Shangrao Concentration Camp Travel Guide: Entrance Tickets, Travel Tips, Photos and Maps – China Travel Agency, China Tours 2019

The Shangrao Concentration Camp Site

The Shangrao Concentration Camp Site上饶集中营旧址 is located at No. 66 Lingyuan Road, Xinzhou District, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, covering an area of 2 square kilometers.

The Shangrao Concentration Camp refers to a fascist concentration camp established by the Kuomintang’s military intelligence organization in Shangrao, Jiangxi. The camp consists of facilities in locations such as Qifengyan, Zhou Tian Village, Maojialing, and Li Village, and since they are all near Shangrao, they are collectively referred to as the “Shangrao Concentration Camp.” The site includes four main tourist areas: the central scenic area, the old site of Zhou Tian Prison, the old site of Li Village Prison, and the old site of Qifengyan Prison. In 1955, the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery was established, followed by various commemorative buildings such as the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery, memorials, and pavilions. The Shangrao Concentration Camp serves as a historical educational site for the struggles of revolutionary predecessors against enemies and is a revolutionary legacy and spiritual wealth left to future generations. The old sites of Qifengyan Ancient Zen Temple, Ge Xian Temple, Zhuge Ancestral Hall, and the old site of the 4th squad are structures from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, holding historical and artistic value.

On January 13, 1988, the old site of the Shangrao Concentration Camp was announced as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. On February 1, 2009, the Shangrao Concentration Camp was approved as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Historical Development

In January 1941, following the Kuomintang’s attack on the Anhui-South incident, a fascist-style concentration camp known as the Shangrao Concentration Camp was established in Shangrao, Jiangxi, in locations such as Zhou Tian, Maojialing, Li Village, and Qifengyan.

In 1955, the Jiangxi Provincial Committee and the Jiangxi Provincial People’s Government, along with the Shangrao Municipal Committee and the Shangrao Municipal People’s Government, allocated funds to build the Maojialing Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery, the Shangrao Concentration Camp Revolutionary Martyrs’ Monument, and the Martyrs’ Cemetery.

In 1959, the Jiangxi Provincial People’s Government allocated additional funds to expand the Maojialing Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery. The expansion project was completed in 1963 and opened to the public for visitors to pay their respects.

In 1966, a display room for the revolutionary martyrs of the Shangrao Concentration Camp was established.

In 1979, a new Shangrao Concentration Camp Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial Hall was built, and veterans from the New Fourth Army who participated in the revolutionary struggle at the camp attended the opening ceremony. Renowned calligrapher Lai Shaoqi personally inscribed the name of the hall.

From 1980 to 1985, several old sites underwent maintenance.

In 1993, the Shangrao Concentration Camp Site Scenic Area Management Committee was established under the former Shangrao Civil Affairs Bureau, functioning as a deputy section-level institution. The old site of Zhou Tian Prison was assigned to the original Shangrao Museum, while the old sites of Li Village Prison and Qifengyan Prison were assigned to the Guangxin District Museum.

In 1996, the “Maojialing Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery” was renamed the “Shangrao Concentration Camp Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery,” still maintaining a deputy section-level status.

At the end of 2003, the establishment of the “Shangrao Concentration Camp Scenic Area Management Committee” was approved, serving as a municipal government-affiliated institution at the deputy county level. Resource integration was carried out simultaneously.

By the end of 2004, the resource integration task was basically completed.

In 2005, with the approval of the Shangrao Municipal Committee, the Shangrao Concentration Camp Scenic Area was elevated to a municipal government-affiliated institution at the county level, establishing the Working Committee of the Communist Party of China at the Shangrao Concentration Camp Scenic Area, the Management Committee of the Scenic Area, and the Disciplinary Inspection Working Committee.

Architectural Layout

Structure
The Shangrao Concentration Camp site is divided into four main visiting areas: the central scenic area, the old site of Zhou Tian Prison, the old site of Li Village Prison, and the old site of Qifengyan Prison. The central scenic area is the Shangrao Concentration Camp Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery, covering an area of 0.2 square kilometers. It includes the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Monument, the Martyrs’ Cemetery, the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial Hall, and several other commemorative buildings. Zhou Tian Prison features well-preserved ancestral halls, 13 rooms, including the upper and lower Zhou Tian prisons (housing inmates from teams 1 to 6 and the female team), a large auditorium, a morgue, the “Seven Gentlemen” cell, the “Officer Detachment Headquarters,” the “Special Training Class” headquarters, Zhang Chao’s office, and the captain’s room, covering over 30 acres. The Li Village Prison old site features a red stone and wooden structure with four small rooms.

Characteristics
The small and large cells in the old site of the Shangrao Concentration Camp were primarily built using the local residences, ancestral halls, and temples from that time. The overall environment of the existing site has largely retained the rural landscape of that period. The buildings themselves, in terms of architectural form and craftsmanship, have preserved their original style. Particularly, the main camp in Zhou Tian Village still maintains the historical features of a Jiangnan small village, representing a historical reflection of village culture based on agricultural economy in China’s feudal society.

Major Buildings

Shangrao Concentration Camp Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial Hall
Established in 1978, the Shangrao Concentration Camp Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial Hall was rebuilt for the third time in 2003, completed in April 2005, and officially opened on May 26, 2006. It covers an area of 17,000 square meters, with a building area of 4,300 square meters. The exhibition hall is divided into a foyer and four exhibition halls, comprising seven parts in total. It features Hui-style architectural design, integrating traditional culture with modern concepts. The interior design utilizes sound, light, electricity, and multimedia film art, along with holographic imaging, simulated scenes, and dynamic sand tables, combining traditional flat images with modern three-dimensional techniques. It collects a wealth of historical images, text materials, and artifacts to reconstruct the historical facts of the revolutionary struggles at the Shangrao Concentration Camp.

Shangrao Concentration Camp Revolutionary Martyrs’ Monument
The Shangrao Concentration Camp Revolutionary Martyrs’ Monument is located on a hillside in the western part of Leigong Mountain in Maojialing. The original monument was built in 1955 and stood 8 meters tall. This monument was rebuilt in May 1959, reaching a height of 28.2 meters (with a monument body height of 20 meters, a base height of 7 meters, and a 1.2-meter step), and its base measures 20 meters on each side, forming a square. The front of the monument is inscribed with the golden characters “Revolutionary Martyrs Will Live Forever” written by Zhou Enlai. The back features inscriptions by Liu Shaoqi and Zhu De, while the sides include memorial texts from the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Jiangxi Provincial People’s Committee. The front of the base bears the inscription of the monument’s name. The entire monument is made of granite and is silver-gray in color.

Cultural Relics

Maojialing Prison Old Site
Located in Maojialing Village, the original structure was an ancient temple known as Ge Xian Temple. In the summer of 1939, the political department of the Kuomintang’s Third War Zone took over the temple and converted it into a secret prison, beginning the detention of Communists and other patriotic progressive figures captured from southeastern provinces. After the Anhui-South incident, many of the most steadfast revolutionaries, considered to be the least likely to be “reformed,” were sent here for “melting.” This prison is known as the darkest and most brutal part of the Shangrao Concentration Camp.

Maojialing Prison has four confinement rooms: a heavy confinement room, a light confinement room (which has no real distinction between heavy and light), a female inmate room, and a preferential room. There are also administrative offices for the special agents, squad leaders, and two guard posts. The management was overseen by special agents from the Kuomintang, with a guard squad assigned for security.

In the early years of liberation, the old site partially collapsed and was repurposed as a nursery. In 1955, the Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Bureau allocated funds for restoration to its original state.

Zhou Tian Prison Old Site
Zhou Tian Prison served as the main base of the Shangrao Concentration Camp and was established in March 1941. The headquarters of the “Officer Detachment” and the “Special Training Class,” as well as the “Southeast Division,” were located here. The prison facilities were repurposed from seized civilian housing.

Zhou Tian Prison is distributed across the upper and lower Zhou Tian villages. The entire upper and lower Zhou Tian prison area features well-preserved ancestral halls and 13 rooms, including the upper and lower Zhou Tian prisons (which housed inmates from teams 1 to 6 and the female team), a large auditorium, a morgue, the “Seven Gentlemen” cell, the “Officer Detachment Headquarters,” the “Special Training Class” headquarters, Zhang Chao’s office, and the captain’s room.

Li Village Prison Old Site
The Li Village Prison Old Site is characterized by a red stone and wooden structure consisting of four small rooms, which served as confinement spaces for captured Communist Party members and revolutionary figures from neighboring counties.

Visiting Information

Opening Hours
The Shangrao Concentration Camp is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

Transportation
The Shangrao Concentration Camp can be accessed by various transportation means, including buses, private vehicles, and taxis. Visitors can inquire at local travel agencies for more detailed transportation options.

Tips for Visitors

It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes for walking around the site.
Visitors should take the time to read the historical descriptions and details provided at various points throughout the camp to gain a deeper understanding of its significance.
Photography is allowed in most areas, but visitors should be respectful and mindful of the memorial nature of the site.

This summary provides an overview of the Shangrao Concentration Camp Site, detailing its historical background, architectural features, cultural relics, and visitor information.