Hebei Travel: Following the Footsteps of the Eighth Route Army – A Visit to the 129th Division Headquarters Site (Photo)

The 129th Division Headquarters Site of the Eighth Route Army was the third stop for our self-driving 'Yanzhao Journey' convoy after concluding the tour of the Wahuang Palace. Around noon on May 2, 2007, the self-driving convoy left the Wahuang Palace and arrived at the 129th Division Headquarters Site, thus embarking on a rare journey to trace the footsteps of the Eighth Route Army.

Group Statue in the Center of the Square (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

For the fellow travelers, the visit to the 129th Division Headquarters Site was a red tour. At the same time, it was also a rare patriotic education opportunity for everyone to review the history of the brave Eighth Route Army's bloody battles during the Anti-Japanese War.

Visiting the 129th Division Site (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The 129th Division Headquarters Site is located in Chian Village, She County, 100 kilometers west of Handan City, Hebei Province. According to records: In 1940, the Eighth Route Army of the Chinese National Revolutionary Army marched into the Taihang Mountain area to resist the Japanese invading forces. The 129th Division Headquarters moved to Chian Village at the end of December. Division Commander Liu Bocheng, Political Commissar Deng Xiaoping, Chief of Staff Li Da, and other older generation proletarian revolutionaries led the broad masses of soldiers and civilians here, completely smashing the brutal mopping-up campaigns of the Japanese army against the base area.

View of General Ridge (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

During the War of Liberation, battles such as the Shangdang and Pinghan Campaigns were commanded from here, making great contributions to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation. The division moved to Wu'an in December 1945. The 129th Division lived and fought here for a total of five years.

Group Statue of the Eighth Route Army (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

When the convoy arrived at the 129th Division Site, everyone's eyes lit up. A magnificent group statue of 'Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping and Their Comrades-in-Arms' stood prominently in the center of the square. The guide brought the travelers in front of this group statue and began a vivid and lively explanation.

Chian Village, She County (Reporter Feng Ganyong)

The square in front of us is the square of the 129th Division Headquarters Site, with a total area of over 6,000 square meters, divided into an upper square and a lower square. The stone red flag in the center of the lower square symbolizes the eternal military soul of the 129th Division soldiers who fought bravely in Taihang and resisted the enemy; it also symbolizes the enterprising spirit of the people of She County in holding high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, keeping pace with the times, and building a beautiful home. It is a spirit, a faith, forever inspiring the people of She County to strive unremittingly and advance courageously.

Kitchen of the 129th Division Headquarters (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

In the center of the square stands bronze statues of six generals and marshals named 'Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping and Their Comrades-in-Arms'. From left to right, they are Cai Shufan, Xu Xiangqian, Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng, Li Da, and Huang Zhen. You can see: Liu Bocheng was strategic and far-sighted; Deng Xiaoping was resourceful and visionary; Xu Xiangqian was calm, resolute, and firm; Cai Shufan was fearless; Li Da was resourceful; Huang Zhen was refined and steady.

'Wujiapo' Stone Slopeway (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

This group of sculptures successfully portrays the glorious images of these older generation revolutionaries, military strategists, and diplomats, fully expressing their varied expressions, magnanimity, confidence in victory, and distinctive personalities.

129th Division Headquarters Site (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

On the southern wall of the square is a 54-meter-long stone relief called 'Taihang Beacon Fire', which vividly recreates scenes of the 129th Division soldiers' battles, production, and daily life during their six years stationed in She County from different angles and aspects. The upper and lower squares are connected by 12 steps, divided into three groups: the first group has 1 step, the second group has 2, and the third group has 9, symbolizing the 129th Division.

129th Division Operations Room (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Leaving the square, the guide led the travelers into the village where the 129th Division Site is located. The 129th Division Headquarters Site consists of three adjacent farmhouse courtyard houses, built according to the terrain and arranged in a well-proportioned manner. First, they passed by the kitchen of the 129th Division. When the travelers entered the courtyard, it was lunchtime, and some staff dressed in Eighth Route Army uniforms were coming out of the kitchen courtyard with steaming meals in groups of two or three, giving a vague feeling of being back in the Anti-Japanese War period... It turned out that the kitchen courtyard is still a dining hall today.

Inside the Headquarters Site Courtyard (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Leaving the kitchen, following five connected stone slopes in front of the door, they arrived at the office location of the 129th Division Headquarters. At that time, the code name for the 129th Division Headquarters was 'Wujiapo' (Five Slopes), derived from these five connected stone paths.

Liu-Deng Former Residence (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Entering the courtyard of the headquarters, the first thing they saw was the 'Map of Revolutionary Sites Distribution'. The guide explained: The terrain of She County is complex and strategically located, with natural barriers that make it easy to attack and defend, historically a place contested by military strategists, known in ancient times as 'The key passage between Qin and Jin, the famous town of Yan and Zhao'.

Reporter's Photo at the Headquarters Square (Photo by Cao Qun)

During the Anti-Japanese War, more than 110 party, government, military, financial, and cultural organs were stationed in She County for a long time, leaving many revolutionary sites. These include the 129th Division Headquarters Site, Political Department Site, Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu Border Region Government Site, Hebei-Shandong-Henan Bank Head Office Site, Northern Shaanxi Radio Station Site, Xida Arsenal Site, and Wencun Conference Site. Many of these revolutionary sites have now become important patriotic education bases.

Passage Door Inside the Former Residence (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

In the headquarters, the main north room was the meeting room, the west room was Liu Bocheng's office, the east room was the guard room, and the south room was the office. The original offices and bedrooms of division leaders Liu Bocheng, Li Da, Zhang Tingfa, and He Zhengwen were preserved. Two lilac trees and a Chinese redbud tree in the courtyard were planted personally by the three leaders Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, and Li Da; they are still lush and fragrant today.

Inside the Liu-Deng Former Residence Courtyard (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Walking out of the lower courtyard and climbing five slopes westward leads to the middle courtyard. Above the door is a plaque inscribed by Liu Huaqing: 'Liu-Deng Former Residence'. The middle courtyard housed the leaders' living quarters and offices. The south room was the former residence of leaders Liu and Deng. The east room was a two-story building, serving as the dormitory and office of Li Xuefeng. The upper courtyard was the division headquarters' operations room, used for office work. In the southeast corner of the courtyard, there was an air-raid shelter.

Liu Bocheng's Office and Bedroom (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

In Li Xuefeng's office and bedroom, Zhang Panshi's office and bedroom, Liu Bocheng's relic exhibition room, and Huang Zhen's relic exhibition room, there are displays of office and daily necessities used by the older generation revolutionaries during their lifetimes, as well as their handwritten scrolls, ink marks, and photos. These faithfully reflect the brilliant lives of these older generation revolutionaries, military strategists, diplomats, and artists from different perspectives.

Zhang Panshi's Office and Bedroom (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

The rear courtyard housed the offices and bedrooms of Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, and Lai Ruoyu, the secretary of the Taihang District Party Committee. It was once called the 129th Division Family Compound. Deng Xiaoping's eldest daughter Deng Lin (born in 1941) and second daughter Deng Nan (born in 1945) were born here. The five south rooms were originally the operations division office of the headquarters, later converted into the Taihang Woodcut Print Exhibition Room. The room displays woodcut prints created by the literary and art workers of the Taihang troops during the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation, vividly recreating the struggle life scenes of the Taihang soldiers and civilians during the hard years: resisting the enemy, producing for self-sufficiency, mobilizing the masses, expanding the ranks, and establishing political power.

129th Division Exhibition Hall (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

After leaving the Liu-Deng Former Residence, the travelers took a bus to the 129th Division Exhibition Hall on the north side of General Ridge. Built in 1999, this exhibition hall covers an area of 13,340 square meters. Entering the exhibition hall, the first thing they saw was a lifelike sculpture titled 'The 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army in the Anti-Japanese War'. Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, and their comrades-in-arms, dressed in military uniforms, stood on a high mountain peak looking into the distance. This majestic scroll vividly portrays the awe-inspiring and invincible division of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army, led by Liu and Deng, united against the enemy during the Anti-Japanese War.

Sculpture '129th Division' (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Everyone browsed with great interest in front of the pictures and artifacts in the exhibition hall. The reporter stopped in front of an old long table from the former Xinhua Broadcasting Station. Hearing the guide say that this table was purchased and used by Mr. Qi Yue, an old colleague from the Central Station, the reporter felt a warm current of special closeness in his heart.

Liu and Deng Planning Strategy (Photo by Feng Ganyong)

Inside the 129th Division Exhibition Hall, through a chronological sequence using various forms such as charts, tables, sand tables, sculptures, and physical displays, the revolutionary deeds of the older generation revolutionaries like Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, and Xu Xiangqian leading the 129th Division soldiers to fight bloody battles in Taihang from the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War to the victory in 1945 are recorded from different angles, recreating the glorious history of the 129th Division's resistance in the Taihang Mountains. The Yanzhao Journey self-driving convoy successfully concluded the visit to the 129th Division Headquarters Site and continued driving to the next stop: the Jingniang Lake Scenic Area in Wu'an, Hebei. (Text and Photos: Feng Ganyong)