionary History Memorial of the Xifeng Concentration Camp is open daily from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, and remains open all year round without closure.

There are two transportation options: one for tour groups. Travelers can take the Lanzhou–Haikou Expressway (Guiyang–Zunyi section) for 60 kilometers from downtown Guiyang to exit at Xifeng Station, then drive 6 kilometers through the county to reach the memorial. For self-driving, take the Lanzhou–Haikou Expressway (Guiyang–Zunyi section) for 30 kilometers from downtown Guiyang to exit at Jiuchang Station, then follow National Highway 210 towards Zunyi for 25 kilometers to arrive at the Revolutionary History Memorial of the Xifeng Concentration Camp.