Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Revolutionary Base

Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Revolutionary Base

The Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Revolutionary Base is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

The Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Base is situated deep in the Daqing Mountains, characterized by rolling peaks and continuous ridges. The eight major peaks (Xinaobao Mountain, Dongnaobao Mountain, Huajian Mountain, Dapingding Mountain, Xiaopingding Mountain, Dateshan Mountain, and Yinguang Mountain) are aligned from west to east. Between the mountains are five major valleys (Jiucai Valley, Xiaoyaizi Valley, Laolai Valley, Desheng Valley, and Liq Valley), along with over 30 tributary valleys, and the rivers Qiangpan and Desheng flow continuously. The highest peak reaches an elevation of 2,255 meters, with an average elevation of 1,700 meters. The area features steep mountains, deep valleys, dense forests, and treacherous terrain. Due to its strategic location during the Anti-Japanese War, the Daqing Mountain region became the central hub of the entire Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Base.

The Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Base is a well-known revolutionary old area, ethnic minority area, and border region. Veteran proletarian revolutionaries such as -, Li Jingquan, Wang Ruofei, and Hao Xiushan left their glorious footprints here. In May 1938, Mao Zedong telegraphed Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, He Long, Guan Xiangying, and Xiao Ke: “It is of great importance to establish a guerrilla base along the Daqing Mountain range north of the Ping-Sui Railway. Please consider this matter urgently.” By the end of August, over 2,300 guerrilla fighters of the Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Base, led by Political Commissar Li Jingquan and Chief of Staff Yao Jiji of the 715th Regiment, 358th Brigade, 120th Division of the Eighth Route Army, braved the rain to cross the Ping-Sui Railway, broke through enemy lines, and entered the territory of Wuchuan County. On September 1, they arrived at Daqing Mountain. Subsequently, the Daqing Mountain Detachment captured Wulanhua Town, conducted anti-Japanese propaganda, and Li Jingquan led his troops to station in Jing’ergou, Wuchuan County, establishing the base. The first meeting was held in Liugoumen Village, Jing’ergou, to discuss the establishment of grassroots anti-Japanese political power and military deployments. In October, the Daqing Mountain Mongolian-Han Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces successfully joined the main forces of the detachment in Mianpuyaozi Village, Guihua County. From then on, the military and civilians of Daqing Mountain centered their efforts on Wuchuan and engaged in arduous guerrilla warfare.

In 1939, areas within Wuchuan County such as Huanghuawopu, Jing’ergou, Wanjiagou, Desheng Valley, Liq Valley, Er’erdaowa, as well as Machangliang and Luotuochang, were all key regions of the Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Base. After the Eighth Route Army arrived in Daqing Mountain, the detachment headquarters was stationed in Jing’ergou, commanding dispersed operations across various locations. Eighth Route Army soldiers often rested and trained here. The local people of Jing’ergou shared weal and woe with the Eighth Route Army, building caves and makeshift shelters together. Yang Zhilin and the masses lived in caves, while Yao Jiji stayed near Guanguanzi with the radio station. In the spring of 1940, the Daqing Mountain Party and government organs and the detachment headquarters moved from Jing’ergou to Wanjiagou, and later relocated to Desheng Valley. During their stay in Desheng Valley, over 800 Japanese puppet troops from the county town and Xiwulanbulang launched an attack on Desheng Valley. Having advance intelligence, the headquarters set an ambush at the valley entrance. After fierce fighting, the Japanese puppet troops suffered heavy casualties, and the headquarters safely retreated into the forest.

The camel farm in Liq Valley served as the rear headquarters of the 3rd Regiment of the detachment, housing a supply department, repair workshop, garment factory, and medical station. Throughout the eight-year war of resistance, the rear headquarters of the 3rd Regiment of the Eighth Route Army remained stationed in Camel Farm until the final victory.

The party and government construction of the Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Base began in December 1938, when the Mobilization Committee of Wuchuan County’s 8th District was established in Bolihaduo Village.

Wang Jingtang served as director, Li Qi as deputy director, and Hao Xiushan as head of the Distribution Department. The Mobilization Committee transitioned into the Anti-Japanese Salvation Association, Peasant Association, Women’s Association, and others. Later, as the struggle demanded, it evolved into an anti-Japanese democratic government. In March 1939, the CPC Suiyuan Provincial Committee was established, dividing party activities into four regions: Hetao, Suizhong, Guitao, and Suidong, actively recruiting party members. In the spring of 1942, the first grassroots Party branch in Wuchuan County was established in Nanwulanbulang. During the war of resistance, the Daqing Mountain Detachment held multiple Party representative meetings in the Wuchuan guerrilla base to summarize work, analyze the situation of the anti-enemy struggle, and discuss future strategies and tasks.

In the process of establishing the Daqing Mountain Base and persisting in guerrilla warfare against the Japanese, the people of all ethnicities in Wuchuan united under the anti-Japanese banner of the Chinese Communist Party. They joined the army and fought in battles, offering their blood and devotion as loyal children to the motherland. They supported the army and the government, safeguarding the scorched earth with the responsibility of every common citizen to save the nation. They transmitted intelligence, carried stretchers, protected the wounded, dug caves, and made military shoes… The military and civilians formed an unbreakable bond, constructing a Great Wall of flesh and blood. Many touching stories emerged during this time, such as Zhang Lan’nu, a woman supporting the front, who was arrested and brutally tortured after being caught delivering food and clothing to soldiers. Despite torture, she never revealed the locations of the Eighth Route Army’s logistics or ammunition depots. Other stories include Bai Shengbao delivering a stone mill at night, “Eighth Route Purchaser” Zhang Runxi, a woman surnamed Zhang sacrificing herself to save her relatives, Han Sanmao dying to protect supplies, and the underground garment factory, among other acts of resistance.

Major battles in the Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese campaign include: the capture of Wulanhua; the ambush at Wugong Dam; the anti-sweeping campaign of the Hao District Government; the grain defense battle in Desheng Valley; the Battle of Erfenzi; the Shierdeng blocking battle and the Jishengkui battle; the Shangmiaogou battle and the Gushiba battle. Notable tragic incidents include: the Xishuigou tragedy; the Jing’ergou tragedy; the Baiqi tragedy; and the Hayan’hudong tragedy. The Daqing Mountain Anti-Japanese Base preserves sites such as the headquarters, medical team, training unit, and radio station, as well as caves and stone mills used by leaders like Li Jingquan and Yao Jiji. It also houses precious relics used by the Eighth Route Army, including radios, swords, grenades, horse stirrups, braziers, grain bags, and flint strikers. Liq Valley contains the original site of the “Hao District Government” established by veteran leaders such as Hao Xiushan, along with a wealth of revolutionary historical artifacts. The base also bears the footprints of numerous revolutionary predecessors such as Li Jingquan, Yao Jiji, Huang Hou, Yang Zhilin, and Wang Liangtai, who fought across the mountains. It stands as a testament to the heroic deeds of the anti-Japanese military and civilians of Daqing Mountain.

Source: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Tourism Administration