"Human Hell 'No Man's Land' -- Jingshi Library

Author: Chen Jianhui, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: "In the south, there is the Nanjing Massacre; in the north, there is the '' stretching thousands of miles." The '' along the Great Wall was established during the Anti-Japanese War by the Japanese invaders to consolidate their occupation of Chinese territory, severing the connection between the armed forces led by the Communist Party of China and the people. Through the measure of "collecting families and merging villages," the Japanese forced the local population into so-called "group settlements" (referred to by the people as "human circles"), creating a "no-residence and no-work zone," which became another major act of brutal aggression and invasion committed by the Japanese on Chinese soil. The Japanese began creating the '' along the Great Wall in 1939, initially implementing the policy in localized areas. As the anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare along the Great Wall intensified, the Japanese elevated the creation of the '' to a strategic level and formulated a comprehensive plan. By 1944, the Japanese had largely completed their '' project. Its range extended from Jiakou in the east (west of Shanhaiguan) 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 (districts) in five provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions: Hebei, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, and Tianjin. Among these, the "no-residence and no-work zone" covered approximately 8,500 square kilometers. Over 17,000 villages were forced to relocate, resulting in the construction of 2,506 "human circles," and about 1.4 million people were driven into these settlements. The '' primarily consisted of three levels:
1. The "no-residence and no-work zone," where residency and farming were strictly prohibited, implementing a complete "three-all" policy (kill all, burn all, loot all).
2. The "group settlements," fortified enclosures with armed guards, where people were allowed to live but lacked freedom of movement.
3. The "no-residence but no-work zone" between the "no-residence and no-work zone" and the "group settlements."
During the creation of the ',' the Japanese designated guerrilla bases as "no-residence and no-work zones," implementing a "root-and-branch destruction," extinguishing all vitality and taking the "three-all" policy to its extreme. While brutally suppressing the guerrilla bases, the Japanese imposed ruthless fascist rule on the people living in the "human circles," leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals due to hunger, disease, and brutal torture. Each "human circle" became a living hell. Statistics show that during the Anti-Japanese War, out of the 350,000 Chinese compatriots killed and tortured by the Japanese invaders in the Jirin-Liaoning-Haerbin region, most perished in the '.' The brutality of the Japanese in slaughtering and torturing the people of the '' was no less than that of the Nanjing Massacre.
Faced with the frenzied attacks of the Japanese, the Communist Party of China led the anti-Japanese armed forces in an arduous and relentless struggle. The Party's mass line and the concept of people's war demonstrated immense power, and the united front strategy was fully practiced. For over five years, under extremely harsh conditions, the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army not only survived but also waged a stubborn struggle, holding onto this strategic territory. The struggle in the '' produced countless heroic deeds that moved heaven and earth, fully embodying the spirit of patriotism and revolutionary heroism. Many officials and soldiers, such as the five heroes of Mount Langya, became symbols of heroism. The people along the Great Wall also made great sacrifices, with countless heroes emerging. The history of the '' along the Great Wall fully exposed the ferocity of the Japanese invaders while also showcasing the unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation. Comrade Hu Sheng once remarked, "The '' is a tragic and heroic snapshot of the Anti-Japanese War." Progressive Japanese scholars have also proposed that the '' is a unique phenomenon in the history of human warfare. Compared to the Nanjing Massacre, relatively little is known about the Japanese creation of the thousand-li '' along the Great Wall. We are therefore presenting relevant materials about the '' along the Great Wall to our readers.