Anti-Japanese War Relief Sculpture of the Dongjiang Column

Anti-Japanese War Relief Sculpture of the Dongjiang Column

The Anti-Japanese War Relief Sculpture of the Dongjiang Column is located in the Heroic Square Memorial Area of Liuhua Park in Dongcheng Subdistrict. GPS coordinates: 23°05'09.8"N, 113°48'47.9"E, elevation 40 meters.

The Dongjiang Column was a Guangdong-based people’s anti-Japanese armed force established under the directive of the CPC Central Committee. During the difficult years of the resistance war in South China, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC Southern Bureau, and the Guangdong Party organization, and with strong support from the masses, compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao, and overseas Chinese, the Dongjiang Column grew from nothing, started small, and became increasingly stronger—eventually developing into a people’s anti-Japanese armed force numbering over 11,000 troops. It persisted in conducting independent guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines in South China; rescued large numbers of patriotic democrats, cultural figures, Allied military personnel, and international friends; bravely fought the enemy and actively coordinated with the nationwide anti-Japanese battlefield as well as the Allied forces’ operations against Japan; and established anti-Japanese base areas and guerrilla zones spanning over 60,000 square li in total area and a population of more than 4.5 million across the vast regions of the Dongjiang and Beijiang rivers. It became a formidable armed force on the renowned South China anti-Japanese battlefield that struck fear into the hearts of the enemy and earned fame both at home and abroad. The Central Military Commission of the CPC highly praised the Dongjiang Column as “the banner of liberation for the people of Guangdong.” Dongguan was one of the birthplaces of the Dongjiang Column and also one of its main areas of operation. The Dongjiang Column carried out many important battles in the enemy-occupied areas of Dongguan. In June 1946, the main force of the Dongjiang Column withdrew northward to fight on the battlefields of East China and Central Plains, while the remaining troops in Guangdong continued their armed struggle in coordination with the national liberation war. The Dongjiang Column made significant contributions to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and the national liberation war.

The Anti-Japanese War Relief Sculpture of the Dongjiang Column in Liuhua Park is 50 meters long, 9 meters high, and covers an area (including the front plaza) of 3,500 square meters. It faces east and is situated to the west, with the Liuhua Anti-Japanese Memorial Pavilion to its south. In May 2007, to commemorate the martyrs and promote the spirit of patriotism as the core of national spirit, Dongcheng Subdistrict built the Anti-Japanese War Relief Sculpture of the Dongjiang Column at the former site of the anti-Japanese battle in Liuhua Park. It was put into use in March 2008.

In April 2008, Liuhua Park, where the Anti-Japanese War Relief Sculpture of the Dongjiang Column is located, was designated as a Dongguan Patriotic Education Base by the Dongguan Spiritual Civilization Construction Committee. In April 2010, upon approval by the CPC Dongguan Municipal Committee, it was established as a Dongguan CPC History Education Base.