Yiwu Qi Jiguang Memorial Hall

　　Located in Qiaoting Village, Chian Town, about 20 kilometers south of Yiwu City. The terrain here is unique, with low mountains to the north shaped like a giant crab, its two pincers extending forward and coming together to form a valley. The valley is covered in dense forests, creating an extremely tranquil atmosphere. To the south are also low, gently rolling hills. Nestled between the two mountain ranges stands the majestic two-eaved gate tower “Triumphal Tower.” Extending from both sides of the tower is a stretch of “Great Wall,” winding gracefully down the slopes like a coiling dragon. From the beacon tower, leaning on the parapet and looking north toward the crab-claw-shaped hills, the imposing pincers seem locked in a tense standoff, sparking the imagination. Qi Jiguang was a famous general of the Ming Dynasty who fought against Japanese pirates. In September of the 38th year of the Jiajing reign (1559 AD), he traveled to southern Yiwu to recruit and train 3,000 local soldiers, forming a courageous and highly skilled army that struck fear into the hearts of the pirates. In the 40th year of Jiajing (1561), he went to Taizhou to combat the pirates, achieving nine consecutive victories in which over 5,400 pirates were captured or killed. Soon after, with an urgent situation in central Fujian, Qi led the Yiwu troops to attack Hengyu, raid Niutian, pursue Xinghua, and eventually capture Pinghai and rescue Xianyou. In just five years, he eradicated the pirate threat that had plagued the southeast for centuries. After the pirates were suppressed, Qi Jiguang and the Yiwu troops were transferred to Beijing for defense duties, guarding the 2,000-li-long Great Wall in Jibei, ensuring peace along the border for decades. Future phases of the memorial hall project include a Ming Dynasty Arms Museum, a military drill hall, a Maritime Anti-Pirate Pavilion, and a military farming village. The “Great Wall” will also be extended to replicate a larger stage where the Qi family army achieved their heroic feats, making it a comprehensive tourist destination that combines patriotic education with idyllic rural scenery. — Marshals such as Hong Xuezhi, General and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Zhang Aiping, former Marshal, have all inscribed calligraphy for the memorial hall.

　　Qi Jiguang (1528～1588)　　Qi Jiguang, courtesy name Yuanjing, art name Nantang, was a native of Dengzhou, Shandong. He was born in 1528 during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing reign. His father, Jingtong, served as a regional military commander and was once acting head of the Daning Regional Military Commission. Qi Jiguang studied literature and martial arts from a young age. When he was 17, his father passed away, and he inherited his position as Assistant Commander of the Dengzhou Guard in Shandong. At the time, Japanese pirates frequently raided China’s southeastern coastal areas. Qi Jiguang once expressed his aspiration in a poem: “It is not my desire to be ennobled; I only wish for the sea to be calm.” In the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign (1553), he was promoted to Acting Commander and undertook the reorganization of the three battalions and 25 guard posts under his command, strengthening training and coastal defenses in Shandong, which deterred pirate incursions. In the autumn of the 34th year of the Jiajing reign (1555), Qi Jiguang... More+

　　Source: Official Website of the Jinhua Municipal Government of China