At the Pingjin Campaign Memorial Hall in Tianjin, towering bronze sculptures titled 'Fighting Side by Side' and 'People Supporting the Front' serve as more than just historical markers. They are central pillars in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing effort to frame its rise to power not as a mere military conquest, but as an inevitable populist uprising. During a high-profile visit to the site in early 2024, President Xi Jinping described the 'Three Great Campaigns' as 'classic works' of revolutionary history, signaling the enduring importance of these battles in the party’s modern political identity.
The historical narrative centers on the pivotal window between 1948 and 1949, when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) shifted from a localized insurgency to a nationwide force. This period saw the launch of the Liaoshen, Huaihai, and Pingjin campaigns, which effectively dismantled the military strength of the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT). Within 142 days, over 1.5 million KMT troops were neutralized, fundamentally altering the course of Chinese history and placing the nation on the eve of revolution.
While the military statistics are staggering, the CCP’s current leadership emphasizes a different metric of success: the 'People’s War.' Beijing’s narrative highlights the 8.8 million civilian laborers who provided logistics, from breaking river ice for transport to pushing supply carts across hundreds of miles. By framing the Huaihai victory as one 'pushed out by the people’s small carts,' the state reinforces the idea that the party’s legitimacy is derived from the active support of the rural masses rather than raw firepower.
This historical focus is not merely an academic exercise but a strategic tool for contemporary governance. By drawing a direct line from the 1948 battlefields to modern challenges like poverty alleviation, flood relief, and pandemic control, the CCP seeks to project a sense of 'monolithic unity.' The message to a global audience is clear: the party maintains its 'blood and flesh' connection with the populace, suggesting that this bond remains the ultimate source of strength for overcoming current geopolitical and domestic obstacles.