Site of the Changling Battle

Site of the Changling Battle

The Site of the Changling Battle is a classic red tourism destination.

The Site of the Changling Battle is located in Changling Natural Village, Changling Village, Jiaowei Town, Xianyou County, Putian City.

In May 1936, after the First and Second Detachments of the Minzhong Workers' and Peasants' Guerrilla Forces were merged, the Minzhong Special Committee of the Chinese Communist Party decided to break the enemy’s encirclement of the Putian-Xianyou border guerrilla base area in order to reverse the passive situation and continue waging guerrilla warfare. After reconnaissance, they chose the Nationalist army outpost at Changling, situated on the boundary between Putian and Xianyou along the Fuzhou–Xiamen highway, as their first target for attack. A platoon was stationed there, guarding this key transportation route. Since guerrilla forces had rarely operated in the area, the enemy troops were complacent and their defenses were lax, providing favorable conditions for a surprise attack.

To ensure the success of the battle, Liu Tujun, the political commissar of the Second Detachment of the Minzhong Workers' and Peasants' Guerrilla Forces, sent two guerrillas ahead to Changling to gather intelligence on the enemy. In mid-June, under the leadership of Liu Tujun, over 20 elite fighters set out from the Changtai base area in Putian during the night, taking a shortcut and arriving at Changling in the early hours of the next morning. As the guerrillas approached the enemy barracks at Linjing Palace, they found that apart from one sentry, the rest were asleep. The guerrillas first cut the enemy’s telephone lines and took up advantageous positions to lie in ambush. Liu Tujun personally led several fighters to quickly neutralize the sentry, then stormed the outpost. When they began confiscating weapons, the drowsy enemy soldiers were so startled that they surrendered without resistance.

The Changling Battle achieved victory without firing a single shot, resulting in the capture of 18 rifles and several hundred rounds of ammunition. Afterwards, Liu Tujun gathered the prisoners and conducted anti-Japanese propaganda education among them, deliberately spreading the word: “The Red Army guerrillas will attack Putian city within a few days.” When the news spread, the Nationalist authorities became highly alarmed and hastily withdrew some of the troops that had been “mopping up” the Changtai guerrilla base area to defend the city.

The Linjing Palace at the Site of the Changling Battle is a two-story brick-and-wood structure covering an area of 160 square meters, located at the junction of Putian and Xianyou along the Fuzhou–Xiamen highway.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

Jiaowei Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Xianyou County. The Jiaowei Commune was established in 1958. It was restructured as a township in 1984 and upgraded to a town in 1987. Located in the southeastern part of the county, it covers an area of 64.5 square kilometers with a population of 79,000. The Fuzhou–Xiamen Highway and the Sanjiao Highway intersect here. The town administers 23 village committees—Xinyao, Gainan, Qinlin, Xishan, Houmian, Baokeng, Huzhai, Meitang, Donghu, Houshen, Changling, Gudian, Ruanzhuang, Houxi, Sanpu, Chengbian, Changan, Wushi, Xinhe, Tangbian, Rancuo—and the Jiaowei Neighborhood Committee. The main agricultural products are rice, sugarcane, and fruit. Township enterprises include those in footwear, garments, … More detailed information about Jiaowei Town ++