Former Site of the Encampment of the 3rd Column of the 4th Red Army

Former Site of the Encampment of the 3rd Column of the 4th Red Army

The former site of the encampment of the 3rd Column of the 4th Red Army is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Guan Sheng Temple, the former site of the encampment of the 3rd Column of the 4th Red Army, is located in Caoping Village Group, Tianping Village, Litian Township, Qingliu County.

In January 1930, shortly after the successful convening of the Gutian Conference, in order to thwart the Nationalist army’s second “Three-Provinces Joint Campaign” plot against the Western Fujian Soviet Area, Mao Zedong and Zhu De led the 4th Red Army from Gutian in Western Fujian, taking separate routes through Liancheng, Qingliu, Guihua, and Ninghua counties, returning to southern Jiangxi and fighting across Jiangxi. Among them, on January 9, Zhu De led the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Columns from Beituan in Liancheng into Lijialiao in Qingliu. After crossing Aofeng Mountain, they passed through Zhangxia, Liukeng, Jiangfang, Changxiao, and other places before arriving in Litian. Zhu De and other Red Army troops were stationed at the Yuzhang Gong Temple in Litian Township, with the headquarters set up there. The 3rd Column of the 4th Red Army was stationed in Caoping Village Group, Tianping Village, Litian Township, with some officers and soldiers staying at the Guan Sheng Temple. That night, Zhu De visited the Red Army troops in Tianping Village. In the middle of the night, enemy forces heard the news and launched an attack but were defeated and fled in disgrace. To this day, bullet holes can still be faintly seen on the temple doors of the Guan Sheng Temple. The next day, after the Battle of Guomeng Mountain, Zhu De held a mass meeting at the grassy slope in front of the temple to promote the Red Army’s policies. After the meeting, propaganda slogans were posted and distributed along the route as the army marched toward Ninghua.

The Guan Sheng Temple, where the 3rd Column of the 4th Red Army was encamped, was built in the 47th year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1678). It was destroyed by fire in the 32nd year of the Qianlong reign (1767) and rebuilt to the original design in the 34th year of the Qianlong reign (1769). The temple faces south and is situated to the north, with a width of three bays and a depth of four bays. It features a hip-and-gable roof, frog columns, and a post-and-lintel wooden structure. The building covers a construction area of approximately 160 square meters and occupies a site area of about 200 square meters.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee

Tianping Village: Tianping Village is the second-largest administrative village in Litian Township, Qingliu County. It is located in the western part of Qingliu County and the northwest of Litian Township. To the east, it neighbors Lushui Village in the same township; to the south, it connects with Litian Village; to the west and north, it borders Ninghua County. It is 30 kilometers from the county seat and 2 kilometers from the Litian Township government.

[Village and Residents] The village covers an area of 9.2 square kilometers, governs 10 villager groups, consists of seven natural villages, and had a total population of 1,460 people in 365 households as of 2012.

[Village Culture and Appearance] The Grassland Temple Fair on the second day of the second lunar month.

[Historical and Cultural Background] The main residents of the village are from the Wu... More details about Tianping Village++