One Military Airfield Site in Chongqing Functions as Public Cultural Space

In 2018, Chongqing officially announced Guangyang Island as the "Pilot Zone for Eco-civilization Innovation on the Yangtze River," focusing on eco-civilization pilot projects and creating an ideal destination for leisure and sightseeing.

In addition to the natural landscape, Guangyang Island is also home to the most complete and the largest area of wartime airfield heritage sites in China, with the most diverse and the largest number of relics, including the U.S. Army hotel, oil depot, bunkers, barracks, wartime inscriptions, and other sites worth visiting.

Guangyang Island was formerly known as Guangde Yu (Islet) and Guangyang Zhou (offshore bank) and is commonly known as Guangyang Ba (Dam) among the locals. In history, the first plane of Chongqing took off on February 11, 1930, from the Guangyangba Airport on Guangyang Island in Xiakou Town, Nan'an District.

Guangyangba Airport was the first airport in the main urban area of Chongqing. In August 1929, Liu Xiang, then the Sichuan Military Logistics Supervisor and commander of the 21 st Army of the National Revolutionary Army, decided to build an airport in Guangyang Dam. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the Chinese Air Force set up the First Route Command in Chongqing, which was responsible for air defense operations in the wartime capital of Chongqing. Among them, the Chinese air force defending Chongqing was mainly stationed at the three major airports in Guangyangba, Baishiyi, and Liangshan (now Liangping, Chongqing). Guangyangba Airport was the wartime gateway guarding Chongqing's airspace safety as it was located in the middle of the Yangtze River, where the terrain was relatively flat and wide. And with Tongluo Mountain and Mingyue Mountain as natural barriers, they could be defended when attacked and also conduct proactive attacks.

In 1937, when the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out, to strengthen the air defense of Chongqing, the National Government drafted 12,000 workers to expand the Guangyangba Airport. With primitive tools, people cut all the rolling hills at the eastern end of Guangyang Island into flat land and at the same time expanded the barracks, mechanic depot, U.S. Army hotel, command headquarters, bunkers, and other building facilities.

Guangyangba Airport became one of the important military airfields in the Great Rear Area and played an important role in the war. During the air battles in Chongqing, a group of prominent pilots, represented by Zheng Shaoyu, an underground CPC member and the top commander of the Chinese Air Force in charge of the air battles against Japan, fought bloodily at Guangyangba Airport and truly built a solid air defense barrier in Chongqing.

In early 1939, the 27^th Squadron of the 5^th Brigade of the Chinese Air Force was stationed at Guangyangba Airport, and later the 4^th Brigade of the Chinese Air Force, a renowned and prominent Brigade, was stationed to take charge of the air defense missions in Chongqing and fought heroically during the Japanese air raids many times. Many of the pilots in this group were overseas Chinese nationals from South Asia. In addition, there were also Soviet and American volunteer air units aiding China stationed on the island.

Ninety-two years have passed. Strolling down the long corridors inside the rebuilt Guangyang Camp, one can enjoy the green and vibrant grasslands in front of the buildings. The sun shines on the renovated walls, a peaceful and quiet place.

Guangyang Camp was once the barracks of Guangyangba Airport. Barrack 1 and 2 are the two largest barracks in the entire Guangyangba Airport heritage site, which are in situ conservation and restoration buildings and have become an exhibition hall. It is made up of a hip-and-gable roof with small green tiles, brick column bearing, rooms divided by rammed earth walls, wooden doors and windows, and outer corridors around the main body of the building. The architecture style is square and rigorous, simple but dignified.

Photos of the barracks in the past are exhibited on the walls, recreating the historical events of this "Island of Heroes." Barrack  3 combines six independent single rooms with a delicate and exquisite façade in the style of the Bayu folk house. Barrack  4 contains two courtyards connected by an internal corridor, square and symmetrical, with an elegant ancient style.

After 1949, Guangyangba Airport was taken over by the Eastern Sichuan Military Region. As an Allied power that fought bravely in the Anti-Japanese Aggression War, Guangyangba Airport later served as the location of the Aviation Club of the Chongqing Sports Commission, which nurtured aerospace talents for Chongqing. After the club was abolished, it was turned into a training base for the Chongqing Sports Commission, and part of the land was reclaimed as a farm with the municipal government's approval.

There are currently 28 existing airfield heritage sites on Guangyang Island, including eight bunkers, eight soldiers' barracks, two U.S. Army hotels, six oil depots, two air defense shelters, one power generation house, and one reinforced concrete bridge connecting Guangyang Island with the land. The structure of the site group is complete and well preserved. As one of the few complete wartime military facilities in Chongqing, it bears great significance to the study of wartime history.

History roots deeply and continues to grow on this ecological island, and culture presents treasures that shine in the embrace of breathtaking sceneries. At present, with elaborate planning and effective conservation, Guangyang Camp is cleverly utilized as a destination for Guangyangba's historical and cultural attractions and an ecological island for leisure and experiences. It provides functions including entertainment, leisure, convention, and other activities, providing a cultural and artistic space for the public. In recent years, national expert seminars on the construction of ecological facilities and the Great River Civilization Museum, and various thematic studies such as the "Bayu Nature" science popularization initiative have been held in Guangyang Camp. Guangyang Island is truly taking up the responsibilities of new historical missions and drawing a beautiful picture for the future with renewed vitality.