Former Site of the Battle at the East Gate Tower of the Red Army

Former Site of the Battle at the East Gate Tower of the Red Army

The former site of the battle at the East Gate Tower of the Red Army is a classic red tourism attraction.

The former site of the battle at the East Gate Tower of the Red Army is located on the west side of Wan’an Bridge in Suixi Town, Jianning County.

On May 31, 1931, during the Second Counter-"Encirclement and Suppression" Campaign, the Red Army attacked Jianning City. By the afternoon, they had taken control of Qiyun Ridge in Xikou to the north, Longbao Mountain to the west, and the area south of the South Gate, effectively blocking the enemy’s only southern escape route to Ninghua and Guihua, and advancing to the outskirts of Jianning City. Around 15:00, the 4th Division of the 3rd Red Army Corps crossed the Suixi River from Taxia under Xikou, flanked the city from the opposite bank, captured Dongshan, and set up firepower on the hill — targeting Wan’an Bridge, the last remaining escape route for the enemy fleeing from the city to Taining. Subsequently, Red Army forces from the north, west, and south of the city breached the defenses and entered the urban area. The enemy retreated toward Wan’an Bridge in an attempt to flee to Taining but were intercepted by the Red Army on Dongshan — most were either killed or drowned, and by 18:00, the Red Army had captured Jianning City. With this victory, the Red Army achieved a complete triumph in the Second Counter-"Encirclement and Suppression" Campaign.

On May 16, 1934, during the Fifth Counter-"Encirclement and Suppression" Campaign in the Central Soviet Area, the Defense Battle of Jianning took place here. The Red Army held off the attack of the Kuomintang’s Eastern Route Army, specifically Tang Enbo’s column, which was advancing on Jianning City from the east, thereby covering the retreat and relocation of the Red Army inside the city and the provincial authorities of Min-Gan. At 9:30, the Red Army and the authorities of the Min-Gan Provincial Committee, along with the Jianning County Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Jianning County Soviet Government, safely evacuated the city and moved southwest toward Jun口, Yijia, Kefang, and Ninghua.

The East Gate Tower of Jianning City is an ancient gate tower integrated with Wan’an Bridge. It served as a critical battleground during both the final battle of the Second Counter-"Encirclement and Suppression" Campaign—the Battle of Jianning City—and the defense of Jianning City in the Fifth Counter-"Encirclement and Suppression" Campaign.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee