Zaoyuan Revolutionary Site

Zaoyuan Revolutionary Site is located 8 kilometers northwest of Yan'an city, covering an area of 80 mu. It was the location of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China from October 1943 to March 1947. In October 1943, members of the Central Secretariat moved here from Yangjialing, continuing to lead the Party's rectification movement and the large-scale production movement in the liberated areas. They prepared for the 7th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, marking the historic transition from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to the nationwide Liberation War, and made full preparations to defeat the Kuomintang's "comprehensive civil war." Zaoyuan, also known as Yanyuan, is lush with trees and green grass, with the "Happiness Canal" running through the garden. At the center of the garden stands the Central Secretariat Auditorium, surrounded by five independent courtyards distributed along the hillside, which were the former residences of central leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Ren Bishi, Zhang Wentian, and Peng Dehuai. At the foot of the western hill of Hougou is the platform where Mao Zedong delivered his speech "Serve the People" and the former site of the Central Social Department. Three kilometers to the west are the former site of the Third Bureau of the Central Military Commission, an exhibition hall, and the martyr's cemetery of the Third Bureau of the Central Military Commission. In 1953, restoration of the Zaoyuan Revolutionary Site began, and it officially opened to the public in 1959. On March 4, 1961, it was announced by the State Council as one of the first national key cultural relics protection units. In 1997, it was named by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China as one of the 100 national patriotic education demonstration bases.