Site of the Dongjiang Column’s Leading Authority (Longjiantian)

Site of the Dongjiang Column’s Leading Authority (Longjiantian)

The Site of the Dongjiang Column’s Leading Authority (Longjiantian) is located in Longjiantian Village in the southern part of Huangjiang Town, Dongguan City.

In April 1944, to enhance the military and political capabilities of its forces, the Dongjiang Column decided to utilize a ceasefire period to concentrate the Third, Fifth, and Dongguan Battalions in the Meitang region of Dongguan for training. A temporary headquarters was set up under the leadership of Wang Zuoyao, Yang Kanghua, and Liang Hongjun, tasked with organizing and implementing the troops’ training. This headquarters was located in the ancestral hall at the foot of Mashan Mountain in Longjiantian Village. At that time, the ancestral hall was built with blue bricks and covered an area of approximately 1,300 square meters. It was demolished in 1991 when Longjiantian Village expanded its school facilities.

The Third Battalion, led by Battalion Commander Wu Qiang, was stationed in Longjiantian Village and was accommodated in three locations: the Dacheng Ancestral Hall (built with blue bricks, 78 square meters), the Minzhai Ancestral Hall (blue brick structure, 95 square meters), and the Huating Hall (blue brick building, 150 square meters). These three sites have been well preserved to this day.

During the day, the training troops and civilian work teams (propaganda teams) would gather in the village open spaces for drills, while also helping villagers cut rice straw, repair houses, and do household chores. In the evenings, they would teach villagers songs and dances, chat with them, and encourage participation in anti-Japanese activities. The villagers warmly welcomed the Dongjiang Column soldiers, offering them straw mats to sleep on and providing meals and tea to support their training. The soldiers and villagers lived and ate together, forming close bonds and creating joyful, unforgettable memories. Many elders still fondly recall those days.

In the early hours of May 8, 1944, Japanese forces stationed in Zhangmutou learned from a collaborator that the Dongjiang Column was conducting concentrated training. Led by Captain Kato, over 500 troops comprising three companies and one artillery unit—along with cavalry and artillery support—were guided by local collaborators and “ghost-headed kids” (a local term for collaborators) in an attempt to seize Mashan Heights and launch a surprise attack on the Dongjiang Column’s leading authority and the Third Battalion stationed in the village. Upon receiving the report, Deputy Commander Wang Zuoyao and Battalion Commander Wu Qiang immediately ordered the Third Battalion’s Independent Company to seize the high ground of Mashan to cover the relocation of the temporary headquarters, while also arranging for villagers to evacuate toward Dakeng.

Upon receiving the orders, Independent Company Commander Li Hanwei and Political Commissar Li Zhong (Zhong Ruochao) directed Squad Leader Yuan Kang to lead the machine-gun squad and two rifle squads of the First Squad to assault the mountain frontally. They suppressed the enemy’s vanguard, which was just 30 meters from the summit, with fierce firepower and held the mountaintop in a triangular formation. Meanwhile, Li Hanwei and Li Zhong led the company headquarters and the Second Squad to swiftly capture the main peak at the tail of Mashan. The two forces, about 200 meters apart, engaged the Japanese in intense positional combat. The Fifth Battalion, stationed at Changshankou and led by Peng Wo, joined the battle from the flank, with its First Squad taking Xiangshan, the Third Squad seizing Zhugan Mountain, and the Second Squad monitoring the east-west line. Wu Qiang led the Third Battalion into battle from the northwest of Meitang. The Dongguan Battalion, under the command of Battalion Commander Zhang Ying and Deputy Commander Huang Bu, advanced straight from Tianxin to the northern side of Longjiantian and Pingdian Mountain to intercept the enemy. Militia forces from Changshankou and Meitang also joined the fight. Militia Captain Ye Changbo brought a homemade cannon to the frontlines, bolstering the Dongjiang Column’s firepower and morale. At this point, around 700 Dongjiang Column troops and militiamen formed a semi-circular encirclement around the Japanese from the east, west, and south, trapping the enemy on the northern side of Mashan. The Japanese were caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. Around 3 p.m., the enemy attempted to retreat twice by releasing smoke screens but failed both times. The battle continued until dusk, when the Japanese finally fled back to Zhangmutou under the guidance of collaborators. Following this battle, Japanese morale plummeted, and Battalion Commander Kato committed seppuku, while ten soldiers took their own lives.

The battle resulted in nearly 100 Japanese casualties. The Dongjiang Column lost 26 men, including Company Political Commissar Li Zhong, and 10 were wounded. The Meitang Battle was a significant victory in which the Dongjiang Column inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese. Under the dangerous circumstances of a near-successful Japanese surprise attack, the victory was achieved thanks to the decisive command of the Dongjiang Column’s leadership, the bravery of its soldiers, and the strong support of the Longjiantian militia and local populace, enabling the Column to shift from passive defense to active offense.

Huangjiang Town: Located in the heart of the Guangdong–Hong Kong Economic Corridor, Huangjiang Town enjoys well-developed transportation. It lies 80 km west of Guangzhou, 60 km south of Hong Kong, and 6 km north of Dongguan Station on the Beijing–Kowloon Railway. It is only 48 km (a 40-minute drive) from Shenzhen International Airport and Fuyong Passenger Terminal, with multiple daily direct buses to Hong Kong. The town covers a total area of approximately 98 square kilometers and governs 11 villages and 3 communities. It has a local population of 22,000 and over 200,000 migrant residents. Legend has it that during the Taiping Rebellion, several families settled by the river… More details about Huangjiang Town++