Qi Family Army Memorial Hall

　　    Situated in Qiaoting, Chian Town, the Qi Family Army Memorial Hall is built in a low, flat valley with gently rolling, well-formed hills opposite the village. The majestic two-eaved gate tower stands firmly, and on both sides of the tower, a “Great Wall” constructed from blue flagstones winds along the terrain up to the northern and southern mountains.

　　    Approaching the gate tower, the three golden characters “Triumphal Tower” shine brightly. The nine large characters “Yiwu City Qi Family Army Memorial Hall,” inscribed by General Hong Xuezhi, a member of the - Committee, are engraved above the arched gate. Looking at this “Great Wall,” the gate tower, and the beacon towers, one can’t help but feel immense reverence and pride for the patriotic spirit of loyalty to the nation shown by the ancestors.

　　    Because the Qi Family Army is the pride of the people of Yiwu. Back then, Qi Jiguang fought against Japanese pirates in eastern Zhejiang and recruited 3,000 soldiers from Yiwu in the Chian area of southern Yiwu. These soldiers swept away the coastal pirate threat, guarded the northern frontiers, and were known for their bravery, skill in battle, endurance, and hard work—they were called the “model soldiers.”

　　    In the Ming Dynasty alone, as many as

　　    228 military officers were granted titles such as Pingzhang Marshal, General, Vice General, Colonel, Battalion Commander, Company Commander, and Garrison Commander for their military achievements.

　　    The entire project of the Qi Family Army Memorial Hall has not yet been fully completed. Follow-up construction will include: a Ming Dynasty Weapons Museum, a military drill hall, and a warship training lake. In the future, the grand stage where the Qi Family Army achieved its military exploits will be impressively presented on this heroic land that gave birth to the “model soldiers.”

　　

　　Qi Jiguang (1528~1588)　　    Qi Jiguang, courtesy name Yuanning, art name Nantang, was a native of Dengzhou, Shandong. He was born in the seventh year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1528). His father, Jingtong, served successively as a regional commander and once acted as the head of 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 an Assistant Commander of the Dengzhou Guard in Shandong. At that time, Japanese pirates continuously harassed the southeastern coastal regions. Qi Jiguang once wrote a poem to express his aspiration: “It is not my ambition 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 of the 25 guards under the three battalions and reorganized them, strengthened training, consolidated the maritime defenses of Shandong, and deterred Japanese pirates from easily launching attacks. In the autumn of the 34th year of the Jiajing reign (1555), Qi Jiguang... Details+