Martyrs' Cemetery of the Revolutionary Fighters in Hefeng, Xiang-E' Border Soviet Area

　　Nestled at the foot of Bafeng Mountain in Rongmei Town, Hefeng County, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, amidst blooming azaleas on the mountainside, lies this hallowed ground of heroes. Here rest the loyal remains of revolutionary martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the Xiang-E' Border Soviet Area during the Agrarian Revolutionary War, including Duan Dechang, commander of the Red Ninth Army; Wang Bingnan, chief of staff of the Ninth Army; and He Ying, an important military cadre.

　　In 1962, to commemorate the revolutionary martyrs who fought and died in the Xiang-E' Border Soviet Area, the Hefeng Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery was established. Also known as the Man Shan Hong Martyrs' Cemetery, its main structures include a memorial monument, burial tombs, and a museum. The monument is situated on a mid-mountain terrace, standing 15.4 meters tall and 2 meters wide. Its body is constructed from bluestone and reinforced concrete in a hollow design. The front is inscribed with “Monument to the Martyrs of the Xiang-E' Border Soviet Area,” while the back reads: “The Xiang-E' Border Soviet Area was established during the Second Revolutionary Civil War under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, pioneered by Comrade He Long.” The tomb is located atop the mountain. In 1962, the remains of Duan Dechang, Wang Bingnan, He Ying, and others were moved here for interment. The Revolutionary Museum is at the mountain's base, displaying revolutionary relics. Stone steps lead from the foot of the mountain up to the martyrs' tombs, lined with lush pines and cypresses on both sides, lending the entire cemetery an atmosphere of solemn beauty.

　　In March 1928, He Long, Guan Xiangying, Duan Dechang, and others formed the Red Second Army Corps of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army in Honghu. In early 1929, He Long led the main forces of the Red Second Army Corps to liberate Hefeng County and established the first county-level Soviet government in western Hubei and Hunan. They galloped across the Xiang-E' Border region, engaging in arduous and extraordinary battles for several years. Their efforts effectively supported the strategic transfer of the Central Red Army and significantly weakened the feudal ruling forces in the Xiang-E' Border area. In 1934, they marched northward from Guizhou, joined forces with the Central Red Army in Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia, and were reorganized into the Red Second Front Army of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, becoming a significant people’s armed force in the history of China’s revolutionary struggle.

　　Between 1928 and 1933, due to the influence of leftist opportunism, Xia Xi, a key leader of the Red Second Army Corps and a special envoy of the Central Committee, launched a “purge campaign” in the Western Hubei-Hunan Base Area. A large number of senior party, government, and military leaders, including Duan Dechang and Wang Bingnan, were tragically executed.

　　Duan Dechang was one of the founders of the Xiang-E' Red Army and Soviet Area. A graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy, he was also the person who sponsored Marshal Peng Dehuai’s membership in the Chinese Communist Party. In 1931, he served as commander of the Ninth Army of the Red Third Army. On May 1, 1933, he was brutally killed in Jin Guoping, Badong County. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he was posthumously recognized by the Central People’s Government as the first revolutionary martyr of New China. In 1989, he was honored as one of the Thirty-Three Military Strategists.

　　Wang Bingnan was an outstanding early military leader of the Red Army. He participated in the Nanchang Uprising in 1927 and served as chief of staff of the Red Ninth Army in 1932. He resolutely fought against “leftist” errors and was falsely accused of being a member of the “Reorganization Faction.” On June 1933, he was tragically killed in Zhongying Township, Hefeng County.

　　He Ying was the elder sister of Marshal He Long. From 1928 to 1933, she served as commander of the guerrilla defense forces in the border region of Xiang-E-Chuan-Qian. For seven years, she persisted in guerrilla warfare centered around Taiping in Sangzhi, with Hefeng as the base. On May 1933, her guerrilla outpost at Changwan in Taiping Cave was ambushed by a vastly larger enemy force. To cover the retreat of the guerrilla unit, He Ying and her younger sister He Wujie sacrificed their lives heroically. The He Ying Guerrilla Unit was later reorganized into the 72nd Regiment of the Red 7th Division, and went on to achieve great military merit by participating in the legendary 25,000-Li Long March, making outstanding contributions to China’s revolution.

　　

　　He Ying (1886~1933)　　He Ying (1886–1933), originally named He Minying, with the childhood name Xianggu, was from Hongjiaguan, Sangzhi County, Hunan Province, and the elder sister of He Long. In 1916, He Ying supported her younger brother He Long in killing the corrupt local gentry Zhu Haishan in Sangzhi County and driving out County Magistrate Chen Mugong, and helped install Zhuo Xiaochu, the leader of a secret society in Cili, as the new county magistrate. In 1922, after her husband Gu Jiting was lured and killed by warlord Chen Quzhen, He Ying took up his guns and led the militia of Yunjingzhai in resisting the government and fighting the gentry, launching an armed struggle. In the summer of 1926, He Ying coordinated with various local militias in Sangzhi County, including those led by Wen Nanfu, Li Yunqing, and Liu Yuxie, to capture the county seat, oust County Magistrate Ma Ce, and drive out the stationed regiment commander... More+

　　Wang Bingnan (1892~1933)　　Wang Bingnan, commander of the Fourth Army of the Red Second Army Corps, was a revolutionary martyr. Born in May 1892 into a Hui farming family in Gaoqiao, Liyuan Town, Sangzhi County, Hunan Province. He studied at a private school for two years before starting farm work at age 12. In 1919, when He Long led the Sangzhi Independent Battalion into the county seat, Wang Bingnan hurried to the city and joined He Long’s forces, beginning his military career. Known for his straightforward character and diligence, he earned high praise from He Long. During the Nanchang Uprising, he led his troops in holding the Niuxing Station, blocking reinforcements from the north, and achieved outstanding merit. After the defeat in Chaoshan, he returned home and rebuilt his armed force. In the spring of 1928, when He Long was ordered to return... More+

　　Duan Dechang (1904~1933)　　Duan Dechang (1904–1933) Commander of the Sixth Red Army, revolutionary martyr, military strategist. Born in August 1904 in Jiuwuchang, Jiudushan Township, Nan County, Hunan Province, into a family where his mother died in childhood. His father, who had studied in Japan, worked as a clerk elsewhere for many years, leaving Duan to be raised by his grandmother. He studied locally in his youth before attending middle school in Changsha. Influenced by progressive ideals, he actively participated in anti-imperialist patriotic activities. In 1924, he co-founded Xinhua School in Nanshan, Huan County, with Communist Party member He Changgong, who had returned from France, to promote progressive thought. In 1925, he worked as a teacher at the First National Primary School in Nan County... More+