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The red memory of the East Lake Hotel: The little inn turned out to be a transit point for the rescue of Guangdong and Hong Kong

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When strolling through Dongping Street in the bustling city of Huizhou, Guangdong Province, a European-style old bungalow may catch your attention. Built in 1935, the East Lake Hotel stands out in the modern architectural complex, with tall facades, ancient brick walls and luxurious European-style decorations that make people want to stop and feel its charm. Walking into the house, you may be surprised that the small inn carries a surprising history - "Guangdong and Hong Kong Secret Rescue". The rescue, which Mao Dun called "the greatest rescue work since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression," was a miracle created by the Communist Party of China that shocked China and foreign countries.

The red memory of the East Lake Hotel: The little inn turned out to be a transit point for the rescue of Guangdong and Hong Kong

After the fall of Hong Kong in 1941, the Japanese invading forces hunted down progressive cultural figures and patriotic democrats, and more than 800 people were trapped in Hong Kong, and they were in a very dangerous situation. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Southern Bureau were extremely concerned about this, and under the instructions of Zhou Enlai, the Dongjiang guerrillas quickly organized a secret rescue. The rescue lasted more than 200 days, traveled more than 20,000 miles, covered more than a dozen provinces and cities, rescued more than 800 patriotic democrats and cultural celebrities, including He Xiangning, Zou Taofen, Mao Dun and many other patriots stayed at the East Lake Hotel after being rescued.

The red memory of the East Lake Hotel: The little inn turned out to be a transit point for the rescue of Guangdong and Hong Kong

What kind of life do patriots who have escaped from Hong Kong live in the East Lake Hotel? On the evening of Chinese New Year's Eve 1942, the first batch of rescued cultural figures Mao Dun, Hu Feng, Zhang Youyu and more than 20 other people came to stay at the East Lake Hotel. On the first day of the Chinese New Year, Lu Weiru got two fish and two chickens, and in order to thank the rescue personnel, Mao Dun and his wife personally cooked their hometown dish - Zhejiang-style "flavor chicken". Dozens of cultural celebrities and some people involved in the rescue ate Chinese New Year's Eve reunion dinner. After leaving Huizhou, this group of cultural celebrities traveled north along the river to Laolong, Shaoguan and other places. It was not until November 22, 1942, that the last group of rescuers arrived in the Liberated Areas of Northern Jiangsu several times, and the rescue was successfully completed.

After more than 70 years of ups and downs, the thrilling and smell of gun smoke has dissipated, leaving a Western-style building silently telling the past in the downtown. At the beginning of 2019, the East Lake Hotel was officially opened to the public, and now it has become a key red education base in Huizhou, with a large number of tourists and descendants of revolutionary ancestors visiting the museum to commemorate the occasion. Relive the story of the East Lake Inn and feel the endless red gene. Looking back at the past, the revolutionary story of the Guangdong-Hong Kong rescue has shone brightly in the long river of history; looking at the present, we have more profoundly realized the great victory won by the CPC in unity and leading the people of the whole country to struggle hard. (CCTV reporter Sun Bing, Zhang Yifan)

(Edited by Cheng Cheng)

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