The Departure Site of the Long March in Ninghua

The Departure Site of the Long March in Ninghua

The Departure Site of the Long March in Ninghua is a classic red tourism attraction and a base for patriotic education.

Ninghua: It was the gathering place for the main forces of the Fifth Red Army Corps, the Central Column, the First Red Army Corps, and the Third Red Army Corps, totaling about 20,000 troops. On October 10, 1934, the Independent Seventh Division (the predecessor of the 34th Division of the Fifth Red Army Corps) departed from Hucun in Ninghua, arrived at Chengguan, and was then incorporated into the Fifth Red Army Corps, beginning its westward movement. On the 12th, the main force of the Third Red Army Corps, following orders from the Central Revolutionary Military Commission, handed over its defensive positions to local Red Army forces. Peng Dehuai led the main forces out of the defensive line, rested briefly at Fenghuang Mountain, and then began their westward journey. On the same day, the rear echelon of the Ninth Red Army Corps and the Artillery Battalion directly under the Central Revolutionary Military Commission were ordered to set out for the assembly area from Caofang, Huashi, and Huaiyang in Ninghua. The directly affiliated camp of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission and the rear hospital of the Third Red Army Corps departed from Fangtian in Ninghua. The Independent Seventh Division, the Third and Fifth Red Army Corps, as well as some rear hospitals, also departed separately on October 12 from Chengguan, Hucun, and Fangtian, embarking on the Long March.