A Journey to Shi Sanbao's Hometown
The first leader to claim the title of Miao King during the Miao People's Uprising in the Qianjia period was Shi Sanbao. His hometown is now Huanggua Village, Yayou Town, Huayuan County. On the ninth day of the fourth lunar month in 2007, after playing at Suma River, I and photographer Zhong Yifu and his wife returned to La'ershan Town that afternoon. After lunch in the town, it was already 2:30 PM. Then, we headed straight for Yayou. From La'ershan to Yayou is only about 20 kilometers of mountain road, and the journey was relatively easy. Half an hour later, we arrived at…
The first leader to declare himself Miao King during the Qianjia Miao Rebellion was Shi Sanbao, whose hometown is today's Huanggua Village, Yayou Town, Huayuan County.
On the ninth day of the fourth lunar month in 2007, after visiting Suma River with photographer Zhong Yifu and his wife, we returned to Laershan Town that afternoon. By the time we finished lunch in town, it was already 2:30 PM. Then we headed straight for Yayou. From Laershan to Yayou is only about 20 kilometers of mountain road, and the journey was fairly easy. Half an hour later, we arrived at Yayou Town. From the outside, the town appeared to consist entirely of newly built brick and stone houses, with the streets paved in hardened cement. At the entrance of Yayou Town Middle School, we found a teacher surnamed Wu, who took us to visit a monument commemorating the Qianjia Miao Rebellion. The monument stands on a small hill beside the town, with over a thousand characters inscribed on it, briefly recounting the course of the Qianjia Rebellion. On either side of the inscription is a couplet: "The flames of war in Qianjia spread across three borders; the ethnic heroes' spirit endures through the ages." On the back is an inscription by Shi Bangzhi, a former governor of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture and a veteran Red Army soldier: "Their loyal blood spilled across Miao territory; the heroic martyrs are recorded in history." The monument was erected in 1984, and for over 20 years it has attracted many visitors.
After seeing the monument, we wanted to visit Shi Sanbao's hometown, Huanggua Village. Teacher Wu said the road was difficult, and though he tried to find a farm vehicle for us on the street, he couldn't. In the end, Zhong Yifu decided to try driving his own small car. As a result, less than a mile out of town, our car broke down on the way up to Huanggua Village. Because a protruding hard rock blocked the road, the car couldn't get past, so we had to turn back the way we came. On the way down, among a pile of rubble, one of the car's front tires got stuck on a large rock. Unable to move forward or backward, Zhong Yifu had to use a jack to lift the car. I used an iron shovel to dig into the side of the tire and clear away the mud, and then asked an old farmer to help crawl under the car. Slowly, we managed to move the large rock out of the way. After nearly an hour of effort, we finally drove back into Yayou Town. By then it was already 5 PM. We then drove to Paidakou, another battlefield where Shi Sanbao once commanded Miao people to annihilate Qing troops, and looked around for a while. According to historical records, on the 22nd day of the first lunar month in the 60th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, two Qing forces stationed at Yongsui Hall and Zhen'gan City, totaling about 1,500 soldiers, hurried to Yayou Town to join forces after hearing of the Miao uprising at Huanggua Village. At that point, Shi Sanbao had gathered tens of thousands of rebel troops from various routes and surrounded the Qing army tightly within Yayou Town. The two sides fought fiercely at Yayou for half a day. After dark, the Qing troops retreated toward Yongsui Guard City under cover of night. When the government troops reached Paidakou, five kilometers from Yayou, they were suddenly surrounded again by ambushing rebel forces. Zhen'gan Commander Ming Antu, Yongsui Hall Sub-prefect Peng Fengyao, Deputy General Yisana, and other officers were killed on the spot, and all 1,500 Qing soldiers were annihilated. The rebel army's great victory shocked the imperial court. Qianlong immediately dispatched troops and generals, gradually assembling over 100,000 soldiers from seven provinces—Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan—under the command of Yun-Gui Governor Fukang'an, who rushed to the Hunan-Guizhou border to carry out continuous suppression campaigns. It took three years to finally crush the Miao rebellion. Shi Sanbao was later betrayed by a traitor, unfortunately captured, and taken to Beijing for execution. Teacher Wu, who lives in Paidakou, also told us that Shi Sanbao still has descendants living in Chengde, Beijing. His descendants changed their surname to Zha to survive back then. Not long ago, they contacted people from their hometown and planned to build a monument at Paidakou for the Qianjia Miao Rebel Army!
On this trip, we passed through Yayou and Paidakou. Although we didn't reach Huanggua Village, we gained a considerable understanding of Shi Sanbao's hometown. I think that once transportation becomes more convenient, we will certainly find another opportunity to visit Huanggua Village. Only by seeing with our own eyes what Shi Sanbao's former residence actually looks like can we leave with a true impression.