Former Site of the Bangtou Uprising

Former Site of the Bangtou Uprising

The former site of the Bangtou Uprising is a classic red tourism attraction.

The former site of the Bangtou Uprising is located in Chihé Community, Bangtou Town, Xianyou County, Putian City.

In February 1949, after the establishment of the Xian-De Working Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the strength of the East District guerrilla unit gradually grew. There were over 40 full-time guerrilla fighters, plus some part-time farmer cadres and support from the masses, which led to the increasingly mature conditions for an armed uprising. One evening in mid-April, under the organization of Lin Chun-nian, hundreds of guerrilla fighters from the East and Southeast Districts as well as members of the peasant associations from various base villages of the two districts gathered on the broad flatland of Xianshui Turtle in the East District. After a brief mobilization, the guerrilla fighters, loaded with live ammunition, led the way, followed closely by the masses carrying homemade cannons. The procession marched grandly around the key town of Bangtou in the Xianyou Plain—first making detours through villages such as Xianshui, Shangqian, and Xiaming, then entering Bangtou Street. Along the way, the local people thought the People’s Liberation Army had arrived, while the self-defense team and police stationed in Bangtou dared not act rashly and spent a fearful night. The next day, Lin Chun-nian led the guerrilla fighters to attack the quarters of the Bangtou self-defense team, only to find it completely empty. Next, the guerrilla unit turned to attack the Bangtou Police Station. Coincidentally, the puppet policemen were lining up at the entrance preparing for a speech when they suddenly saw the guerrillas charging in and fled in all directions. Subsequently, the guerrilla fighters stormed the town office in one go, only to find it also deserted. Finally, the guerrillas surrounded the residence of Zheng Pan, the puppet township head of Bangtou. Zheng Pan had fled beforehand, but his father handed over two handguns. At the same time, another group of guerrilla fighters, together with the masses, cut down the telegraph poles along the road from Bangtou to the county seat, sabotaging the roads and bridges. This disrupted the communication and transportation between the Kuomintang puppet county government and Bangtou, and the Bangtou Uprising achieved victory.

There are two sites related to the former Bangtou Uprising. The original Kuomintang Bangtou Police Station was located on the top street of Bangtou Street in Chihé Community. It was a two-story civil structure made of earth and wood, consisting of four rooms with a total floor area of 250 square meters. The original Kuomintang Bangtou Town Office was located in Gongcuo Natural Village, Chihé Community. It was a single-story civil structure made of earth and wood, now dilapidated and abandoned, covering an area of 150 square meters.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

Bangtou Town: Covering an area of 138 square kilometers, Bangtou Town has a population of 130,000 and 39 village (neighborhood) committees. The area features flat terrain and convenient transportation. The Xian-Bang and Lai-Bang highways run through the entire region, while the Mulan River and Xianshui River flow across it. The arable land area is nearly 30,000 mu. In 1984, it became one of the first towns in the province with a billion-yuan economy and was awarded the title “The Flower of Township Enterprises” by the provincial government. In 1991, it was honored as one of the first “Star Townships” in the province by the provincial Party committee and government. In 1993, it entered the ranks of the province’s “Top 100 Townships.” In 1995, it was designated as a pilot unit for small-town construction by the National Ministry of Construction, and in 1996, it was… More detailed information about Bangtou Town++