Battle Site of the Red 19th Division’s Forced Crossing of the Shaxi River

Battle Site of the Red 19th Division’s Forced Crossing of the Shaxi River

The Battle Site of the Red 19th Division’s Forced Crossing of the Shaxi River is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Battle Site of the Red 19th Division’s Forced Crossing of the Shaxi River is located on the right side of the Meilie Gate in Lixi Village, Lixi Subdistrict, Meilie District.

On May 27, 1934, the 19th Division of the Red 7th Army Corps, under the command of Division Commander Zhou Jianping and Political Commissar Lü Zhenqiu, took part in the defense of Jianning. After Jianning was lost, on May 25, the Red 19th Division moved from Shishan in Jianning via Taxia Mountain and Huangzhou Fort, advancing through Ninghua and Guiding (now Mingxi), covering over a hundred li to reach Lixi (now within the urban area) in Meilie District. At that time, to the south near Xinkou were two battalions of the Nationalist 80th Division under Chen Mingren, and to the north was a portion of the 238th Battalion stationed in Sha County, putting the Red Army at risk of being attacked from both sides. To break out of this predicament and return to the main battlefield of the Central Soviet Area, the Red 19th Division had to force a crossing of the Shaxi River. By then, the opposite bank in Liedong was already guarded by two battalions of the Nationalist 80th Division and local militia. The Red 19th Division and local party branches mobilized the masses extensively, gathering over 40 boats, and divided their forces into four routes—Lixi, Wengdun, Baisha, and Chang’an (now the train station)—to launch a fierce assault on the eastern bank of the Shaxi River. After intense fighting, they captured the opposite bank, eliminating two enemy battalions and the militia. During the battle, villagers such as Yan Shengdi bravely led the way, while boatmen like Nai Tao sacrificed their lives heroically. Under the strong offensive of the Red Army, the enemy was routed and fled in panic toward Chengguan and Xubi. Those fleeing toward Chengguan were mostly encircled and annihilated by the Red Army in Xiayang, while the rest escaped toward Xinkou. Just then, two battalions of engineers and artillery from the Nationalist 80th Division’s 238th Brigade, stationed in Sha County, arrived fully armed to reinforce the enemy. In Xubi, the Red Army engaged in another fierce battle with the reinforcing enemies. Thanks to the Red Army’s occupation of advantageous positions such as Gaoyanfu Hill (now the site of the Liulu City Stadium), they ultimately defeated the enemy decisively. Together with those fleeing toward Xubi, apart from a few who escaped by swimming across the river, the majority were annihilated by the Red Army.

This forced crossing of the Shaxi River was a major victory for the Red Army on the eastern front during the Fifth Encirclement Campaign of the Central Soviet Area. The official newspaper of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, Red China, reported: “Two battalions (one artillery and one engineer) were completely annihilated by us, with three to four hundred guns seized, five light machine guns, over 90,000 rounds of ammunition, over 300 officers above the rank of company commander captured, and enemy casualties and drownings exceeding 300. The remaining enemy fled toward Sha County.”

In July 2009, the People’s Government of Meilie District erected a monument here to commemorate the Red Army’s forced crossing of the Shaxi River. The monument consists of a base and a body, with the base being 60 cm high and 2.68 m wide, and the body 1.4 m high and 1.96 m wide. The panel of the monument is made of Taiwanese red granite.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee

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