Former Site of the Headquarters of the First Corps of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army

Former Site of the Headquarters of the First Corps of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army

The former site of the headquarters of the First Corps of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army is a cultural heritage protection unit of Zhangzhou City.

The former site of the headquarters of the First Corps of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army (Xinhua Building of Zhangzhou No.1 Middle School) is located at the southeastern foot of Zhishan Mountain on Shengli West Road in Xiangcheng District, east of the Zhishan Red Building. It is now known as the “Xinhua Building” of Zhangzhou No.1 Middle School. In the 1930s, it was originally the “Ganzhi Building” of Fujian Provincial Longxi Middle School, covering an area of over 1,000 square meters, facing south with a north orientation, and is a two-story brick building. The central part is a hall, with classrooms on both sides, and staircases located at both the eastern and western ends.

On April 20, 1932, after the First Corps of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army captured Zhangzhou, Fujian Provincial Longxi Middle School was closed, and the principal and senior school officials fled to Xiamen. The headquarters of the First Corps was set up here, with Commander Lin Biao and Political Commissar Nie Rongzhen working and residing in this building.

On April 21, Comrade Mao Zedong presided over a meeting of cadres above the rank of division and division political commissar here, delivering a report titled “The Current Political Situation and the Second Campaign,” and discussing the next steps. The main decisions included: First, the 15th Army along the line from Nanjing to Tianbao, and the 3rd and 4th Armies near Zhangzhou, were to carry out the following tasks: collect war spoils, search for reactionary elements—focusing on Party, government, military offices, hotels, and residences of landlords and gentry; propagate to the masses, distribute grain to them, expand the political influence of the Red Army; and raise funds from landlords and gentry. Second, strictly enforce urban entry discipline—no taking of non-official items, no breaking of objects, and maintaining revolutionary order. Third, militarily prepare to strike against Guangdong enemies coming to Fujian at any time.

On the afternoon of April 22, cadres above the company and headquarters level of the 3rd and 4th Armies and the headquarters listened to a report by Comrade Mao Zedong here. He summarized the experience of the previous phase of combat, assigned tasks for the next phase, and proposed establishing the Zhangzhou Soviet Area. Afterward, the Red Army units were dispatched to the vast rural areas of southern and northern Zhangzhou, as well as places such as Shima, Zhangpu, and Changtai, to carry out activities including expanding the Red Army, raising funds, and conducting propaganda.

This historical site was listed as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit in 1988.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Zhangzhou Municipal Committee