Lu Zuofu Memorial Hall and the great cause of the "Yichang Great Retreat" during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

Lu Zuofu (14 April 1893 – 8 February 1952) was a native of Hechuan, Chongqing. Famous patriotic industrialist, educator, social activist; founder of Minsheng Steamship Company (the predecessor of the current Minsheng Group).

Lu Zuofu Memorial Hall is located in No. 1-33, Wenxingwan Lane, Chaoyang Street, Beibei District, Chongqing, covering an area of 3300 square meters, with a three-entry and three-fold hall quadrangle layout, with strong regional characteristics and era characteristics. The Lu Zuofu Memorial Hall is divided into four exhibition areas. The first exhibition area mainly introduces Lu Zuofu's diligent study, devoting himself to the revolution, arduous exploration, educating and teaching the country, saving the country through industry, and establishing a people's livelihood company; the second and third exhibition areas mainly introduce the construction of the Three Gorges villages in the Jialing River presided over by Lu Zuofu; the fourth exhibition area mainly introduces Lu Zuofu's outstanding achievements in devoting himself to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and ushering in liberation after the victory of the War of Resistance. The memorial hall consists of 4 exhibition areas of pictures and objects, 5 exhibition rooms for scene restoration, 1 screening room, and 1 special exhibition of calligraphy and paintings in honor of Lu Zuofu. The museum displays 140 precious historical photos, 72 cultural relics and documents, and 34 cultural relics substitutes, which concentrate on Mr. Lu Zuofu's patriotic feelings of founding education, establishing industry, enlightening the people's wisdom, and promoting rural construction experiments in order to find a way to save the country. In order to commemorate Mr. Lu Zuofu, the "father of Beibei", Beibei District carried out protective repairs to the old site of the Gorge Defense Bureau and built it as the Lu Zuofu Memorial Hall. In 2013, it was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1937, the Nationalist Government, on the one hand, slowed down the Japanese offensive by organizing the Battle of Songhu and even exploding the levee at the mouth of the Yellow River Garden, and on the other hand, organized schools, factories, personnel and materials to retreat and transfer to the rear area, in order to preserve the blood of Chinese industry and carry out a long-term war of resistance. In October 1938, the Japanese invading China advanced into Wuhan. The capital Chongqing and the southwest region were the rear areas of wartime, and the most convenient Yangtze River waterway in and out of Sichuan became an important transportation lifeline for China's War of Resistance. In order to rush more than 30,000 personnel stranded in Yichang and nearly 100,000 tons of national industrial essence and wartime materials into Sichuan and preserve the strength to resist Japanese fascism for a long time, Mr. Lu Zuofu, general manager of the Minsheng Steamship Company and patriotic industrialist, with a fearless spirit of sacrifice and extraordinary courage, devoted himself to organizing the staff and ships of the Minsheng Steamship Company, braving the indiscriminate bombardment of Japanese aircraft, and successfully accomplished this extraordinary feat in 40 days, this time a major historical event related to the life and death of the Chinese nation. It is known as the "Dunkirk Evacuation" in the history of China's War of Resistance.

Yichang in Hubei Province, known as the "throat of Sichuan and Hubei", has always been a place where soldiers must fight. Since the signing of the Yantai Treaty between China and Britain in 1876, Yichang has been opened as a treaty port, and it has become an important transshipment port on the Yangtze River route. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Yichang became the throat that hung over China's destiny. In November 1937, after the fall of Nanjing, the Nationalist government announced the relocation of the capital to Chongqing, and determined that Sichuan was the main rear area during the war, and the passage in and out of Sichuan became an important transportation line for the War of Resistance. At that time, there were few roads in Sichuan, let alone railways, and the only way to go was to take the Yangtze River. The Three Gorges channel above Yichang is narrow, curved and complex, with many rapid waves and dangerous dangers, and some places only allow one boat to pass. Ships of more than 1500 tons cannot go up the river, and all the large ships traveling west from Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan and other places cannot go directly to Chongqing at that time, and passengers and goods must disembark in Yichang to "transfer" (replaced by a large horsepower boat that can walk the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River) in order to continue to trace the river into the river.

On July 7, 1937, the War of Resistance Broke Out in Full Swing, and the Japanese fascist aggression against China had been planned for a long time and had been prepared in all aspects. Japan, superstitious about its military might, arrogantly declared that it would destroy China within three months.

By the end of July, Beijing and Tianjin had fallen one after another. In August, the Japanese attacked Shanghai, which was occupied three months later. In December, they invaded Nanjing and slaughtered 350,000 people. In October 1938, Wuhan fell, and Changsha and Guangzhou were later occupied. In the year and three months from July 1937 to October 1938, more than 1 million square kilometers of land and more than 340 cities in 13 provinces of North, Central and South China fell into the hands of the enemy.

Before and after the fall of Wuhan, Yichang, 300 kilometers away from Wuhan, became the focus of attention of both the enemy and us, and its important strategic position was even more prominent. This is because Yichang is the throat of the Yangtze River and the gateway to the River.

In particular, at the beginning of the Outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Nationalist Government announced the relocation of the capital to Chongqing and designated Sichuan as the wartime rear area, so the organs, schools, factories, and enterprises in North China, East China, and Central China moved to Sichuan, especially to Chongqing. The withdrawal of a large number of personnel and materials became the biggest problem of transportation in wartime.

At that time, in China, there were very few planes, and it was useless to pay a cup of water; the train lines were blown up and could not be operated normally; road transport was not only high in freight, there were few cars, and there were few roads that could not be directly entered into Sichuan. Therefore, the Yangtze River waterway became the most convenient route into Sichuan, and became the most important "golden waterway" that penetrated the front and back during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

At this time, the situation in Yichang was very critical, in a state of chaos and panic. Because the factories and equipment hastily withdrawn from Shanghai, Nanjing, Nantong, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, and Wuhan have been concentrated here, the government agencies evacuated from Nanjing and the schools that have to be evacuated to the rear are also concentrated here. At that time, "almost 100,000 tons of machinery had been piled up on both sides of the River in Yichang, covering hundreds of acres of ground, waiting for transshipment." The only shipping capacity suitable for the turbulent waters of the upper reaches of the Three Gorges was brought to a standstill due to panic-induced negotiations! The various steamship companies were crowded with noisy crowds, full of negotiations, invitations, invitations, negotiations, and the obstruction of transportation was not alleviated in the slightest." This grim situation is as Described by Lu Zuofu:

"For more than half a year, with the full strength of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the sea steamships, all the personnel and equipment were concentrated in Yichang. The transportation capacity of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River is too small, and after the fall of Hankou, there are still more than 30,000 people waiting to be transported, and more than 90,000 tons of equipment to be transported, which are crowded in Yichang. The lives of all of China's ordnance industry, aviation industry, heavy industry, and light industry are completely delivered here. ”

In particular, it is worth mentioning that many of the more than 30,000 people who were evacuated from various places to prepare for sichuan were teachers, doctors, engineers, businessmen and civil servants, bringing together elites from all walks of life in China. Moreover, at that time, Yichang was still only a small city, the urban area was only 2 square kilometers, so many people came at once, all the houses were crowded with people, and many people had to sleep on the street. Due to the large number of people and the small number of ships, they often wait for half a month to a month, and they cannot buy a ticket.

And The Japanese planes kept coming and bombing, and the Japanese army was approaching one after another, and fear and uneasiness hung over people's hearts. Yichang along both sides of the Yangtze River are piled up with machinery and equipment to be transported, and many machinery and equipment are very hasty when they are withdrawn, and they are too late to pack boxes, and they are exposed to the ground, allowing the sun and rain to rain. All units, enterprises, and organs are scrambling to withdraw from Yichang as soon as possible. Yichang was in a state of chaos and panic. Lu Zuofu witnessed the situation:

"There are people all over the streets, there are equipment everywhere, and people are very panicked. The situation is particularly disordered because of the scramble for luck. I flew to Yichang and watched as the steamship companies started from the gate to every office, filled with negotiators. All the employees of the companies handling transportation have gone all out to handle the negotiations and have no time to handle the transportation. The organs in charge of transportation scolded the steamship companies, the personnel who competed for the transportation of equipment, and scolded each other again. ”

At this time, Yichang was at a very important, very severe, and urgent juncture.

First, Yichang guards the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and is the throat of the Yangtze River. Upstream from Yichang, the waterway is narrow and curved, the beach is full of rapid waves, the reef is lined up, and ships of more than 1500 tons cannot go directly to Chongqing, and they cannot sail at night. Therefore, all the large ships that are going up, when they arrive in Yichang, must wait to change into large-horsepower boats on the Kaichuan River before they can cross the Three Gorges.

Second, at that time, it was only 40 days away from the annual dry period of the Sichuan River, and when the dry period arrived, the water level dropped, and the ships carrying large machinery and equipment could not sail at all.

Third, there was a shortage of transport ships at that time, especially in addition to the 22 ships of Lu Zuofu's Minsheng Company, which could cross the Three Gorges, there were only 2 Chinese ships and a few foreign ships. According to the calculation of the transportation capacity of that year, it will take at least 1 year for so many personnel and so many materials to be transported to Chongqing.

However, the task is to transport all these people and things out of Yichang within 40 days.

Who can turn the tide at this critical juncture? That is Lu Zuofu.

The "Great Evacuation of Dunkirk in the East" is the embodiment of his high sense of mission, responsibility and great wisdom and courage.

What must be pointed out is that in the face of such a chaotic situation in Yichang, in the face of such a grim situation in Yichang, and in the face of such a difficult transfer task in Yichang, why can Lu Zuofu still be so confident and boast to everyone about Haikou and guarantee that all the stranded personnel and materials will be transported out of Yichang within 40 days? One of the key magic weapons is the "three-stage navigation method" created by Minsheng Company during the famous Sichuan River dry water.

The three-stage navigation method is a method created by minsheng company to ensure the normal navigation of ships when the water level of the Yangtze River drops during the dry water.

The upper reaches of the Yangtze River enter a dry period every year from the beginning of December to the end of February of the second year. During this period, the water level of the Yangtze River dropped so much that larger ships could not drive in and could only stop sailing. But for shipping companies, it means that ships are idle, operating losses, and unemployed; for the market, because of poor freight, it means inflation and rising prices.

What to do? Lu Zuofu and the technicians of Minsheng Company repeatedly studied and created the "three-stage navigation method" of non-stop navigation during dry water.

The "three-stage navigation method" is to divide the route from Yichang to Chongqing in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River into three sections, and each section adjusts the horsepower, ship type and speed suitable for the navigation and transportation of ships with appropriate speed according to different water levels, flow rates and terrain.

Although this kind of navigation is a little troublesome and the transportation cost is a little higher, it ensures the normal transportation and navigation of the upper reaches of the Yangtze River during dry waters. This is a major creation in the history of Chinese shipping, showing the wisdom and creativity of Lu Zuofu and Minsheng people.

At this time, the "three-stage navigation method" came in handy in the Yichang retreat, showing its divine might.

During the non-dry period, from Yichang to Chongqing, it takes 4 days for ships to go up and 2 days to go down. In other words, it takes 6 days for general ships to travel between Yichang and Chongqing at a time. At that time, there were so many people and so many materials in Yichang, such as at this speed, only relying on more than 20 ships such as the Minsheng Company in Yichang at that time, it would take a year to complete. Lu Zuofu immediately made a decision and ordered that the "three-stage navigation method" should also be adopted during the 40-day non-dry period to ensure that all people and materials would be transported out of Yichang within 40 days.

Lu Zuofu decided that except for the most important materials and the bulky and large machinery and equipment that are least easy to load and unload, as well as important military materials that can be directly transported to Chongqing, all other materials should be handled in accordance with the "Three-Stage Navigation Law." Some materials are returned when they are transported to Wanxian County; some are returned when they are transported to Fengjie, Wushan, and Padang; and some are even unloaded only at the mouth of the Three Gorges Gorge and returned on the same day. In this way, the voyage is shortened by half or a half, thus gaining valuable capacity and time.

In November 1938, Japan's Konoe Cabinet issued a second statement to China, declaring that it would completely eliminate the Nationalist government and establish a new order in East Asia. To this end, the Japanese army in China stepped up the capture of Hunan and Hubei, and carried out crazy bombing of Yichang. The voyage from Yichang to Chongqing was nearly a thousand kilometers, with hundreds of dangerous beaches, enemy planes bombing the Xia River route without interruption, and the news of the daily loss of the Fleet of Minsheng Company came: steamships and wooden boats were blown up; and the company's employees gave their lives. According to statistics, in the entire evacuation transportation, minsheng company lost 16 ships, 116 company employees died, and 61 people were injured and disabled.

Relevant data show that before the fall of Yichang, the Minsheng Company transported troops, wounded soldiers, refugees, and other personnel, totaling more than 1.5 million people, and more than 1 million tons of goods, including 20,000 tons of air force equipment and materials from the Guangdong Artillery Factory. On New Year's Day 1939, Lu Zuofu was awarded a first-class medal by the National Government.

Some of the units that were rushed out from the Yichang evacuation were: Factory 22, Factory 23, Factory 24, Factory 25 of the Ordnance Industry Bureau, Jinling Arsenal, Shaanxi Factory of the Ordnance Industry Bureau, Henan Gongxian Branch of the Ordnance Industry Bureau, Henan Bianzhou Factory of the Ordnance Industry Bureau, Xianggui Arsenal, Nanchang Aircraft Factory, Yichang Aviation Station, Radio Plant of the Aviation Commission, Anqing Station of the Aviation Commission, Yangzhou Aviation Station, Iron and Steel Relocation Committee, Shanghai Steel Factory, Daxin Iron and Steel Factory, Zhou Hengshun Machine Factory, Tianyuan Electrochemical Plant, Xinmin Machinery Factory, Zhongfu Coal Mine, Dacheng Textile Factory, Wuhan Quilt Factory, and Wuchang Tweed Factory Wuhan Spinning Mill, etc., as well as national government agencies, scientific research institutions, school equipment, precious historical relics and so on.

Later, someone commented on this: "Those materials that rushed into Sichuan soon established a series of new industrial zones in the southwest, and the most important thing was the comprehensive industrial zone of the military industry, steelmaking and other industries centered on Chongqing, which constituted the industrial lifeblood of China during the War of Resistance." It was precisely these industrial and mining enterprises that retreated and were transported to the rear to become the strong backing of the War of Resistance, producing a large number of guns and cannons, providing a steady stream of weapons for the soldiers on the front line to kill the enemy, and providing a powerful guarantee for the final victory of the war. ”

God bless China! Tribute to Mr. Lu Zuofu and the thousands of people who sacrificed their lives for the victory of the War of Resistance!