Former Site of the Red Army Expansion Command in Hekou District

Former Site of the Red Army Expansion Command in Hekou District

The former site of the Red Army Expansion Command in Hekou District is located at the Dong family residence in Xiabashe Natural Village, Group 5, Lixin Village, Shipi Town, Ninghua County (within the town center).

Following the victory of the Fourth Counter-Encirclement Campaign in the Central Soviet Area, and in order to crush the Kuomintang forces’ more extensive military “encirclement and suppression” against the Central Soviet Area, the Central Committee repeatedly called on all regions to vigorously expand the Red Army. In September 1933, the Ninghua County Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Soviet Government of Wuceng County decided that the county would recruit 2,500 new Red Army soldiers in September, urging all districts and townships to launch a climax in the Red Army expansion drive and strive to fulfill the recruitment target.

In accordance with the decisions of the County Committee and the County Soviet Government, the Hekou District Committee and the Hekou District Soviet Government set up the Red Army Expansion Command at the Dong family residence in Lixin, where the District Committee and the District Soviet Government were located. They organized cadres from the district and township levels into an Expansion Shock Troop, sending them deep into villages to carry out Red Army recruitment competitions. Propaganda teams, cultural performance groups, agitation squads, and persuasion teams were organized to go door-to-door in villages, mobilizing people at all levels and conducting widespread publicity. Enthusiasm ran high among members of the Red Guards, as well as Party and League members, who eagerly signed up to join the army. The Young Pioneers and Young Red Guards also enlisted en masse, joining the Red Army as full platoons, companies, battalions, and regiments. From early September to late October 1933—just over a month and a half—they completed the recruitment of over 1,000 new soldiers, making it one of the two districts with the highest recruitment numbers in the county. Jueming Que, Vice Chairman of the Fujian Soviet Government, personally traveled to Hekou District to present a golden honorary plaque inscribed with “Our Model District.” Over 100 representatives from Shanghang’s Caixi and other areas also made special trips to Hekou District to learn from their recruitment experience. During the expansion campaign, there were also exemplary cases such as entire Party and League branches from Guankeng Township joining the Red Army collectively, showcasing touching scenes of “brothers enlisting together, fathers and sons fighting side by side, and couples united in purpose,” which were repeatedly commended in the official newspaper of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, Red China.

The former site of the Red Army Expansion Command in Hekou District was originally the Dong family residence in Lixin Village, Shipi Town. It faces southeast and is situated northwest, covering an area of 360 square meters. Built during the Qing Dynasty, it is a typical example of a traditional Hakka-style ancient dwelling, featuring a single-courtyard, brick-and-wood structure. The overall building is well-preserved. Five slogans related to the Red Army expansion are preserved on the wooden panels of the wing rooms.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee

Shipi Town: Located in the western part of Ninghua County, Shipi Town is 17 kilometers from the county seat. Historically known as Yuping, it was renamed Shipi in the mid-Tang Dynasty. The town covers an area of 136.5 square kilometers, with 31,900 mu of arable land and 148,700 mu of forested land. It governs 22 administrative villages, 1 neighborhood committee, 242 villager groups, and has a total population of 37,266. The town government is located in Hekou Village.

Shipi Town is home to the world-renowned Hakka Ancestral Land. Since 1995, it has successfully hosted 21 sessions of the World Hakka Hometown Worship Ceremony in Shipi, attracting participants from five continents and over 100... More information about Shipi Town++