Great Wall Online Thousand Li No Man's Zone

Author: Hebei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Institute of Party History
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: "In the south, there is the Nanjing Massacre; in the north, there are thousands of kilometers of 'no-man's-land.'" The "no-man's-land" was established during the Anti-Japanese War when the Japanese invaders forced the local population into designated "group settlements" along the Great Wall through the means of "collective relocation," creating a "no-residence prohibited zone." It was another major act of aggression and brutality committed by the Japanese on Chinese soil. This book is a key publication commemorating the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War. From 1939 to 1944, the Japanese created "no-residence prohibited zones" stretching from Shanhaiguan in the east to Laozhangba in Chifeng in the west, from Ningcheng and Weichang in the north to Qian'an and Zunhua in the south, covering a total area of 50,000 square kilometers and involving 25 counties in five provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions: Hebei, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, and Tianjin. Over 17,000 villages were relocated, resulting in the construction of 2,506 "human circles," and approximately 1.4 million people were forced into these settlements. During the creation of "no-man's-land," the Japanese implemented a "root-and-branch destruction," extinguishing all life and taking their "three-all" policy to its extreme. Among the 350,000 Chinese compatriots massacred and brutalized in the Jirin, Jehol, and Liaodong regions, most perished in "no-man's-land," with its cruelty not inferior to the Nanjing Massacre. "In the south, there is the Nanjing Massacre; in the north, there are thousands of kilometers of 'no-man's-land.'" The tragic scenes of the Nanjing Massacre carried out by the Japanese invaders are well-known worldwide, while the brutal creation of thousands of kilometers of "no-man's-land" along the Great Wall remains largely unknown. This manuscript has gathered extensive materials from all angles, aiming to let the world know about the criminal actions of the Japanese invaders in creating "no-man's-land" and the indomitable spirit of the people under the leadership of the Communist Party in their struggle against it. History has left this precious red revolutionary legacy for today, and it is believed that with its inherent potential value, it will undoubtedly demonstrate its immense power in the rejuvenation of the great motherland. This manuscript, The Thousands of Kilometers of No-Man's-Land Along the Great Wall, is a large-scale collection edited by scholars from both China and abroad, comprising five volumes. The first volume consists of comprehensive essays and media reviews; the second volume contains historical documents from the Communist Party organizations at various levels at that time and recollections from those who experienced it; the third volume includes thematic materials compiled by historians after field research; the fourth volume features Japanese archival documents and related activities; and the fifth volume presents essays by Japanese scholars on the struggles in "no-man's-land" and photographs they took. The materials are vast and detailed, the content rich and vivid, making it a living textbook of great significance for patriotism education and the promotion of national spirit among people of all strata. It is also a reference book needed by educators and social science researchers for teaching and studying modern and contemporary Chinese history and the history of the Communist Party of China. This is precisely the original intention behind compiling this manuscript.