Former Site of the Headquarters of the 1st Detachment of the New Fourth Army

Former Site of the Headquarters of the 1st Detachment of the New Fourth Army

The former site of the headquarters of the 1st Detachment of the New Fourth Army is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a classic red tourism attraction, and a patriotic education base.

The former site of the headquarters of the 1st Detachment of the New Fourth Army is located at the eastern end of the Old Street in Gaochun District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province.

Originally the Wu Family Ancestral Hall, it is a well-preserved complex of Qing Dynasty architecture. According to the Gaochun County Annals, the Wu Family Ancestral Hall was built in the late Ming Dynasty, facing the Guanxi River and backed by the Old Street. It consists of three courtyards: the first courtyard housed a theater building with a viewing platform (stage) upstairs, where audiences could enjoy performances, while the downstairs served as a passageway. In front of the stage was an open-air theater that could accommodate over a thousand spectators. The second courtyard, called the Hall of Worship, now serves as an exhibition hall displaying exquisitely crafted brick and stone carvings from various dynasties, which are of high historical value. The third courtyard is the Sacrificial Hall, currently used as an exhibition space. In mid-June 1938, the advance detachment and the 1st Detachment of the New Fourth Army successively entered the Maoshan area in southern Jiangsu, drawing close attention from the Japanese army. The Japanese dispatched troops to launch sweeps against the newly established Maoshan base area of the New Fourth Army. To counter these offensives, the 1st Detachment ordered its political and command organs to disperse and relocate. In August, the Political Department of the 1st Detachment, led by Director Liu Yan, moved to the area around Chunxi Town in Gaochun County. That same month, in order to establish a connection between the Maoshan Anti-Japanese Base Area and the New Fourth Army headquarters in southern Anhui, the Political Department of the 1st Detachment decided to form a Civil Affairs Work Group. This team, composed of four members—Propaganda Section Chief Ge Bazhang, Zhang Chunsheng, Hou Riqian, and Hua Renyi—was tasked with conducting local work in Gaochun County. They operated under the public title of the New Fourth Army Gaochun Office. Leveraging their legitimate status under the united front between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, they promoted the Party’s anti-Japanese salvation ideals to shop assistants, workers, and students. Among progressive youth, they established the “Chunxi Brigade of the Chinese National Liberation Vanguard,” leading them in anti-Japanese propaganda and revolutionary education, secretly recruiting new Communist Party members, forming party organizations, selecting outstanding youths to attend military training programs at the army headquarters, and training anti-Japanese cadres. From August 1938 to August 31, 1939, the New Fourth Army Gaochun Office was successively under the leadership of the Political Department of the 1st Detachment, the Political Department of the 2nd Detachment, and the Suzhewang Special Committee of the Communist Party. The office was headed successively by Ge Bazhang, [name missing], Rui Jun, Chen Liping, and Yao Lu. In September 1938, the Chunxi Brigade of the Chinese National Liberation Vanguard was established, gradually growing to include 40–50 members. It was divided into three sub-groups based at the county junior high school, a textile factory, and the Dongyang Grocery Store. Zhang Chunsheng (also known as Zhang Zhiyi) served as brigade commander, Wang Changfu (also known as Wang Yida) as deputy commander and organizational officer, Gu Jinsheng as propaganda officer, and Xu Qianyuan as secretary. Through a series of struggles and tests, the office began establishing Party cells within the Vanguard. By the end of September 1938, Wang Changfu and Gu Longsheng had joined the Communist Party. Together with Ge Bazhang and Zhang Chunsheng, they formed the First Chunxi Branch of the Communist Party of Gaochun, with Ge Bazhang as branch secretary, and Wang Changfu and Gu Longsheng serving as organizational and propaganda officers, respectively. Soon after, Wang Changfu and Gu Longsheng introduced Xing Zhongkui and Gu Jinsheng to 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 propaganda officers. This branch also recruited members such as Xing Yixin and Chen Qimu. Later, additional members including Han Shuisheng (also known as Han Liangsheng), Sun Qijun, Xing Huading, Chen Wusheng, Wu Kegen, Liu Xinming, Zhao Shixing, and Chen Yuting joined the Party. In February 1939, the Third Chunxi Branch (also known as the Dongyang Store Branch) was established. In August 1939, when the Japanese army reoccupied Gaochun County for the second time, the New Fourth Army Gaochun Office withdrew. Although its presence was brief, the Office undertook significant efforts in establishing Party organizations in Gaochun County, laying the foundation for the local population's perseverance in the prolonged war of resistance, and building a bridge for the eastward-advancing New Fourth Army to connect with southern Anhui.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units