Former Site of the 108th Red Army Regiment

Former Site of the 108th Red Army Regiment

The former site of the 108th Red Army Regiment is a Xianyou cultural heritage site, a classic red tourism destination, and a patriotic education base.

The former site of the 108th Red Army Regiment is located at Maixie Rock in Maixie Village, Zhongshan Town, Xianyou County, Putian City.

After the 207th Red Army Regiment of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was established in Putian in August 1930, the CPC Xianyou County Committee also began to pursue the goal of forming its own Red Army unit. In September of the same year, the Provisional CPC Xianyou County Committee raised more than ten rifles through various channels and formed a Red Army guerrilla unit. In October, the guerrillas decided to take advantage of the banquet hosted by the head of the Shanhua Militia for local gentry and landlords to launch an attack on the Shanhua Militia headquarters, aiming to seize weapons and ammunition. During this battle, the guerrillas killed four militiamen, injured three, and captured over twenty rifles and more than a thousand rounds of ammunition. After the victorious battle, the guerrillas conducted revolutionary propaganda among the masses, distributed leaflets, and posted slogans and notices. Subsequently, the guerrillas withdrew to Maixieyan Temple, located halfway up Maixie Rock in the Xingtai Mountain area. There, they declared the establishment of the 108th Red Army Regiment of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, appointing Huang Ying as commander and Lin Zhi as political commissar. They decided to use Maixie Rock as their base to carry out armed struggle and land reform, in order to link up with the Guangye and Chantai bases in Putian.

The establishment of the 108th Red Army Regiment marked the first time Xianyou had its own armed force since the founding of the Party, igniting the flame of revolutionary armed struggle in the Xingtai Mountain area. The Red Army soldiers went deep into villages to promote revolutionary ideals, called on the masses to resist taxes and levies, and resolutely suppressed local landlords and tyrants. In November, they suppressed a local security officer in Mapu, Zhongshan Town, and later held a mass meeting in Dingtang Village, Xunyang, where they captured the tyrant Zhang Gui, publicly criticized him, and executed him on the spot. These actions greatly inspired the revolutionary spirit of the people, and many young people joined the Red Army. By mid-December, the 108th Red Army Regiment had grown to nearly 100 members, and the guerrilla base expanded from Zhongshan to Youyang, Shicang, and the entire Xingtai Mountain area. However, the armed activities of the 108th Regiment alarmed the local Nationalist authorities. At the end of December, under a heavy “pacification” campaign by Nationalist forces, the 108th Regiment was forced to disband and break through under cover of night. One group moved to the Guyi area near the Xianyou–Yongtai border to continue underground struggle, while another formed an eight-member squad planning to raid Putian city to create a diversion. On their way down the mountain through Bangtou Street, the squad encountered the local security forces, leading to fierce fighting and the scattering of its members. Thereafter, the remaining members of the 108th Red Army Regiment went underground in dispersed operations, and the armed struggle in Xianyou entered a low tide.

The former site of the 108th Red Army Regiment is Maixieyan Temple, built during the Song Dynasty. This wooden and earthen structure temple has been well preserved to this day. In April 1995, the CPC Xianyou County Committee and the Xianyou County People’s Government built the 108th Red Army Regiment Memorial Pavilion next to the temple. Cai Yuan, former captain of the confiscation team of the 108th Red Army Regiment and later deputy commander and chief of staff of the Air Force’s Fourth Army after the liberation, inscribed “Light of Maixie” for the pavilion. In July 2008, the 108th Red Army Regiment Memorial Hall was completed and opened, enriching the content of the red tourism site at Maixie Rock and making it an important base for patriotic education of party members, cadres, and youths in Xianyou County.

The former site of the 108th Red Army Regiment was designated as a Xianyou Cultural Heritage Site by the Xianyou County People’s Government in October 1980, a patriotic education base of Putian City by the CPC Putian Municipal Committee in July 2001, a Putian municipal Party history education base by the CPC Putian Municipal Committee Party History Research Office in June 2010, and a Fujian provincial Party history education base by the Fujian Provincial Party History Research Office in November 2012.

Source: Putian Municipal Party History Research Office

Maixie Village: Maixie Village is located 2.5 kilometers north of the Zhongshan Town seat in Xianyou County, surrounded by mountains on all sides. The Xianzhuang Highway runs through the village, providing convenient transportation. It borders Langqiao Village to the east, Wuhe and Zhongshan Villages to the south, Xiangshan and Meiyang Villages to the west, and Shuangfeng Village in Youyang Town to the north. The village covers an area of 15.1 square kilometers, with a total population of 3,548, making it the most populous village in Zhongshan Town. It includes 16 natural villages: Zhengyang, Houzhu, Yanqian, Cuohou, Xinling, Zhengmianlong, Meibu, Houlong, Qiancuo, Mapu, Dingjian, Liutang, Xincuo, Dongyang, Qiaotou, and Fen shui… More details about Maixie Village++