Anti-Japanese Struggle Site at Wuxian Pool in Yanwo

Anti-Japanese Struggle Site at Wuxian Pool in Yanwo

The Anti-Japanese Struggle Site at Wuxian Pool in Yanwo is located in Yanwo Village, Shipai Town. GPS coordinates: 23°06'00.6"N, 113°53'42.6"E, elevation 8 meters.

During the Anti-Japanese War, Japanese troops occupied Shilong and frequently sent small squads to harass nearby villages and search for traces of anti-Japanese forces. According to villagers from Yanwo, in the winter of 1943, a company of Japanese soldiers raided Yanwo Village and harassed the residents. Half a month later, two Japanese soldiers returned to the village to abduct people and loot. Most villagers were forced to hide on the hills behind the village. At that time, one woman didn’t have time to hide and was caught by the Japanese. She later managed to escape to the back hills. When the two Japanese soldiers chased the woman, they were ambushed and killed—one of them—by three villagers hiding by the path on the hill: Wang Weizhi, Wang Weipei, and Ma Bao (nickname). However, the other soldier escaped.

The villagers then stuffed the Japanese soldier’s body into a sack, tied it with stones, and threw it into a deep pool outside Yanwo Village (now near Daboshi Kindergarten). A few days later, the decomposing body floated to the surface after soaking and expanding in the water. The villagers once again wrapped the body in a sack, tied it with stones, and sank it in the more secluded Wuxian Pool in Yanling Mountain.

A week later, the Japanese military sent troops to Yanwo to search for their missing soldier. They captured a villager nicknamed “Flathead Ye,” forced him to lead them to Wuxian Pool, and used a high-powered pump to drain the pool continuously for a day and a night in an attempt to find the body. But the pool’s water could not be drained completely, and the Japanese found nothing. The villagers also argued that the person who killed the Japanese soldier was a stranger from outside the village, not a local. However, the Japanese insisted that Yanwo Village was involved in the disappearance of their soldier and punished the villagers. Under duress, the villagers agreed to go to the Japanese military base in Shilong to offer an apology.

The next day, village elders carried gifts to Shilong to apologize. On their way, passing by the Yanling Cliff Carvings, they were ambushed and shot by Japanese soldiers lying in wait. Only one survived.

Yanwo Village: Yanwo Village is located at the western gate of Shipai Town, Dongguan City, adjacent to Shilong and Chashan, and faces Boluo’s Shiwan Town across the river to the north. The village covers an area of 4.5 square kilometers, has jurisdiction over 3 natural villages, and has a permanent population of over 1,600 and a migrant population of over 10,000. There are 12 foreign-funded enterprises and 58 private enterprises in the village. Yanwo Village borders the Dong River, boasts beautiful scenery and a long history. The Yanling Ancient Quarry from the Ming and Qing dynasties in the village is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

Over the past 20-plus years of reform and opening up, under the correct leadership of the Party committees and governments at higher levels, Yanwo Village has achieved balanced development in both... More details about Yanwo Village++