Beacon Fires at the World's End cover

Beacon Fires at the World's End

Rating 2.8
Word count
136K words
Chapters
51
ISBN
9787520543941

Tags

Summary

Sanya, Hainan Province (known in ancient times as Yazhou, and established as Ya County in 1912), is a coastal city with a long history and culture and a glorious revolutionary tradition. In early 1926, Sanya's first Party organization—the Ya County Communist Group—was founded, and in the autumn of the same year the CPC Southeast Branch was established. From then on, under the firm leadership of the Communist Party of China, the broad ranks of Party members and workers and peasants in Sanya threw themselves actively into the Great Revolution, the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the War of Liberation, advancing from victory to victory. This book carefully selects representative events, figures, and stories from different stages of Sanya's revolutionary development, using individual small stories as entry points to vividly present the glorious image of the Sanya people—firm in conviction, courageous in struggle, unafraid of sacrifice, and undaunted by hardship. The book is divided into four sections and 45 stories, with solid historical materials and abundant illustrations; the entries are linked by historical events and chronological succession while each stands alone, combining documentary value, storytelling, readability, and ease of dissemination. It is a fresh and distinctive popular reader for patriotic education and education in revolutionary tradition.

Editor's review

Compiled by the Sanya Municipal Office of Local Chronicles and Published by Chinese Literature and History Press in 2024, this is a popular reader grounded in local revolutionary sources. Divided into four sections and 45 stories, it begins with the founding of the Ya County Communist Group in 1926 and links the Great Revolution, the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the War of Liberation, selecting representative events, figures, and stories to bring grand history down to concrete, palpable narrative. Its value lies in solid historical materials and abundant illustrations; each piece can be read independently, yet chronological and event links form an overall thread, balancing documentary value, storytelling, and readability. For local Sanya readers it is a hometown revolutionary reader to follow step by step; for general readers it opens a window onto the revolutionary course of a coastal city in southern Hainan. It suits use as supplementary material for patriotic and revolutionary-tradition education, and also suits selecting individual pieces for Party theme days, class meetings, or family reading before reading through in chronological order to form a complete historical understanding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Local readers in Sanya and Hainan who wish to learn about their hometown's revolutionary history and local figures
  • Primary and secondary school teachers and ideological-political educators seeking tellable, readable material for patriotic education
  • Members of grassroots Party and League organizations for thematic study and reading-sharing
  • General readers interested in local revolutionary history and popular Party-history readers

Not a good fit for

  • Professional Party-history researchers expecting systematic academic textual criticism and detailed annotation
  • Readers who prefer fiction and seek plot suspense and imagination
  • Readers who want a single volume covering national revolutionary history rather than focusing on Sanya

Reading tips

  1. First read the table of contents to grasp the chronological thread of the four sections, then read in section order rather than picking isolated pieces and losing the historical connections.
  2. After each piece, note the event's time, figures, and place in a sentence or two for easy cross-reference.
  3. Suits thematic study: read two or three pieces at a time and deepen understanding through discussion or sharing.
  4. While reading, note the images and source citations, which can be cross-referenced with local chronicle materials.

About the publisher

China Culture and History Press China · Founded in 1980

China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 前言
  3. 第一辑 从五四运动到大革命时期
  4. 暗夜里的雷声
  5. 天涯大地的星星之火
  6. 觉醒的土地
  7. 一封家书
  8. 第二辑 土地革命战争时期
  9. 藤桥武装起义
  10. 烈火中诞生的红色政权
  11. 攻克三亚
  12. 藤桥保卫战
  13. 血溅保亭营
  14. 仲田岭:崖县第一个革命根据地
  15. 燎原崖西的革命烽火
  16. 建立红色武装
  17. 红色交通线
  18. 崖城监狱大营救
  19. 反“围剿”与隐蔽斗争
  20. 点燃抗日火种
  21. 刘秋菊在崖县
  22. 第三辑 全民族抗日战争时期
  23. 抗日救亡运动
  24. 日军侵略崖县暴行
  25. 同仇敌忾抗击日军
  26. 梅山:崖县抗日根据地
  27. 抱善惊变
  28. 妙山村大屠杀
  29. 激战黑眉岭
  30. 田独万人坑
  31. 粉碎日军“蚕食”“扫荡”
  32. 敌后生产自救
  33. 坚强的堡垒
  34. 盟军空军轰炸三亚湾日军机场
  35. 营救美军中尉飞行员
  36. 喜迎抗战胜利
  37. 第四辑 解放战争时期
  38. 被抢夺的抗战果实
  39. 琼纵三支队一次海上战略调动
  40. 血腥的土伦
  41. 开辟崖乐边区
  42. 重整旗鼓再出发
  43. 参军支前热潮
  44. 攻打崖城监狱
  45. 二打九所
  46. 四战梅山
  47. 拔除廖练据点
  48. 天涯儿女迎接解放大军
  49. 榆亚备战与崖县解放
  50. 鲜艳的红旗插在天涯海角上
  51. 后记

FAQ

Is this book a scholarly work or a popular reader?
It is a popular reader for a general audience. It presents Sanya's revolutionary course in 45 small stories, with solid historical materials but vivid narration; each piece stands alone yet they are interconnected. It is positioned as a supplementary reader for patriotic education and education in revolutionary tradition, not a scholarly monograph.
Can I understand it without a foundation in Party history?
Yes. The book uses concrete events and personal stories as entry points and does not rely on specialized background. It is recommended to browse the contents first to understand the chronological order; when encountering an unfamiliar historical stage, cross-reference the chronological links in the book. The barrier to entry is low.
On what occasions is it suitable?
It suits collective study occasions such as Party theme days, League theme days, class meetings, and reading-sharing sessions, as well as individual reading. Because each piece stands alone, organizers can select pieces by theme and then guide readers through the whole book in chronological order.
Are the stories arranged in chronological order?
The book has four sections, with an overall link of historical events and chronological succession, while each piece stands alone. When reading, first look at the contents to grasp the chronological thread of the four sections, then read in section order; this makes it easier to form a complete historical understanding.

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About the author

The Sanya Municipal Office of Local Chronicles and History is the institution in Sanya, Hainan Province, responsible for compiling and studying local history and chronicles. In its name, "chronicles and history" refers to local history and local gazetteers. Its main function is to collect, organize, and compile local historical materials about the Sanya area, documenting local historical development, social change, and cultural features. Public information is limited; the only confirmed work is Tianya Beacon Fire, which is classified as a history reader. "Tianya" is an ancient name and alternative name for Sanya, and the title suggests content related to local historical themes. As a local chronicles institution, its writing direction emphasizes historical sources, factual documentation, and the preservation and organization of local knowledge. Its style is generally plain and objective, aimed at readers interested in Sanya's local history and offering considerable reference value.