Former Site of the Dongjiang Column Headquarters

Former Site of the Dongjiang Column Headquarters

The Former Site of the Dongjiang Column Headquarters is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province and a classic red tourism attraction.

The location of the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall is to the east of Chongxu Ancient Taoist Temple. The memorial hall was completed and opened on December 1, 2003, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Dongjiang Column, showcasing the heroic and moving history of this illustrious unit. The full name of the Dongjiang Column was the Dongjiang Column of the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force. It was one of the people's anti-Japanese military forces created and led by our Party in the Dongjiang region of Guangdong Province during the War of Resistance Against Japan. It was also one of the main forces that opened up the enemy's rear area in South China and persisted in the resistance war there. Operating far from the Party Central Committee and the main forces of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, the Dongjiang Column carried out independent guerrilla warfare under the harsh and complex conditions of the enemy’s rear in South China. Starting from nothing, growing from small to large, and strengthening from weak to powerful, it gradually developed into a formidable anti-Japanese force. The headquarters of the Dongjiang Column was once located within Chongxu Temple. On the right side of the memorial hall square stands a group of sculptures with the theme "Dongjiang Column soldiers, forging ahead, never looking back." The memorial hall consists of four exhibition halls and five major sections, using a wealth of documentary materials, authentic historical photos, and precious revolutionary relics to present the grand course of the Dongjiang Column’s fight against Japan and for national salvation. It also reflects, indirectly, the brutality and fanaticism of the Japanese army, exposing the heinous crimes committed by the Japanese on Chinese soil.

Former Site of the Dongjiang Column Headquarters (Chongxu Temple, Luofu Mountain)

In the spring of 1945, the Guangdong Provincial Temporary Working Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, following directives from the central leadership, decided to relocate the headquarters of the Dongjiang Column to Luofu Mountain to establish a base in the Wuling Mountain area. By the end of May, the Dongjiang Column headquarters, political department, and military-political cadre school had all moved to Luofu Mountain. The headquarters was stationed at Chongxu Temple, the political department at Baihe Temple, the military-political cadre school's training team in Lanshi area, the youth training class in Shixia Tun of Changning, the editorial office of the newspaper "Qianjin Bao" initially at Sanxing Bookroom in Xufutian, later moved to Chaoyuan Cave in Luofu Mountain. The commander of the Dongjiang Column, Zeng Sheng, and the political commissar, Yin Linping, resided in two bungalows on the right side of the temple, while the deputy commander, Wang Zuoyao, stayed in a building on the left. The headquarters radio station was set up in the bungalow on the right, and the building served as offices and living quarters. The headquarters' administrative offices were located in the left wing room inside the temple courtyard.

From July 6 to 22, 1945, the Provincial Temporary Committee held an expanded meeting at Chongxu Temple. Attendees included representatives from the Dongjiang Front Special Committee, Houjiang Special Committee, Beijiang Special Committee, Xijiang Special Committee, Pearl River Special Committee, Chaoshan Special Committee, as well as delegates from the troops and various battalions, and representatives from two administrative committees. Guided by the spirit of the Seventh National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the meeting further clarified the tasks of struggle under the new circumstances. On August 15 of the same year, following directives from the Party Central Committee and the decision made at the Luofu Mountain Meeting to “swiftly move northward to establish a strategic base,” a force of over 1,100 personnel—comprising the Fifth Battalion, military-political cadre school, Lu Xun Art Propaganda Team, political work team, enemy work team, one guard company, and one reinforced company of the Pearl River Column—led by Lin Qiongyun, Wang Zuoyao, and Yang Kanghua, moved northward. They prepared to join forces with the southbound column led by Wang Zhen to establish the Wuling base. Subsequently, the Dongjiang Column leadership also gradually relocated away from Luofu Mountain. In 1979, the former site of the Dongjiang Column Headquarters was listed as a key cultural heritage protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Luofu Mountain Administrative Committee: Since the Qin and Han dynasties, Luofu Mountain has been known as the “Mountain of Immortals,” and has long enjoyed reputations such as “One of China’s Ten Great Taoist Mountains,” “The Number One Mountain of Lingnan,” and “Ancestor of the Hundred Yue Mountains.” It is revered in Taoism as the “Seventh Great Grotto-Heaven and the Thirty-Fourth Blessed Land.” The great Han dynasty literary figure Sima Qian regarded Luofu Mountain as a famous mountain second only to the Five Great Mountains, referring to it as “Yue Mountain.”

Luofu Mountain is a national scenic area and a national 5A-level tourist attraction, covering a total area of 214.82 square kilometers with 432 peaks, including over 80 peaks exceeding 1,000 meters in elevation. The main peak, Feiyun Summit,... Luofu Mountain Administrative Committee detailed information++

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units