The Red Culture of Linkou: The Secret Camps of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces

　　Secret camps were where the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, with indomitable will, persisted in guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines under extremely harsh and difficult conditions to preserve and develop anti-Japanese armed forces and expand their strength. Deep in the mountains and dense forests, they stockpiled military supplies, treated the wounded, repaired firearms, gathered intelligence on the enemy, promoted resistance against Japan, and sewed winter clothing. They established many secret camps in the wild forests—camps that were referred to by soldiers of the United Army and local residents as "secret camps."

　　Secret camp culture is a distinctive feature of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and also an important part of wartime culture, holding great significance for the study of the history of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. The Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army created a regionally unique lifestyle—the secret camps of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces—and built surrounding facilities around them, such as hospitals, repair workshops, campsites, granaries, clothing factories, communication points, and printing houses. Relying on these secret camps, the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army waged tenacious struggles against the enemy, which was also the fundamental method for preserving their strength in the heart of Japanese imperialist-controlled territory.

　　The Fifth Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army was an anti-Japanese armed force led by the Chinese Communist Party. Its development went through several phases, including the Suining Anti-Japanese Allied Army, the Fifth Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army, and the Fifth Army of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. The army was commanded by Zhou Baozhong, with Chai Shirong as deputy commander, Hu Ren as political director, and Zhang Jiandong as chief of staff. In the summer of 1936, the Fifth Army actively carried out guerrilla warfare in the areas of Sandaotong and Diaoling, achieving many victories and eliminating a large number of Japanese puppet troops. In October 1936, Zhou Baozhong moved the army headquarters to the area around Sandaotong and Diaoling, establishing it at the Yanconglazi Secret Camp at Sidaohezi in Sandaotong. On March 14, 1937, the Jidong Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was established at Sandaotong Sidaohezi, with Zhou Baozhong serving as a standing committee member and head of the Organization Department. On September 29, 1937, the Jidong Provincial Committee decided to establish the Second Route Army of the Anti-Japanese United Forces, with Zhou Baozhong as the commander-in-chief and Chai Shirong taking over as commander of the Fifth Army. According to the memoirs of Zhou Baozhong’s wife, Wang Yizhi: the anti-Japanese secret camp at Sidaohezi was referred to at the time as the Sidaohezi Valley Secret Camp or Yanconglazi Secret Camp. This area featured high mountains, dense forests, steep cliffs, and was largely uninhabited. The secret camp here was the earliest and largest established by the Fifth Army. The camp was entirely built from logs, consisting of several structures varying in size, with the largest having over ten rooms and the smallest around five. The camp included sections for the army headquarters, secretariat, quartermaster department, hospital, repair workshop, clothing factory, barracks, and more.

　　The ruins of this secret camp are now located in Sandaotong Town, about 86 kilometers northwest of Linkou County. Through red tourism, visitors can follow in the footsteps of the martyrs of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, experience the scenes of their battles, understand the activities of soldiers in the secret camps, learn about the history of the Anti-Japanese United Army and China's revolutionary struggle, and gain significant cultural insight into promoting the spirit of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, educating cadres and the public with this spirit, and nurturing the younger generation.