Site of the Former Xifeng Concentration Camp

Site of the Former Xifeng Concentration Camp

The Site of the Former Xifeng Concentration Camp is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level, and a classic red tourism destination.

The Site of the Former Xifeng Concentration Camp is located in Yanglangba, 6 kilometers south of Xifeng County. It lies between the Sichuan-Guizhou Railway and the Guiyang-Zunyi Expressway, adjacent to National Highway 210. It is 66 kilometers south of the provincial capital, Guiyang, and 80 kilometers north of the historic city of Zunyi. Due to a natural karst cave called "Mao Cave" at the site, it is also commonly referred to as the "Mao Cave Concentration Camp." It consists of two main parts: the main camp of Xifeng and the Xuantian Cave, which was specifically used to imprison General Yang Hucheng, a renowned anti-Japanese military leader, and his family. Together with the Martyrs' Cemetery of the Seven Heroes including Zhang Luping, they form the Xifeng Red Tourism Network, making it a shining pearl on the northern Guizhou red tourism route, with special political, social significance, and historical value.

Historical Background: The Xifeng Concentration Camp was established in November 1938 as a secret prison set up by the Military Statistics Bureau (Juntong) of the Kuomintang (KMT) in Mao Cave, Yanglangba. It was relocated to Chongqing in July 1946. Internally referred to as the "New Prison" or the "University," and outwardly known as the "Xifeng Field Headquarters of the National Military Council," it was the largest and highest-level secret prison established by the KMT's Juntong Bureau during the Anti-Japanese War. Over nearly eight years, the camp detained more than 1,200 communists, patriots, and progressive youths, including Luo Shiwen, Che Yaoxian, Song Qiyun, Han Zidong, Zhang Luping, "Little Radish Head," Huang Xiansheng, and Ma Yinchu. Over 600 were brutally killed or tortured to death, over 400 went missing, and 72 were transferred to Chongqing for detention. The Xifeng Concentration Camp was a hellish place where the KMT's Juntong Bureau ruthlessly suppressed communists, patriots, and progressive youths, and it also stands as a historical testament to the KMT’s collapse in the face of the powerful People’s Liberation Army. To fully leverage the educational value of the site, the government carried out three rounds of renovation and excavation in 1984, 1997, and 2003. In April 2003, following instructions from central leaders to develop and manage the Xifeng Concentration Camp well to maximize its function and impact, the second phase of the Xifeng Concentration Camp Revolutionary History Memorial Hall was completed and opened to the public on August 19, 2005. In 1988, the State Council listed it as a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level; in 1997, it was designated as a provincial and municipal patriotic education base by Guizhou Province and Guiyang City; in 2000, it was listed as a national patriotic education demonstration base by the central government; in 2005, it was included in the national red tourism premium route and classic scenic spots by 13 national ministries and was also rated as a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Attraction Overview: The former concentration camp site is located in Yanglang Cave and includes nine prison buildings (locations) with 52 cells, referred to by the KMT as "Zhai." Eight of these were named with grandiose titles: "Loyalty, Filial Piety, Benevolence, Love, Faith, Righteousness, Harmony, and Peace," while another area was called the "Special Zhai." In the center of the square stands a red stone sculpture titled "The Song of Loyal Souls." The expanded Xifeng Concentration Camp Revolutionary History Memorial Hall is mainly divided into two areas: the Cultural Relics Protection Zone of the former Xifeng Concentration Camp, and the Educational Exhibition Zone, which consists of the new memorial hall and commemorative activity grounds. The exhibition area covers a construction area of 3,800 square meters and is divided into six sections: the foyer, four exhibition halls, and a memorial hall, along with supporting facilities such as a cultural relics archive room and a lecture hall. The foyer, themed "Unextinguished Flames," provides an overview of the exhibits. The first exhibition hall introduces the historical background of Juntong in Xifeng and the development of the Xifeng Concentration Camp. The second focuses on the lives of communists and revolutionaries who were imprisoned there. The third highlights the heroic struggles led by the underground communist party branch against the reactionary KMT forces. The fourth presents memories of survivors and educational activities since the memorial’s opening. The memorial hall serves as the main venue for honoring revolutionary martyrs. The new hall is equipped with modern technologies such as sound, light, and electricity, creating a highly impactful and moving exhibition experience. The commemorative activity grounds cover approximately 12,000 square meters, including a 6,000-square-meter parking lot, enhancing the memorial hall’s capacity to host large-scale commemorative events. The meticulously developed Xifeng Concentration Camp Revolutionary History Memorial Hall is larger in scale, better equipped, richer in historical materials, and more impactful and moving in its presentation. It houses over 500 precious cultural relics of patriotic generals such as Yang Hucheng and Huang Xiansheng, as well as other martyrs.

Xuantian Cave is located in Yusa Village, Yongjing Town, 8 kilometers from Xifeng County. General Yang Hucheng, his wife Xie Baozhen, and their son Yang Zhengzhong were imprisoned here by the KMT's Juntong Bureau for eight years. The Martyrs' Cemetery of the Seven Heroes including Zhang Luping is situated at Kuaile Ridge, Xiayanglang, 2 kilometers south of the county town. It is the site where the seven heroes were executed and where their remains rest.

Address: Yanglang Village, Yongjing Town, Xifeng County, Guiyang City (next to National Highway 210)

Transportation

Take a bus from Jinyang Bus Station in Guiyang to Xifeng Station. Buses run from 7:00 to 19:30, with a fare of 25 yuan and a travel time of about one hour.

Type: Historical Architecture

Rating: AAA

Recommended Visiting Time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0851-87700529

Official Website: http://jzy.xifeng.gov.cn/

Opening Hours:

8:30–16:30, closed on Mondays

Ticket Information:

Free admission (guides available for around 50 yuan).

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Guizhou Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Third Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level