Former Site of the Headquarters of the Third Detachment of the New Fourth Army

Former Site of the Headquarters of the Third Detachment of the New Fourth Army

The former site of the headquarters of the Third Detachment of the New Fourth Army is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The former site of the headquarters of the Third Detachment of the New Fourth Army is located in Fanchang County, Wuhu City, dating back to the Republican era.

In December 1938, the headquarters of the Third Detachment of the New Fourth Army moved from Shatanjiao in Nanling to Zhongfen Village in this county. The headquarters was established in the house of Xu Jiahan in the southern part of the village, and Deputy Commander Tan Zhenlin resided in the home of Xu Chongdao, which faced the headquarters. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the houses of Xu Jiahan and Xu Chongdao had been rebuilt, but the drill ground where the Third Detachment trained is still preserved.

On November 26, 1938, Japanese forces occupied Tongling County as well as Datong, Shun’an, and other areas, later taking control of most of Tongling County. After the withdrawal of the Nationalist defenders, the Third War Zone of the Nationalist Government designated the four districts of Tongling, Fanchang, and Nanling along the anti-Japanese front line of the Yangtze region as under the defense jurisdiction of the New Fourth Army. In December, the Third Detachment was ordered to gradually relocate from the Nan-Wu-Xuan area to the Tong-Nan-Fan area. The detachment headquarters was stationed at Shatanjiao in Nanling, the political department at Yanzimu in Tongling, and the headquarters of the Fifth Regiment at Phoenix Mountain. Later, due to combat needs against the Japanese, the army headquarters successively dispatched the First Regiment of the First Detachment and the Third Regiment of the Second Detachment to the Tong-Fan front. As a result, over 2,000 New Fourth Army soldiers were unified under the command of the Third Detachment on the Tong-Fan front. In April 1939, to facilitate leadership and command of the Third Detachment’s activities in the Tong-Fan region, the detachment headquarters, political department, and the Fifth Regiment headquarters moved to Zhongfen Village, where they remained until April 1940 when they transferred to Qiaotouyang in Tongling. They continued to fight in the Tong-Nan-Fan area until January 1941, just before the outbreak of the Southern Anhui Incident.

In 2012, the former site of the headquarters of the Third Detachment of the New Fourth Army was announced by the People’s Government of Anhui Province as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units.

Protected Area: The main structure, fourteen residences of former leaders, and their courtyards.

Construction Control Zone: Divided into four sections. Section One extends east to the house of Xu Jianchun, west to Huijiu Road, south to the house of Xu Youtuo, and north to the house of Li Baoguo. Section Two extends east to the house of Xie Caiyou, west to the house of Xu Min, south to the house of Xu Wenjin, and north to the earthen road inside the village. Section Three extends east to the house of Xu Youhe, west to the house of Xu Xinrong, south to the house of Huang Ying, and north to the cement road inside the village. Section Four extends east approximately 30 meters from the former residence of He Zhiyuan, west to the house of Shen Zigeng, south to the house of Xu Wentong, and north to the house of Xu Xiuhong.

Sunzhen Town: Located 40 kilometers southwest of Wuhu City, Sunzhen Town boasts convenient transportation and abundant resources. It is traversed by the along-the-Yangtze Expressway, Wuhu–Tongling Highway, and Huluxian Railway. The town has rich deposits of iron ore, limestone, bentonite, and zeolite, with untapped resources including potassium ore (proven reserves of 30 million tons), black jade ore (50 million cubic meters), and the 3.9 million cubic meter Qiankou Reservoir tourism development project. Covering an area of 153.15 square kilometers with a population of 58,300, the town is home to the famous early Paleolithic human activity site “Renzi Cave” and the national AAA-level tourist attraction — Mashan Forest... More detailed information on Sunzhen Town++