Urumqi “New Barracks”

Urumqi “New Barracks”

The Urumqi “New Barracks” is a classic red tourism attraction and a patriotic education base.

In the autumn of 1936, after the victorious conclusion of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, according to the order of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, the 30th Army of the Fourth Red Army crossed the Yellow River westward. Subsequently, the 9th Army, the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army, and the 5th Army also crossed the river to prepare for the implementation of the Ningxia Campaign plan. Later, due to changes in the enemy situation east of the river, the plan was terminated. On November 11, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission designated the troops that had crossed the river as the “Western Route Army,” and its leadership body as the “Western Route Army Military-Political Committee.” The over 20,000 officers and soldiers of the Western Route Army who advanced deep into the Hexi Corridor fought bravely and fearlessly, sacrificing without hesitation, and engaged in bloody battles for more than five months. They eliminated over 20,000 bandits under Ma Bufang and Ma Buqing. However, due to being outnumbered, they were ultimately defeated in March 1937. The remaining forces of the Western Route Army split into three detachments and, under the leadership of the Western Route Army Working Committee composed of Li Zhuoran, Li Xiannian, and others, turned to guerrilla warfare in the Qilian Mountain area. Two of the detachments suffered major losses, while the Left Detachment led by Li Xiannian, after enduring numerous hardships, arrived at the eastern gateway of Xinjiang—Xingxing Gorge—in late April. This was the farthest point reached by the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army during the Long March, and this unit was also the last to conclude the Long March. After over 400 remaining members of the Western Route Army arrived in Dihua (now Urumqi), Xinjiang, they were renamed the “Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Western Route Army General Detachment” and were publicly known as the “New Barracks.”

The Party Central Committee decided to make Xinjiang a base for training specialized military technical cadres for the Party, including skills in automobile driving, armored vehicles and tanks, artillery, radio, aviation, military medicine, and intelligence. The “New Barracks” developed into the earliest special forces school of our army. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Xinjiang not only became a base for training specialized technical troops but also an important air force base. Around the end of 1939, Zhou Enlai, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, accompanied by Deng Yingchao, made two special trips to visit the officers and soldiers of the “New Barracks” and delivered speeches while staying in Dihua on his way to and from the Soviet Union for medical treatment. He said: The Party Central Committee requires you to study military technology diligently, to train your own backbone of special forces for the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan. Everyone must focus on their studies and must learn well. I believe it won’t be long before we also establish our own mechanized forces. Zhou Enlai also consoled Lü Liping and other representatives of the over 40 students from the CCP’s aviation squad studying in Xinjiang. Many of the officers and soldiers of the “New Barracks” who studied modern military technology later became the first group of senior generals in the relevant technical branches of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, playing an important role in the modernization of our army. They made tremendous contributions during the Korean War, and in the cause of defending and building the motherland.