Chongqing home preserves revolutionary history

An aerial photo shows the Chongqing Red Army Historical Museum in Chongqing's Pengshui Miao and Tujia autonomous county. The house was once Huang Xuezhen's home. LIAO WEI/FOR CHINA DAILY

To mark the start of the autumn semester in early September, 630 primary and secondary school students and teachers from Chongqing's Pengshui Miao and Tujia autonomous county visited a century-old residence in the Huangjia township, where they listened to captivating stories of the Red Army's journey during the Long March.

The sanheyuan, or three-sided courtyard house, belonged to the late Huang Xuezhen who was a villager in the Xianfeng community of Huangjia. It has since been transformed into the Chongqing Red Army Historical Museum, where stories of perseverance are told through its preserved bricks and tiles, and most notably, a "Red Army message slip" that has been cherished for 92 years. "Through this firsthand visit, I understand the hardships during the Long March and the greatness of our predecessors, which deeply moved and inspired me," said Zou Siyi, a first-year secondary school student.

The Long March, a monumental 12,500-kilometer expedition, is a pivotal event in Chinese history. It not only marked the Communist Party of China's strategic transfer but also exemplified the profound bond between the army and the people. In 1934, when the Red Army passed through Huangjia, local villagers, misled by reactionary propaganda, sought refuge in the mountains. The soldiers, in need of sustenance, entered Huang's house, consumed half a jar of pickled vegetables and used some firewood. Before departing, they replenished the water tank, tidied up the room, and left six liters of soybeans as compensation, along with a note explaining their actions.

"Boss: We ate half a jar of your pickled vegetables, a few green onions, and burned a few sticks of firewood. In compensation, we have left you with six liters of soybeans," read the note. Huang secretly preserved the note as a testament to the Red Army's integrity and connection to the people. In 1958, it was presented to the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution as a first-class cultural relic.

Today, the museum serves as a national defense and Party history education base. It is also part of a broader effort by the local government to develop historical sites, including the Red Army Street and a martyrs' cemetery, to honor the region's rich Red culture. "Throughout the year, particularly from June to August, the area hosts Party-building activities and student programs, where participants engage with local communities and learn about revolutionary history," said Zhang Xingxing, an employee of the township government.

The township's "First Lesson of the School Year" and "Retracing the Red Army's Path" programs, now in their ninth year, combine revolutionary history with legal education, inspiring students to appreciate their heritage and work hard in the new school year. "The number of visitors is quite impressive for our remote township since we started developing tourism in 2012, though visitors have to endure long, winding mountain roads," said Huang Qinghua, Party secretary of the Xianfeng community.

The community has welcomed an average of about 30,000 tourists annually, with operational income reaching 980,000 yuan ($146,086)over the past three years, he said.

Pengshui, located in the southeast of Chongqing, is home to 318,000 Miao people who make up 45.4 percent of the county's population. According to local authorities, it has the largest concentration of Miao people in all ethnic minority counties.

Huang Qinghua added that in recent years, his township has focused on developing an eco-industrial area by leveraging its Red cultural heritage and local Miao customs.

Contact the writers at dengrui@chinadaily.com.cn