Former Site of the Peaceful Liberation Negotiations of Wenzhou

Former Site of the Peaceful Liberation Negotiations of Wenzhou

In April 1949, as the People’s Liberation Army breached the Yangtze River barrier and advanced southward, the CPC Zhejiang Southern Regional Committee formulated a military plan to first liberate Wenzhou City and then the entire southern Zhejiang region. Based on the intelligence they had gathered, they decided to persuade Ye Fang, the Nationalist Party’s regional commissioner for Wenzhou and commander of the security forces, to lead his troops in a rebellion. After secret contacts were made, on the evening of May 1 of that year, representatives of the Zhejiang Southern Guerrilla Column and Ye Fang’s representatives held negotiations at Jingde Temple. After an all-night discussion, an agreement was reached for Ye Fang to lead his troops in a rebellion. On the 4th, another meeting was held, culminating in a final consensus: Ye Fang was to be appointed deputy commander of the Zhejiang Southern Guerrilla Column, and his two regiments were to be reorganized into the Seventh and Eighth Detachments of the guerrilla column, respectively. The agreement laid out detailed and clear terms regarding the assignment of military tasks, the delineation of defensive lines, the handover of positions and takeover procedures, methods and timing of entering the city, communication signals, and reception and management protocols.

On the evening of the 6th, the Zhejiang Southern Guerrilla Column took control of strategic high points outside Wenzhou City, including Lianhuaxin, Cuiwei Mountain, and Songtai Mountain. At midnight, the troops set off from Taiping Ridge and entered the urban area along three routes. The Zhejiang Southern Guerrilla Column and Ye Fang’s forces carried out their assigned tasks as per the agreement smoothly. Before dawn on the 7th, three flares launched by the Zhejiang Southern Guerrilla Column announced the complete liberation of Wenzhou. From that moment on, Wenzhou ended 22 years of reactionary rule by the Nationalist Party and returned to the hands of the people.

The Former Site of the Peaceful Liberation Negotiations of Wenzhou—Jingde Temple—is located in Lingtou Village, Guoxi Town, Ouhai District. Originally built during the Song Dynasty, the site lies in a mountain hollow at the foot of Zhongtong Ridge, surrounded by lush bamboo and trees in a tranquil setting. In 1927, the eminent monk Master Hongyi resided here for about a year. After the liberation, the government carried out multiple renovations. The temple now features a front and rear hall, each with five rooms, and five wing rooms on either side, which have been converted into exhibition rooms displaying many precious historical photographs. The original negotiation site has been rebuilt into a traditional-style tiled house, with a conference table inside to recreate the scene of the peace talks. Since opening to the public in 1999, Jingde Temple has received over 5,000 visitors annually and has become an important site for youths to learn revolutionary traditions and for Party members and officials to study the history of the Party.

The Former Site of the Peaceful Liberation Negotiations of Wenzhou is a Wenzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a Wenzhou Municipal Patriotic Education Base.

Source: CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee Party History Research Office