Former Site of the Taiping Army’s Congyang Conference

Former Site of the Taiping Army’s Congyang Conference

The former site of the Taiping Army’s Congyang Conference is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The former site of the Taiping Army’s Congyang Conference is located by Yueya Lake at the foot of Jinji Mountain in Congyang Town.

In the north of Congyang, Wanglong’an was the site of the Taiping Army’s Congyang Conference. Originally named Wanglong Chan Temple, it is situated by Yueya Lake at the foot of Jinji Mountain in Congyang Town. In the third year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1664), the Buddha Hall and scripture rooms on both sides covered a total area of over 1,600 square meters, with many monks and nuns, bustling incense offerings, five halls, and over a hundred Buddha statues. During the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, Taiping Army generals Li Xiucheng and Chen Yucheng held two emergency meetings at this temple. The temple was once burned down by Qing troops.

The Taiping Army held two military conferences at Wanglong’an. In 1856, following the Tianjing Incident (today’s Nanjing) in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Qing army took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack against the Taiping forces, attempting to crush the Taiping Revolution in one stroke. By the end of 1856, areas such as Lu’zhou, Shucheng, Sanhe, Wuwei, and Chaohu in Anhui had successively fallen to Qing control, and Tongcheng was also besieged. The situation in northern Anhui became extremely critical.

In January 1857, Chen Yucheng, the King of England of the Taiping Army, and Li Xiucheng, the King of Loyalty, held a military conference at Wanglong’an in Congyang Town, Congyang (historically known as the First Congyang Conference), to plan major strategies. After the meeting, Chen Yucheng moved east from Congyang, reclaimed Wuwei and Chaohu, captured Lujiang, and then reached Tongcheng, joining Li Xiucheng to flank the Qing army. The siege of Tongcheng was thus lifted, and the situation in Anqing stabilized.

Congyang Town: Located on the northern bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Congyang Town in Congyang County, Anhui Province, is the political, economic, and cultural center of the county and the site of the Congyang County Committee and County Government. It borders OU Mountain Town to the east, the suburbs of Anqing to the west, Xunyuzu in Tongcheng to the south, and Guanbuqiao Town in the same county to the north. Covering an area of 90.48 square kilometers, including 28,713 mu of cultivated land, it governs 14 village committees and 12 neighborhood committees, with a population of 93,940.

[Historical Sites] Congyang Town (formerly Chengguan Town) is an ancient historic town. The water of Caizi Lake flows through the southern part of the town to the Yangtze River... More details about Congyang Town++