The Red Crag Auditorium and "Happy Valley"

　　   Exit through the small western door of the office building, pass the "Banana Tree," cross "Happy Valley," and about 10 meters ahead you’ll find the auditorium used by the Southern Bureau and the office. It was decided to build this auditorium in the autumn and winter of 1944 by the Southern Bureau and the office, in light of the then domestic and international situation, to prepare for more comrades coming to work in Chongqing in the future.

　　   Construction of the auditorium began in early 1945 and was completed in August. Comrades from the Southern Bureau and the office designed it themselves and participated in the construction. The entire structure has one ground floor and one upper floor, covering a land area of 199 square meters and a building area of 398 square meters. The ground floor serves as the auditorium, and the upper floor serves as dormitories. On the evening of August 30 of that year, comrades from the Southern Bureau and the office held a welcome banquet and completion ceremony here for Mao Zedong’s arrival in Chongqing for negotiations. Mao Zedong was very pleased to meet with comrades from the Southern Bureau, the office, and the Xinhua Daily here.

　　   The "Happy Valley" in front of the auditorium is a small earthen flatland of about forty to fifty square meters, dug out by the comrades of the Southern Bureau and the office. It served as the main venue for learning and entertainment among the Red Crag comrades. In their spare time, comrades often read books, newspapers, sang songs, rehearsed plays, and engaged in recreational activities here. Plays performed on the auditorium stage included yangge operas brought from Yan’an, such as A Red Flower, Brothers and Sisters Open Up Wasteland, Husband and Wife Learn to Read, and Niu Yonggui Is Wounded. Every weekend, dances were also held in the auditorium, where comrades joyfully danced accompanied by their own small band. On the hillside side of "Happy Valley," comrades built walls with bamboo strips and put up the richly contented "Happy Valley Wall Newspaper." Revolutionary optimism and a vibrant, colorful recreational spirit filled the valley of Red Crag.

　　   Source: Chongqing Hongyan Cultural Development Management Center; Author: Liu Liqun