Former Site of the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun

Former Site of the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun

The former site of the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun is a classic red tourism attraction.

The former site of the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun is located at No. 24 Cangxiang, built in the late Qing Dynasty. In August 1938, the Political Department of the First Detachment of the New Fourth Army, led by Director Liu Yan, moved to Gaochun County to carry out local work and established an office here. It was publicly known as the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun.

In mid-June 1938, the advance detachment and the First Detachment of the New Fourth Army successively entered the Maoshan base area in southern Jiangsu to conduct mop-up operations. To counter the enemy’s mop-up, the First Detachment specially ordered its political and military organs to disperse and relocate. In August, the Political Department of the First Detachment, under the leadership of Director Liu Yan, moved to the area around Chunxi Town in Gaochun County.

In August 1938, to establish a communication route between the Maoshan Anti-Japanese Base Area and the New Fourth Army Headquarters in southern Anhui, the Political Department of the First Detachment decided to form a civil affairs work group consisting of four comrades: Propaganda Section Chief Ge Bai Zhang, Zhang Chunsheng, Hou Riqian, and Hua Renyi. They carried out local work in Gaochun County and were publicly known as the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun. Using their legitimate status under the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, they promoted the Party’s anti-Japanese salvation principles to shop assistants, workers, and students. They organized the “Chinese National Liberation Vanguard Chunxi Brigade” among progressive youth, leading them in anti-Japanese propaganda and revolutionary study, secretly developing Communist Party members, establishing Party organizations, selecting outstanding youths to attend the Army Headquarters Training Corps, and training anti-Japanese cadres.

The former site of the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun is divided into front and rear sections.

Front Section: The room on the left was the bedroom of Comrade —, and the one on the right was his office. This is the organizational evolution and leadership transition table of the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun. From August 1938 to August 31, 1939, the Office was successively under the leadership of the Political Department of the First Detachment, the Political Department of the Second Detachment, and the Suzhewei Special Committee of the Communist Party of China. The directors (or persons in charge) of the Office included Ge Bai Zhang, —, Rui Jun, Chen Liping, and Yao Lu. This is the roster of the Chinese National Liberation Vanguard Chunxi Brigade. Established in September 1938, the Brigade gradually grew to forty or fifty members, with three sub-groups in the county junior high school, a weaving factory, and Dongyang Grocery Store. Zhang Chunsheng (Zhang Zhiyi) served as brigade commander, Wang Changfu (Wang Yida) as deputy commander and organizational committee member, Gu Duosheng as publicity committee member, and Xu Qianyuan as secretary. Through a series of struggles and tests, the Office began building the Party within the Vanguard. By the end of September 1938, Wang Changfu and Gu Long?? joined the Communist Party. Ge Bai Zhang, Zhang Chunsheng, Wang Changfu, and Gu Longsheng formed the First Chunxi Branch of the CPC, with Ge Bai Zhang as branch secretary, and Wang Changfu and Gu Longsheng as organizational and publicity committee members, respectively. Soon after, Wang Changfu and Gu Longsheng introduced Xing Zhongkui and Gu Jinsheng to join the Party. In October, the Second Chunxi Branch was established, with Xing Zhongkui as branch secretary, and Gu Jinsheng and Ding Hongye as organizational and publicity committee members. The Second Branch also admitted Xing Yixin, Chen Qimu, and others. Later, Han Shuisheng (Han Liangsheng), Sun Qijun, Xing Huading, Chen Wusheng, Wu Kegen, Liu Xinming, Zhao Shixing, and Chen Yuting joined, and in February 1939, the Third Chunxi Branch (also called the Dongyang Store Branch) was established. This is the roster of CPC organizations and statistics of Party members in Chunxi Town. This is a collection of photos of the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun and a group photo of Comrade — meeting with relevant local personnel.

Rear Section: The left side was the radio transmission room, which now houses the Office’s communication radio equipment; the right side was the bedroom for Office staff. On these two sides are brief introductions to some Office staff, Chunxi Town “Vanguard members,” and CPC members. The central display case contains photocopies of memoir materials by Comrades —, Zhang Chunsheng, Hou Riqian, Wang Yida, Xing Hao, Xu Feng, and Chen Hui regarding their work at the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun.

Although the New Fourth Army Office in Gaochun existed for only a short time, it did significant work in establishing the Party in Gaochun County, laid the foundation for the local populace to persevere in the prolonged war of resistance, and built a bridge for the eastward-advancing New Fourth Army to reach southern Anhui.