"The ordnance factory is in big caves along the hillside for the sake of being free from bombing. I saw there that more than 100 workers making grenade, mortar shells, powder, handguns, small shells and bullets and some agricultural tools. The repair maintenance workshop is repairing various rifles, machine guns, automatic rifles and light machine gun," this is an abstract of "Red Star Over China" by Edgar Snow, a noted journalist from the U.S.. The ordnance factory mentioned in the book is the Yan'an Ordnance Factory which was situated in Wuqi Town. The first self-made rifle of the people's army was made in the silent small town.

　　According to Chu Yin, researcher of the Military History Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences that the Red Army which had been relying on captured weaponry and equipment from the enemy during the Long March knew the importance of making weaponry and equipment of its own. After the main force of the Red Army arrived in Yan'an, the Central Committee of the CPC decided to establish an ordnance factory immediately. The Yan'an Ordnance Factory was just established then.

　　In April 1939, the arsenal got the approval of the Central Committee of the CPC and the Central Military Commission to independently design rifles. The rifle designed by the factory is a little shorter than the "38" style rifle and the three-blade bayonet is fixed on the rifle barrel and the buttstock is made of peach wood.

　　On May 1, 1939, the first rifle made by Yan'an Ordnance Factory was sent to Qiao'ergou of Yan'an for an exhibition, which was spoken highly by Chairman Mao. The factory produced its first batch of rifles before long. This batch of rifles had created a good score of 200 hits in the life test.

　　By Fan Zhongwen, Fu Jigang and Wang Lidan

　　(July 16, PLA Daily)