Former Site of the Command Post of the Peasant Armed Uprising in the Five Southwest Townships of Ninghua (Caofang)

Former Site of the Command Post of the Peasant Armed Uprising in the Five Southwest Townships of Ninghua (Caofang)

The Former Site of the Command Post of the Peasant Armed Uprising in the Five Southwest Townships of Ninghua (Caofang) is a cultural relic protection unit of Ninghua County and a classic red tourism destination.

The Former Site of the Command Post of the Peasant Armed Uprising in the Five Southwest Townships of Ninghua (Caofang), the Cao Family Ancestral Temple, is located in Shangcao Natural Village, Shangcao Village, Caofang Township, Ninghua County.

In early 1930, Mao Zedong and Zhu De led the Fourth Red Army on their thousand-li march back to southern Jiangxi via Ninghua, where they issued clear instructions to the underground Communist Party organization in Ninghua to promptly launch a peasant and worker armed uprising, lead the peasants in overthrowing local tyrants and distributing land. The underground Communist Party organization in Ninghua promptly studied and deployed various preparatory tasks before the uprising. Each Party branch took action separately, carrying out enemy division and disintegration, purchasing weapons, and persuading local militias to defect in preparation for the uprising.

In the summer of 1930, during a time of scarcity when poor workers and peasants were going hungry, the underground Communist Party organization in Ninghua assessed the situation and concluded that the people’s sentiments against oppression and exploitation, and for liberation, were running high. Moreover, after more than half a year of thorough preparation, the First Red Army Corps and the Twelfth Red Army were being reorganized in Changting. The uprising could gain support from the Red Army. Thus, it was decided to launch an armed uprising of peasants in the five southwest townships of Ninghua, starting with Caofang, followed by other areas as planned. Xu Chisheng, Cao Yanxun, and others went to Changting to request Red Army support.

On June 22 of that year, the Caofang Branch of the Communist Party held a meeting at the Cao Family Ancestral Temple in Shangcao to study and plan the armed uprising. It was decided to organize the masses to first seize the militia’s weapons to arm themselves, then capture local tyrants and confiscate their property. That evening, the Caofang Branch mobilized over 100 secret members of the Peasant Association in Caofang to gather at the playground of Caofang Primary School. Under the command of Cao Zhenggang, they first surrounded the militia’s base at the Bajia Ancestral Hall. Huang Yunbiao, the militia commander who had been persuaded to defect, had already left in advance, leaving the militia leaderless and disorganized. Without firing a shot, the uprising team confiscated over 20 rifles and all ammunition from the militia. Then, the uprising team divided up to surround the homes of the local tyrants and confiscated their property. After the success of the uprising, the Caofang Branch immediately sent Li Kuanhe to Changting to rendezvous with the Red Army forces. Li Kuanhe met the advancing First Column of the Fourth Red Army en route. After a brief report, the First Column quickly marched to reinforce Caofang.

On June 23, the Caofang uprising team split into two routes toward Pengjiafang in the direction of Changting to welcome the First Column of the Fourth Red Army. Large numbers of poor workers and peasants waved flags and shouted slogans to welcome the Red Army along the way. After the First Column entered Caofang, they immediately began spreading propaganda, writing and posting slogans. That morning, a mass rally was held at the large field of Fuwuba in Caofang, where clothing confiscated from the homes of local tyrants was distributed to poor workers and peasants. A representative of the First Column delivered a speech at the rally. After the meeting, the First Column worked with the uprising team to carry out activities such as overthrowing local tyrants, raising funds and grain, and breaking into granaries to distribute grain in villages including Shangcao, Xiacao, Sanhuang, Genzhu, and Shiniu. They also established the first provisional red political power in Ninghua—the Nanxiang Revolutionary Committee of Ninghua—at Shangcao, with Cao Yanxun serving as chairman.

The peasant armed uprising in Caofang shook the entire county, causing officials of the Nationalist government in Ninghua and leaders of the local militias to flee in panic. On the 24th, the First Column of the Fourth Red Army and the Caofang uprising team entered Ninghua County. On the 25th, over 100 members of the uprising team took an oath, then divided into groups to confiscate weapons from the leaders of the local militias, including Zhang Jingshu, Yi Mutang, and Lei Yuzuo. They broke into several major granaries belonging to the county government, such as the “Yongshan Charitable Granary” and the “Zhu Zi Ancestral Hall,” and distributed grain to poor workers and peasants. They also opened the county prison and rescued many innocent, oppressed poor workers and peasants. The peasant armed uprising in Caofang fired the first shot against the Nationalist authorities in Ninghua, marking the beginning of the Party's efforts to establish a worker-peasant armed stronghold in Ninghua.

The former site of the command post of the peasant armed uprising in the five southwest townships of Ninghua (Caofang) was originally the ancestral temple of the Cao descendants—the Cao Family Ancestral Temple. It faces southeast and is situated northwest, built during the Qing Dynasty as a traditional Hakka structure. It is a single-courtyard building with a mixed brick-and-wood structure, and the overall architecture is well-preserved.

The Cao Family Ancestral Temple, the former site of the command post of the peasant armed uprising in the five southwest townships of Ninghua (Caofang), was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Ninghua County by the Ninghua County People’s Government in December 2001.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee