Huangshandong

Huangshandong

Huangshandong is a revolutionary base village located in the northwest of Shibei Town, Boluo County, bordering Da'guishan Mountain in Heyuan. The village covers a total area of 47 square kilometers with a population of 1,200. Huangshandong boasts abundant forest and water resources: 55,000 acres of woodland and the Huangshandong Reservoir, which has a catchment area of 44 square kilometers and a water storage capacity of 23.6 million cubic meters, are valuable assets to Shibei Town.

Huangshandong is a land of tranquility away from the hustle and bustle. Surrounded by mountains, it features verdant hills, clear waters, orchards full of citrus, and the aroma of fruits. The people here are hardworking, simple, honest, and warm-hearted. With their sweat and toil, they have transformed these mountains and waters into an eternal oasis...

Entering the Huangshandong area, you can stroll slowly along the winding mountain path by the Huangshandong Reservoir. Along the way, the road twists and turns through nine bends and eighteen curves, offering views of overlapping green hills, birdsongs, floral scents, and crystal-clear waters. From a high vantage point, you can see four towering peaks standing among the ranges — the iconic “One Mountain and Three Ridges” of Huangshandong: Yajishan, Honghuazhang, Yuanpozhang, and Sifangzhang. Located on the northern side of the Huangshandong Municipal Nature Reserve is Yajishan, which stands at an elevation of 873 meters. This majestic mountain strikingly resembles the profile of the great leader Mao Zedong, its contours clearly visible through the light mist. The prominent arc on the left peak resembles the leader’s broad forehead; several sturdy pine trees resemble his thick eyebrows beneath it. The central peak looks like a tall nose standing upright; the naturally indented right peak slopes downward, resembling a full chin; and further down lies a mountain ridge that looks like a chest. Viewed from afar, Yajishan resembles the dignified and serene face of Mao Zedong, hence it is also called Sun Peak.

Honghuazhang is located behind Yajishan, with its main peak at an elevation of 1,100 meters. Known as the second highest peak in Boluo, it gets its name from the red lychee flowers that bloom abundantly here every lunar March. On the granite summit, there are two “immortal footprints,” each 35 centimeters long and 18 centimeters wide. Around them are seven small wells, each 25 centimeters in diameter and 35 centimeters deep, containing clear water that never dries up throughout the year — locals call them the “Seven Immortal Wells.” From the top of Honghuazhang, one can overlook the panoramic views of six cities and counties: Huizhou, Huiyang, Boluo, Longmen, Heyuan, and Zijin. Yuanpozhang and Sifangzhang stand alongside Yajishan and Honghuazhang as sister peaks, forming a unique scenic line.

On the north side of the Huangshandong Reservoir, there are two waterfalls with a drop of over 100 meters and a width of 20 meters. They are spectacular from April to October, offering a sense of the poetic imagery “a galaxy cascading from the heavens.”

Stepping into Huangshandong is like entering a vast ocean of swaying greenery. The village’s ten natural hamlets are scattered across the mountainous area spanning over ten square miles. In front of the houses grow citrus and carambola trees, while behind them are longan and lychee trees. Walking up along the clear, shallow streams, you’ll find banana and bamboo groves lining both sides. On the hillsides, well-arranged economic forests glisten under the sunlight.

To the left of the village committee building stands a simple house with black tiles and gray bricks — a modest stage built many years ago, with a spacious open-air square in front of it. During the specific era of the Cultural Revolution, people gathered here for meetings, lectures, movies, and cultural performances... It seems to bring the footprints of history vividly before our eyes.

Huangshandong is a nationally renowned revolutionary base. As early as during the War of Resistance Against Japan, Communist Party members were secretly active in the Huangshandong area. After 1938, a regiment of the Dongjiang Column was stationed here, with leaders such as Zeng Guang and Liu Biao frequently coming to command battles. The people of Huangshandong actively supported the Party, providing food, clothing, and shoes, making significant contributions to the liberation of New China.

After the liberation, in 1963, when the whole nation was swept up in the fervor of studying Mao Zedong’s works, the people of Huangshandong, under the leadership of their Party branch, diligently studied Mao’s writings. This led to profound changes in their thinking, morals, and overall spirit, resulting in unprecedented social harmony where no one took what wasn’t theirs and doors remained unlocked at night. In 1964, the Boluo County Armed Forces Department of the Huizhou Military Sub-district designated Huangshandong as a key learning base. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the nationwide movement to “Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture” was underway, Huangshandong was recognized as a national advanced unit in studying Mao’s works. There was even a saying: “The North has Dazhai, the South has Huangshandong.” Many exemplary learners emerged from Huangshandong, including Tian Huagui, the Party branch secretary at the time, who was elected to the 9th and 10th Central Committees of the Party. In 1968, the People’s Daily featured Huangshandong as “a banner of vividly studying and applying Mao Zedong Thought among the people of the entire nation” on its front page. That same year, then-Guangdong Provincial Party Secretary [name omitted] and then-Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General Lin Ruo personally visited Huangshandong to guide work. Approximately 800,000 cadres, masses, students, and international friends from around the country came to Huangshandong to learn. To welcome guests from all over, a Hakka folk song titled “Welcome Song of Huangshandong,” adapted with lyrics by then-Boluo County Armed Forces Political Commissar Yang Jian and set to a popular melody, was created. At that time, everyone in Huangshandong — from grandmothers aged 80 to children who had just learned to sing — held fresh flowers and sang this cheerful and lively tune to welcome visitors from all directions, expressing the warm hospitality of the Hakka people.

After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party, the new generation of Huangshandong residents inherited the self-reliance and hard-working spirit of their predecessors. The Party branch encouraged villagers to open their doors to the outside world, explore opportunities, and seek prosperity. Today, those who go out to do business are thriving, most having settled down in bustling cities. Those who remain at home are also bustling with activity, making the best use of local mountain resources — planting fruit trees, raising bees and chickens, combining agriculture and breeding. According to statistics, Huangshandong has 15 fruit farms of various sizes, covering more than 500 acres, over 5,000 acres of economic forest, and a net collective income of 100,000 yuan. Through hard work and perseverance, the people of Huangshandong have walked the path to prosperity.

Huangshandong is 15 kilometers away from Shibei Town, a revolutionary base and mountainous area. Despite its abundant forest and water resources, years of poor transportation have hindered economic development. Especially on rainy days, rugged and muddy mountain roads made travel and transport extremely difficult, preventing local agricultural and mountain products from reaching markets, leading to increased production without increased income. To break this “bottleneck” and accelerate economic development, the village Party branch and committee decided to raise funds through multiple channels to build cement-paved village roads. Thanks to the efforts of the village “two committees,” the road construction project gained support from party committees and governments at the provincial, municipal, and county levels, especially the Old Revolutionary Base Construction Promotion Committee. In 2004, Lin Ruo, former Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, visited Huangshandong specifically to meet with the people of the revolutionary base and expressed strong support for the village’s decision. The Boluo County Party Committee and government, the county transportation bureau, and the Shibei Town Party Committee and government also attached great importance and gave full support to the development of the old revolutionary base. Through the joint efforts of all parties, the hard-paved village road project in Huangshandong officially began in October 2005 and was completed and opened to traffic the following winter, laying the foundation for the future development of Huangshandong.

As a revolutionary base, this place not only holds memories of the red revolution but also boasts beautiful scenery and is a municipal nature reserve. Huangshandong is like an unpolished piece of jade — once carefully carved by artists, it will become an invaluable treasure. Currently, the town Party committee and government have made full use of the village’s abundant water resources to renovate the Makengdu Power Station located in Huangshandong, which will soon generate economic benefits.

With the continuous development of the economy and society, people are increasingly inclined to pursue a healthy, leisurely, and comfortable lifestyle. Developing eco-leisure tourism and nostalgia tourism in Huangshandong holds broad prospects for growth.