In October 1934, Zhang Chaogui, who was only a teenager at the time, witnessed a tragic battle. The gunshots came from the opposite Kunniu Mountain, and leaves were shaken off all over the ground. Starting by an abrupt shot in the sky, the battle was very fierce. It turned out that, to avoid injuring the innocent, the Red Army soldiers had to shot at the sky, because they could not distinguish between the local militia and civilians in similar clothes. Zhang Chaogui heard soldiers still shouting in the chaos, “Don’t shoot indiscriminately. There are civilians. Our Red Army is here to protect them. We must not hurt them!”

On September 25, the international publicity group for the 2021 International Conference of Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports and the 16th Guizhou Tourism Industry Development Conference came to the tragic and bloody battlefield — the Shiqian Kunniu Mountain Red Army Battle Site . The group is composed of 25 representatives of mainstream media outlets and chambers of commerce.

Here, the 52nd Regiment of the 18th Division of the Sixth Red Army Corps had a fierce battle. The regiment was responsible for covering the retreat, so that the main force could withdraw and went southward to the Eastern Guizhou base area to join the Third Red Army led by He Long. When catching up the main troops, their way was blocked by machine guns and mortars of the reinforcements of the Hunan and Guizhou enemy forces and the local militia. At the same time, the main force of the Sixth Red Army Corps which had just completed its withdrawal was also chased by the fierce enemy. To buy more time, the 52nd regiment changed its route to lure the enemy into Kunniu Mountain, also plunging itself into a heavy siege.

The precipitous Kunniu Mountain was surrounded by rivers on three sides. Being outnumbered and unable to distinguish the militia and civilians, the Red Army troops were forced to retreat to the edge of the cliff in Hujinggou. They could not fight, and had nowhere to retreat. Behind them was an abyss. There were about 100 soldiers, whose average age was less than 20, remaining. They eventually chose to jump off the cliff. Only a handful of soldiers survived fortunately, and most of them sacrificed their young lives in the battle.

“The Kuniu Mountain Battle is tragically moving. No betrayer, no deserter... They always put the people at first.” On March 16 this year, Shen Yiqin,Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guizhou Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Guizhou Province, made a special trip to the battle site of Kunniu Mountain in Shiqian County. She emphasized that we should truly understand the revolutionaries’ lofty spirit of absolute loyalty, firm conviction, self-sacrifice and sincerity for the people. This battle is the vivid interpretation of Chinese Communist Party members’ original mission.

According to Zhang Guoyu, the secretary of the Party branch of Kunniushan Village, more than 40,000 people from various units and Party branches have come here to visit and study after Shen Yiqin’s visit. Zhang Guoyu has been listening to the story of the Red Army from his grandfather since she was a child. “We are fortunate and honored to grow on this land that is earned with the Red Army’s blood and lives. Now the Kunniushan Village is among the 23 beautiful red villages in Guizhou Province. We are further improving the supporting facilities for red tourism, hoping to pass on the red genes.”

“Kunniushan Village is building a model of ‘one core and two circulations’, with the Kunniu Mountain scenic spots as its core and the support of the ‘car circulation’ and the ‘step circulation’. In the past, our village did not have a cement road, but now it is everywhere. Transportation is convenient. It’s the ‘car circulation’. In addition, we are building a Red Army footpath to better promote the red culture. It is the ‘step circulation’.” Zhang Guoyu has found that more and more tourists came to the battle site, and there are three farm stays that have been approved by the village. “The average monthly profit of a farm stay is 50,000 yuan. When passenger flow is large, the villagers who sell fried cakes can earn five to six hundred yuan a day. Villagers are very glad.”

Zhang Guoyu said in the interview, “Braving the missions is the best way for us to commemorate the revolutionaries!” She looks forward to the better development of red tourism in Kunniushan Village which will increase income for villagers, striding towards the goal of rural revitalization. She also typed a sentence on her social media account, “Where there is a country, there is a home.”