In order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Whampoa Military Academy, on July 1, the photo exhibition of "Changzhou Fortress and Whampoa Military Academy" opened at the theater of the Whampoa Changzhou Island Military Academy, showing the history and ancient and modern landscapes of the Cheung Chau Fortress and the Whampoa Military Academy through 110 historical documents, maps, historical photos, etc., highlighting the relationship between the two as barriers, playing a role and influencing each other, striving to tell the "story of Guangzhou" well, focusing on promoting the Whampoa spirit of "patriotism and revolution", and strengthening the patriotic education of young people.
The photo exhibition is divided into four parts: the first part, "The Situation in Cheung Chau, the Second Gateway", shows the military geography of Cheung Chau in Huangpu through documents, photos and maps. During the Qing Dynasty, there were frequent exchanges between China and the West, and Changzhou became increasingly prosperous, and foreign merchant ships entered Guangzhou and often berthed here. Cheung Chau is divided into two norths and south, and the Pearl River, the provincial river, is divided into front and rear waterways. Humen is the first gateway of Guangzhou, and Changzhou is the second gateway. After the Opium War, the Qing government implemented the "Westernization Movement" and actively developed the military industry. At the same time, a military school was established to teach Western skills and train shipbuilding personnel and the backbone of the navy and army. As an important base for the Westernization Movement, Cheung Chau has built many military facilities. The second part, "Cheung Chau Fortress Stretching Fort Group", introduces the historical events of Cheung Chau Forts and forts. In the ninth year of Guangxu (1883), the Sino-French War broke out, in order to defend Guangzhou, the Qing court deployed forts at the Humen Gate and on both sides of the Pearl River, and built Western-style forts such as Changzhou, Yuzhu, Shalu, and Niushan after 1884, forming the pattern of Changzhou fortresses later. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the political situation was complicated. Historical events such as the liberation of Guangdong after the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 and the Chen Jiongming Mutiny in 1922 were staged at the Cheung Chau Fortress, which was thrilling and profoundly affected the development trend of modern Chinese history. The third part, "Mutual Barriers, Military Academies and Fortresses", shows that the Whampoa Military Academy used the Cheung Chau Fortress and its forts as a barrier to play the role of a fort. In 1924, with the help of the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communists, Sun Yat-sen founded the Army Military Academy, the Whampoa Military Academy. The Cheung Chau Fortress provided a military barrier for the establishment of the Whampoa Military Academy, and the Whampoa Military Academy continued to play its role by using the original military and political facilities on Cheung Chau Island and the military facilities and ancillary buildings of the various forts of Cheung Chau Fortress as school buildings and training sites. The fourth part, "Visiting Cheung Chau", presents the attraction of Cheung Chau Fortress and Whampoa Military Academy in the past and present through historical documents and photos and study of Cheung Chau Fort, promotes the spirit of Whampoa, and plays the role of patriotic education. The Whampoa Military Academy attracts many groups and individuals at home and abroad to visit. By visiting the Whampoa Military Academy, Changzhou Fortress, and the Tomb of the Fallen Martyrs of the Eastern Expedition, etc., we can understand and feel the charm of the Whampoa Military Academy and the demeanor of the fallen martyrs of the Eastern Expedition, and carry forward the patriotic and revolutionary spirit of Whampoa, which has continued to this day.
Sand Road Fort Group
Li Keyi, curator of the exhibition and deputy research librarian of the Guangzhou Institute of Archaeology, said that the Whampoa Military Academy was an important achievement of the first KMT-CCP cooperation. Cheung Chau Fortress is closely related to the establishment and development of the Whampoa Military Academy. The Whampoa Military Academy has given full play to the role and function of the Cheung Chau Fortress, and the two have become barriers to each other, making due contributions to the establishment and consolidation of the source of China's modern democratic revolution and the anti-imperialist and anti-Japanese resistance.
Exhibition Venue: Huangpu Military Academy Theater, Changzhou Island, Huangpu District, Guangzhou
Reporter Guo Haoqi and correspondent Hu Zhuoyi of Southern Network and Guangdong Study