Former Site of the United Anti-Japanese Conference of the New Fourth Army in Four Counties

Former Site of the United Anti-Japanese Conference of the New Fourth Army in Four Counties

This site is a protected cultural heritage unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Former Site of the United Anti-Japanese Conference of the New Fourth Army in Four Counties is located in Baoyan Town, Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province.

The site was originally the "Yihe Liquor Store" building and residential compound owned by the local gentry Zhang family, covering an area of about 6 acres, and is a renowned traditional dwelling in the area.

In the early days of the War of Resistance, Commander Chen Yi led the First Detachment of the New Fourth Army to establish the Maoshan Anti-Japanese Base. On June 14, 1938, the First Detachment was stationed in Qianhuang Village, Baonian. Chen Yi and Wang Bicheng, among others, stayed in the "Yihe Liquor Store" building and compound. At the time, Chen Yi lived in the west wing room on the second floor of the western building, Wang Bicheng in the east wing room, and other leaders in the main rooms on the second floor. The areas on both sides downstairs served as dormitories for guards, while the three rooms downstairs functioned as a meeting hall. Qianhuang Village housed financial and trade banks, a medical clinic, an arms repair facility, a radio communication office, and more. They stayed here for about two months until mid-August of the same year when they withdrew due to the Japanese offensive.

During this period, Chen Yi actively carried out united front work, successfully enlisting a group of local influential figures, led by Ji Zhengang, owner of the Maolu Company, to help establish the United Anti-Japanese General Association. On July 7, 1938, Chen Yi and Fan Yulin, as initiators, invited over a thousand representatives from all walks of life in Zhenjiang, Danyang, Jurong, and Jintan counties to gather in the courtyard of the "Yihe Liquor Store" to establish the Zhen, Dan, Ju, Jin Four Counties Anti-Enemy Self-Defense Committee (abbreviated as the Four Counties Union). At the meeting, Chen Yi delivered a report on the purpose, mission, and domestic and international situation of the Four Counties Union, calling on the people of the four counties to unite, form a broad anti-Japanese united front, and launch a movement to resist Japan and save the nation. The conference elected Ji Zhengang as the director of the Four Counties Union and Fan Yulin as the deputy director. Later, as Ji Zhengang did not participate in the work, Fan Yulin took over as director. Thereafter, the Four Counties Union actively cooperated with the New Fourth Army's battlefield service team, laying the foundation for the establishment and consolidation of the Maoshan Base. This site was an important place where Comrade Chen Yi engaged in revolutionary practice and led the people of southern Jiangsu in the anti-Japanese struggle, as well as a significant revolutionary relic where he lived and fought. It was long used as the office of the township government. In 1992, the government offices were relocated, and the site has since become a venue for exhibiting and collecting cultural relics and historical materials related to the New Fourth Army’s anti-Japanese efforts, serving as an educational base to promote revolutionary traditions to the public.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Units of Jiangsu Province