Former Site of the Central Red Hospital

Former Site of the Central Red Hospital

The Former Site of the Central Red Hospital is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism destination.

In 1925, during the May Thirtieth Movement, after the British missionaries at the Changting Gospel Hospital returned to their home country, Fu Lianzhang took over as the hospital director. In September 1927, when the troops of the Nanchang Uprising passed through Changting, Fu Lianzhang led the medical staff of the Gospel Hospital to treat over 300 wounded and sick soldiers. Among them were General Chen Geng, then a battalion commander of the uprising army, and Political Department Director Xu Teli. In March 1929, after Mao Zedong and others led the Red Army into Fujian for the first time and liberated Changting County, they vaccinated all the Red Fourth Army officers and soldiers against smallpox and treated the wounded and sick, making it the first hospital in the Central Soviet Area to serve the Red Army. At Mao Zedong’s advocacy, the hospital established the “Central Medical School” and the “Central Nursing School,” training a large number of medical personnel for the Red Army and addressing the urgent shortage of doctors and medicine at the time.

In the autumn of 1932, Mao Zedong came to the hospital’s sanatorium to recuperate due to overwork. While resting, he conducted in-depth social investigations among the people. Based on their feedback, he helped the Tingzhou Soviet Government correct bureaucratic practices. He summarized these issues and wrote his brilliant work “Be Concerned with the Well-Being of the Masses, Pay Attention to Methods of Work” on Changting laid paper. This article later became an important report Mao delivered at the Second National Congress of the Chinese Soviet Republic.

In early 1933, Fu Lianzhang donated all the equipment, medicines, and his personal property of the Gospel Hospital to the Central Government of the Soviet. The Gospel Hospital was relocated to Ruijin, Jiangxi, and officially reorganized as the “Central Red Hospital.” Fu Lianzhang was praised by the central government newspaper Red China as the “First Model of the Soviet Area.” In October 1934, Fu Lianzhang joined the Long March with the Central Red Army. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he successively served as Vice Minister of the Central Ministry of Health, Vice Minister of the Logistics Department of the PLA Health Department, and President of the Chinese Medical Association. In 1955, he was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General in the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He was the earliest “red doctor” in the Party and the army to serve the Red Army and made significant contributions to the liberation of the Chinese people and the medical and health endeavors of our Party, army, and nation.

This site was designated as part of the third group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units in 1988, and it houses a special exhibition titled “Pioneer in Healing the Nation — Fu Lianzhang.”