Former Site of the Octagonal Building in Yanping

Former Site of the Octagonal Building in Yanping

The Former Site of the Octagonal Building in Yanping is a classic red tourism destination.

The Octagonal Building, located in the center of Wangtai Town, Yanping District, was originally named Kuixing Tower. Built in the 18th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1892), it is one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Wangtai, known as “Octagonal Tower Piercing the Clouds.”

In July 1933, the “Eastern Army,” commanded by Peng Dehuai and with Teng Daiyuan as political commissar, set out on an eastern expedition to secure victory on the eastern front. By mid-August, after completing the first phase of its combat operations in western Fujian, the Eastern Army advanced into northern Fujian, capturing Xiamao in Shaxian, Wangtai and Xiayang in Nanping, and Yangkou in Jian’ou (now part of Shunchang County). They defeated three regiments of the enemy’s 56th Division under Liu Hedeng, gaining control over the border areas of Shaxian, Nanping, and Shunchang counties.

The Eastern Army was not only a brave and skillful fighting force but also a propaganda and mobilization unit. After capturing Xiayang and Yangkou, Red Army soldiers took to the streets to mobilize the masses extensively, promote the land revolution, and, building on leading the people in struggles such as overthrowing local tyrants and redistributing land, established revolutionary committees in Xiayang and Yangkou. The labor movement in both areas also began to develop, with 80% of workers joining trade unions across various industries. Workers and peasants enthusiastically signed up to join the Red Army—within just one month, more than a thousand enlisted, and nearly 500 signed up in Yangkou within five days. The guerrilla forces in both areas were also organized into the Central Fujian Independent Regiment, which continued guerrilla warfare in the region.

Just as the Eastern Army achieved significant victories in battle, a representative of the 19th Route Army, Chen Gongpei, came to Wangtai in Nanping to request peace talks. The 19th Route Army was a well-known anti-Japanese force, which at the time was planning to rebel against Chiang Kai-shek and resist Japan. Under the heavy blows of the Eastern Army, its leaders realized that “opposing Chiang to resist Japan” was a dead end, and decided to shift their original strategy to a new policy of “allying with the Communists to oppose Chiang and resist Japan.” When Chen Gongpei arrived in Wangtai, he was received by Peng Dehuai and Yuan Guoping. After discussions at the Octagonal Building, the two sides reached a temporary ceasefire agreement. This laid the foundation for the subsequent signing of the “Preliminary Agreement Against Japan and Chiang” between the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic and the 19th Route Army, which helped accelerate the early realization of the Fujian Incident and stands as a significant moment in modern Chinese history. The Octagonal Building is now listed as a municipal-level revolutionary cultural relics protection site.

Source: People's Government of Nanping City