The Red City of Apricot Tree Ping
Ran Kui
"Where is the restaurant? The shepherd boy refers to Xinghua Village. The Xinghua Village in this poem "Qingming" is said to be in Fenyang, Shanxi, Guichi, Anhui, and Macheng, Hubei. In Puguang Town, Xuanhan County, there is also a veritable "Xinghua Village" - Xingshu Village. The name of Xingshu Village comes from the fact that there was a huge apricot tree here in the early Ming Dynasty. The village has convenient transportation, adjacent to Puguang Industrial Park, Puguang Economic Development Zone, Dazhou, 5 kilometers away from Xuanhan Railway Station, 6 kilometers away from Puguang entrance and exit of Baomao Expressway, 7 kilometers away from Asia's first and world's second Sinopec Puguang Purification Plant, and 10 kilometers away from the country's largest and most well-preserved Luojiaba site.
Xingshuping dwellings in Puguang Town, Xuanhan County
In October 1933, the Red 9th Army entered the Tumao Field (now Puguang Town), fought local tyrants, divided the land, established the township Soviet power in Tuzhu Street, and established the Young Pioneers and Boy Scouts in each village. Xingshuping is located in Xingshu Village Group 1, is a large flat with more than 400 acres of fertile land, the Red 9th Army is stationed here, the military department, various organs and local troops, the Red Guards a total of more than 10,000 people are active here, so Xingshuping is also called Xingshucheng. Relying on the unique natural resources and red resources, Xingshu Village continues to develop the red apricot industry, and has become a well-known "red village" and "red city".
Fight to kill the stubborn enemy
There is a Liujia compound in Liujiawan, group 1 of Xingshu Village, which is a three-way compound, with 16 wooden bucket structure tile houses, and the stone dam area in the courtyard is nearly 300 square meters, which can accommodate thousands of people. At the entrance outside the courtyard dam, there is a sign that reads "The Former Site of the Headquarters of the Red 9th Army". Liu Weiqun, 72, pointed to a house and said: "The Red Army locked up the captured White Army in this room for interrogation, and there is a dam behind the house, where many evil people are buried, which is called a mass grave."
The former site of the headquarters of the Red 9th Army of Group 1 of Xingshu Village, Puguang Town, Xuanhan County
About 1 km away from the Liu family compound is Huangjiaba, which is the site of the Political Department of the Red 9th Army. The wide village road passes by, and there is an empty flat dam not far away, which is the training ground of the Red Army, and the locals name it "Red Army Square". During the day, when there was no fighting, Red Army soldiers studied military theories and field drills here, and at night set up a "peasant night school" here to teach the masses literacy and hyphenation and carry out cultural education.
Xuanhan County Puguang Town Xingshuping Red Army Square and painting
In the middle of summer, walking in the apricot tree village where melons and fruits are fragrant, what I heard the villagers talk about the most is that more than 90 years ago, the Red Army fought bravely to kill the enemy here, the "Divine Sword Squad" fell from the sky to kill the white bandits, and the "four blocking battles" made the white army fall to the ground. The White Bandit and the White Army were the names given to the Kuomintang army by the villagers.
Eagle's beak village is located at the junction of Xingshu Village and Hexi Village, and is named after a huge rock protruding from the village that resembles an eagle's beak. There was a company of white troops camped here, and they burned, killed, looted, and did all kinds of evil. The Red 9th Army decided to send a "magic knife squad" to cut out this "tumor". The "magic knife squad" of the Red 9th Army, from the squad leader to the soldiers, all have a big knife tied with a red cloth, and all of them play the big knife vigorously, chopping, chopping, picking, stabbing, poking, and making strong moves. On a cold night, a White Army soldier was awakened in his sleep by the Red Army lifting the quilt, and he muttered: "What a joke on such a cold day!" The Red Army said: "Which one is joking with you, Lao Tzu is the Red Army!" After speaking, the knife fell in his hand, and the white soldiers of a company became ghosts under the knife in a daze. Someone described the battle in a smooth way: "The eagle's beak village is under the back of the sword, the white bandits are delusional and ferocious, the Red Army touches the snail in the middle of the night, and more than 100 bandit troops see the king of Hades."
The "Four Resistance Battles" refer to the four battles of Eagle's Beak Village, Dashanpo, Yanjiaping, and Zhu'eryan. These four battles commanded by the headquarters of the Red Ninth Army were an important victory of the Red Fourth Front Army against the "six-way siege."
On January 13, 1934, the Kuomintang garrison Wang Fangzhou Brigade launched a fierce offensive against Xingshuping. The enemy attacked in four directions with the strength of one reinforced brigade and five regiments: the first road crossed the river from Dunzikou to attack Zhu'eryan, the second road crossed the river from Caijiagou to attack Yanjiaping, the third road crossed the river from Miaotan to attack Dashanpo, and the fourth road crossed the river from Erbazhou to attack Yingzui Village.
In order to ensure the safe transfer of the political headquarters and headquarters of the Red Ninth Army stationed in Xingshuping, army commander He Wei, political commissar Zhan Caifang, deputy army commander and commander of the 25th Division, Xu Shiyou, and other generals, after careful consideration, in addition to leaving the troops directly under the army directly under the operations section commander Zhou Xihan to protect the safety of the military headquarters, quickly threw the three divisions of the Red Army into Yanjiaping, Dashanpo, Yingzuizhai, and Zhu'eryan, which were eight miles away from the army headquarters, and used the favorable terrain of the four peaks to build fortifications to block the enemy's attack.
Under the cover of aircraft, the enemy launched a fierce attack on the Red Army positions with mortars and machine guns, and the Red Army used Hanyang-made rifles, homemade earthen guns, earthen cannons, broadswords, rolling stones and other weapons to stand by in battle. 200m, 100m, 50m...... As the enemy approached, "Hit!" The commander of the Red Army gave an order, and in an instant, the Red Army's dense gunshots, grenade explosions, earth cannons, slashing and slashing sounds, and people's shouts of killing resounded one after another, resounding in the sky. The Red Army adopted flexible strategies and tactics and, with a stubborn will to fight, repelled dozens of enemy attacks, and the corpses of the White Army were scattered all over the field. The battle lasted from the early morning of the 13th to the afternoon of the 14th, and the enemy was never able to attack a hill and achieve a great victory. After that, the main force of the Red 9th Army went to Hujiachang from Xingshuping to face the biting cold wind and participate in a new battle.
Later, the Red Army came to the Turkish field again, but soon left again. Wang Weizhou wrote in the article "My Memories": "In early August 1934, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive. Our army first concentrated its forces on the eastern front, attacked the enemy's junction between Wanyuan and Tongjiang at night - the dangerous position of Nantianmen, defeated Liao Yuchen's two divisions, pursued by victory, and annihilated an independent brigade of Liu Xiang at Heilongyan, and then penetrated into the depth, until the first line of Tumao and Shimenchang north of Xuanhan and Daxian...... In mid-August, the main forces of the Red Army mobilized the Western Front and crossed Ba Shui. ”
Military and civilian fish and water conditions
The Red Army loves the people, and the people love the Red Army. From October 1933 to January 1934, although the Red 9th Army was stationed in Xingshuping for only three months, many stories of deep love between the military and the people emerged. Huang Yihong, secretary of the general party branch and director of the village committee of Xingshu Village, introduced: "After the Red Army came to our village, the military discipline was very strict, not to disturb the people, not to alarm the people, to sleep under the eaves, by the cattle pen, in the dam, but also to help the masses carry water, chop wood, sweep the ground, the masses believe that the Red Army is a poor team, iron determination to go with the Communist Party, there were nearly 30 people in the village to join the Red Army, in 1982 by the county government was named revolutionary martyrs there were 14 people."
"A round of red sun raises its head, and the Red Army comes on the first day of August. Drove out the brigade commander of the White Bandit King, and the landlord built the Soviet. After a long drought and rain, the Red 9th Army came. The landlords fled in a hurry, and the Red Army was stationed in Xingshu City. This popular red ballad has been sung in Xingshu Village to this day, singing the warm welcome and heartfelt support of the local people for the Red 9th Army.
Anyone who comes to Liujiawan can hear the story of Liu Shouqi telling the story that happened in his house. Liu Shouqi, 71 years old, tells the story of a bracelet: a Red Army soldier named Yang Song from Jiangxi Province was injured in battle, and his grandparents placed him at home to recuperate from his wounds, take good care of him, and help the soldier with laundry, cooking, and medicine. After a month of guarding, the warrior basically recovered from his injuries, and in order to repay the kindness, he quietly took off his bracelet and put it at home, and went to the battlefield again. The bracelet became a precious gift that was passed down from generation to generation.
The Red Fourth Front Army has done very good medical and health work in the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Region, and in addition to the general hospital, almost every army and division has a military hospital. In order to better treat the wounded and sick of the Red Army, the Red 9th Army set up a military hospital in the 6th group of Sun Jiachang Fu Shengrong's house. The hospital has an inpatient department, diagnostic rooms, operating rooms, studios, and a pharmacy. The hospital not only treats the sick and wounded, but also treats the villagers free of charge. The doctors of the Red Army Hospital were not only highly skilled, but also concerned about the weal and woe of the common people...... The small hospital became a window for the Red Army and the people to communicate with each other.
The former site of the Red Army Temporary Hospital of Group 6 of Xingshu Village, Puguang Town, Xuanhan County
In order to solve the draft problem, the Red Army dug, expanded, and renovated a well next to the headquarters of the Liujia compound, and the soldiers and civilians drank the same well water. This well is called the "Red Army Well", and it can still be used today, and the water that comes up is cool and sweet, and when you drink it in your mouth, it is sweet to the heart. There are two tall ancient maple trees in group 4, and there is a stone mill under the tree, which the Red Army used to grind flour and rice, and the villagers also spontaneously provided food for the Red Army to solve their food needs. In order to recall the days of working and laughing with the Red Army, the villagers called this mill "Red Army Mill". Based on these stories, the painted "Red Army Stationed in Xingshu City" was painted on the outer wall of the house of villager Yang Tianxiang.
Xuanhan County Puguang Town Xingshu Village 1 Group Painting "Red Army Stationed in Xingshu City"
Xuanhan County, Puguang Town, Xingshu Village, Group 1, Liujiawan Red Army Well
A hundred-year-old apricot tree in Xingshuping was cut down by the White Army, and the main trunk that took four or five people to hug was plundered, leaving a thick branch with a bowl mouth. After the Red Army came, Chen Daxing, a villager in Group 1, used the branches of apricot trees cut down by the White Army as the roof pillars of the house, and strengthened his farm house into a barracks for the Red Army to live in. Based on the story, the painted "Apricot Tree Branches Make Barracks" was painted on the outer wall of villager Wang Yongcai's house.
Painting "Apricot Tree Branches as Barracks"
Group 1 Hanjiawan villager Han Dingrong is an old man, although he is old and lame, he has a good skill in making straw shoes. After the Red Army came to Xingshuping, he worked day and night to make straw sandals for the Red Army, and gave straw sandals to the Red Army soldiers free of charge, known as the "King of Straw Shoes". Based on the story, the painted "Straw Shoes to the Red Army" was painted on the outer wall of the house of villager Li Yonglian.
Painting "Straw Shoes to the Red Army"
During the period when the Red Army was stationed in Xingshuping, men joined the Red Army or the front, and women formed a transport company. "The big bus is high and the white clouds are turning, and the mountain is high and the road is dangerous. Women form a front team, each with a pair of iron feet. Carry explosives, carry bullets, carry food, carry the wounded. Coming and going like a dragon, bullets and bullets are constantly raining. The army and the people worked together to fight the white bandits, and the front and rear were in a line of companies. The "Women's Transport Song" sung at that time was a true portrayal of the women's support for the Red Army in eastern Sichuan. Xu Guangxiu, a villager in Group 1, served as the local women's director and took the initiative to take on the task of transporting grain and goods, and her house also became the venue for the Red Army's meeting. Xu Guangxiu organized the villagers to raise food for the Red Army, and continuously transported the grain from Xingshuping to the major battlefields, reaching as far as Shaanxi Province (where there was the Red Army monitoring the enemy in southern Shaanxi), and brilliantly completed the logistical support work. Based on this story, the painted "Sending Food to the Red Army" was painted on the exterior wall of the family of villager Liang Zhongcheng.
Painting "Sending Food to the Red Army"
In addition, for acts of sabotage, the Red Army would also severely punish the villagers. In order to prevent the White Army from attacking, the Red Army cut down more than a dozen large trees and built fortifications in 4 groups of Yang Dayan. Yang Zongwu, a villager in Group 4, listened to Bai Jun's advocacy and cut off the branches for firewood, so he used a scimitar to cut off the lush branches and leaves. When the Red Army's defenses were exposed, the Red Army arrested them in the name of White Army spies and educated them severely.
The integration of culture and tourism
The gunfire was gone, and the smoke cleared. Red hot land, thriving industry.
Since 2023, the Party History Research Office of the Xuanhan County Party Committee has deeply excavated the red resources of Xingshu Village, and empowered rural revitalization in various forms such as "finding out the red background, polishing the red landmarks, making red logos, sorting out red stories, planning red routes, and training red commentators", so as to create a model of deep integration of "party history + cultural tourism industry". The village grasps the inheritance of red genes with one hand and the growth of the red apricot industry with the other, and has successively introduced high-quality apricot varieties such as Golden Sun, Kate, Fengyuan Red, Begonia Red, etc., planted more than 1,000 acres of apricot trees, successfully registered the trademark of "Xinghong Bashan", and successfully applied for the protection of national geographical indications. Bashan red apricot has not only become a "sweet fruit", "rich fruit" and "happy fruit", but also brought "fire" to the rural tourism economy, and Xingshu Village has become a "hot item" of Xuanhan rural red research.
The members of the "two committees" of Xingshu Village set an example, practiced the original mission with hard work and dedication, and "are conducive to consciously avoiding and taking the initiative to take responsibility". The villagers felt the influence of red culture, consciously followed the footsteps of their revolutionary predecessors and marched forward bravely, condensed the spiritual power of upward and good, and the appearance of the village and the spiritual outlook of the masses took on a new look. The front and back of the house in Xingshu Village are clean and tidy, the road environment is beautiful and comfortable, the villagers respect the old and love the young, watch and help each other, good people and good deeds have become a common practice, the red gene has been inherited, and the red blood has been continued.
Xuanhan County Puguang Town Xingshu Village Party and Mass Service Center
Through the propaganda of party history and the training of red commentators, the villagers "are members of the society when they carry their hoes, and they are commentators when they put down their trousers", and most of them can tell the stories of the Communist Party, the revolution, the Red Army, and the heroes, and have cultivated a "permanent card" explanation team that cannot be taken away. Today's Xingshu Village has rich red ruins, a large number of red commentators, and wonderful red stories, endowing rural tourism with rich cultural connotations and unique landscape experiences, and achieving a wider range and deeper integration of "party history + cultural tourism industry".
Propaganda slogan of the Red Army in Xingshu Village
Through the "Apricot Blossom Viewing Festival", "Red Apricot Picking Festival", "Xingshu Village Red Culture Network Publicity" and other activities, red tourism and rural tourism, research tourism, and ecological tourism are integrated, and the red cultural business card is more shining. The industry is prosperous, the environment is beautiful, the life is rich, the countryside is good, the hometown has made gratifying changes, the sense of identity and pride of the hometown of the people living abroad has been enhanced, and the enthusiasm for loving and building the hometown has been aroused. Some villagers abroad took the initiative to return to Sangzi and contribute to the construction of their hometown, some donated money and materials for public welfare, and some returned to their hometowns to start a business and develop characteristic breeding, sounding the "rallying call" for foreign talents to feed their hometowns.
Apricot blossoms in the village of apricot trees
Apricot tree village red apricot
With the development of red culture, the villagers sincerely feel the party's kindness and consciously follow the party, and the atmosphere of "catching up with learning and competing to get rich" is becoming stronger and stronger, and Xingshu Village has won the 2023 "county-level model household" for civic ideological and moral construction. The village has established a joint-stock economic cooperative association, and more than 1,000 acres of red apricots are managed by the model of "village collective + farmer + cooperative", and the income is divided according to the ratio of 4:3:3. This model absorbs more than 200 villagers working in the township every year, and the annual village collective economic income is more than 100,000 yuan, which not only increases the income of the villagers, but also strengthens the village collective economy, and the relationship between the party and the masses continues to consolidate, and the rural society is harmonious and stable.
The revolutionary spirit will always shine, and the red land will change wonderfully. Walking in the red hot land and green landscape of Xingshu Village, red culture is everywhere. Red is the brightest background color of Xingshu Village, leading the development of the red apricot industry with red culture, making a big "red article", and turning traditional industries into leading industries. Villages have become scenic spots, villagers have become shareholders, and farmhouses have become guest rooms, and the "red advantage" has achieved "people's livelihood and welfare".
Source: Dazhou Daily, page 6, August 2, 2024
Text/Photo: Ran Kui (Director of the Party History Research Office of the Xuanhan County Committee of the Communist Party of China)