Xingguo Tongtianyan

　　Xingguo’s Tongtianyan was also the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army during the Fifth Counter-Encirclement Campaign. Beneath the smooth main peak is a vertical staircase, with holes drilled to allow only one foot at a time—this staircase was chiseled out by the Red Army back then for taking shortcuts while standing guard. In today’s peaceful times, people follow in the footsteps of the Red Army in various ways, trekking through mountains and rivers to experience their spirit. We, though small, standing before this massive stone peak on this heroic land filled with the spirit of our revolutionary forebears, naturally feel a surge of courage and ambition to conquer nature. We crawled on all fours to climb to the top of the rock.

　　Standing atop Tongtianyan, Mr. Hu Yuchun, who has done extensive research on the history of the Communist Party in Xingguo, pointed out the remnants of the battles fought by the Red Army here. This place was once shrouded in the smoke of war, with trenches dug by the Red Army and numerous bomb craters from bombings during the Third and Fifth Counter-Encirclement Campaigns. This land, where Wen Tianxiang and the Red Army soldiers shed blood and gave their lives, was once ravaged by war, leaving behind desolation and serious soil erosion in Xingguo County. Today, however, standing at the summit of Tongtianyan, we feel as if we are atop green waves. The traces of past wars have been covered by green pines and clear waters. Xingguo, once a model county that achieved first-class work during the wartime years, has now, in its great project of conquering nature, also earned the honors of “National Advanced County in Ecological Construction” and “Model County for Soil and Water Conservation.”