Tianshui Revolutionary History Memorial

Tianshui Revolutionary History Memorial

The Tianshui Revolutionary History Memorial is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

The Tianshui Revolutionary History Memorial, located in Shiziping Village, Mapaoquan Town, Maiji District, covers a total area of 3,480 square kilometers. The entire exhibition hall authentically recreates the arduous and indomitable struggle of Tianshui’s revolutionary pioneers through photo panels, artistic sculptures, historical relics, and other means. The exhibited content includes Red Imprints, Extraordinary Struggles, and Journey to Glory.

Around the time of the May Fourth Movement, Marxism and other progressive ideologies began to spread widely in China. Over 20 Tianshui natives studying in Beijing, including Ge Jiyun, were influenced by the Marxist group led by Li Dazhao and actively participated in the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolutionary struggle. After the founding of the Communist Party of China, Ge Jiyun joined the Party upon Li Dazhao's recommendation, becoming one of the earliest party members in Gansu. In early 1925, Ge Jiyun initiated and organized more than 20 fellow Tianshui students in Beijing, including Wu Hongbin, to establish the "Tianshui Society" and founded the quarterly magazine New Era, spreading Marxism-Leninism and promoting new culture and ideas against imperialism and feudalism in Beijing, Tianshui, and elsewhere. In the spring of 1925, Ge Jiyun was dispatched by Li Dazhao to work in Feng Yuxiang's troops, serving as the secretary-general under Deng Baoshan of the 7th Division, 2nd Army of the National Revolutionary Army, where he actively worked to transform Deng Baoshan's thinking. In the summer of 1925, he suggested that Deng Baoshan establish an Officer Training School in Shanzhou, Henan, where Hu Wendou served as the head. Ge Jiyun used this opportunity to propagate Marxism-Leninism and revolutionary ideals among the officers and soldiers, actively recruiting Deng Hongbin, Nie Shaoyun, Du Hansan, and others from Deng Baoshan’s forces into the Communist Party. In 1926, Ge Jiyun and others gathered progressive Tianshui figures in Xi’an to form a "Fellow-Townsmen Association" and sent Wang Chengshun to Tianshui to mobilize the peasant movement. After arriving in Tianshui, Wang Chengshun became the principal of the Provincial No. 6 Normal School and personally organized peasant associations in Xinyang and Sanyangchuan areas. He put forward slogans to overthrow the "Four Evils and Eight Harms" (local tyrants, corrupt officials, landlords, and bullies), to which the local peasants responded enthusiastically, sparking a vigorous peasant movement and igniting the spark of revolution in Tianshui.

In August 1935, the 25th Red Army entered Maiji District during the Long March from Feng County and Liangdang County. They launched the Liqiao Battle, captured the ancient city of Liqiao, killed Bai Junxian, commander of the Nationalist Security Regiment, passed through Maiji Mountain and Ganquan Town, dealt with Zhang Shiqing, a Nationalist village head in Mapaoquan Town, approached the northern gate of Tianshui, crossed Zhongliang, passed through Phoenix Mountain, suppressed Wen Tingjie, secretary of the 1st Army headquarters of the newly formed Nationalist 1st Army in Xinyang, and on August 10, forcefully crossed the Wei River, entering Qin'an County via Wulong Mountain.

On August 2, 1949, the First Corps Commander of the First Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Wang Zhen, and the 7th Army Commander Peng Shaohui led their troops into Tianshui. Under the strong offensive of the PLA, most of the military and political personnel of the Nationalist Gansu Fourth Administrative Supervisory Office and the 119th Army fled Tianshui City. Tianshui was liberated on August 3, 1949.

The Tianshui Revolutionary Memorial was designated as a Gansu Provincial Patriotic Education Base by the Provincial Propaganda Department in July 2013.