Battle Site of the Attack on the Third District Office of Huangshi Town

Battle Site of the Attack on the Third District Office of Huangshi Town

The Battle Site of the Attack on the Third District Office of Huangshi Town is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Battle Site of the Attack on the Third District Office of Huangshi Town is located on Yutang Street, Huangshi Community, Huangshi Town, Licheng District, Putian City.

In May 1936, the Minzhong Special Committee of the Chinese Communist Party convened a meeting in Houxi, on the border of Putian (Tian) and Yongtai, to discuss the next steps of struggle for the First Detachment of the Minzhong Workers' and Peasants' Guerrilla after its withdrawal from the Luohuali base area. The meeting concluded that due to the defection of Wei Geng, the detachment commander, and the severe suppression suffered by the local populace from the Nationalist army, it would be difficult to quickly restore the Fu-Yong border guerrilla base area. It was therefore decided that the remnants of the First Detachment should not return to their original location to continue the fight. Instead, the two detachments would be merged into one, using the Changtai base area as a support to continue the guerrilla war in the Putian-Xian region. Consequently, the First Detachment moved to Jiechuan in Changtai to merge with the Second Detachment, thereby strengthening the armed forces of the Changtai base area. However, because the exits from Changtai leading to the plains were blocked by Nationalist troops stationed there, the guerrillas’ activities within the base area were restricted. To break the deadlock, Liu Tujun and others decided to avoid direct confrontation and instead strike where the enemy was weak, pushing guerrilla operations into the plains and coastal hinterlands of Putian. In mid-June of the same year, the guerrillas achieved a victory in a surprise attack on the enemy camp at Changling, greatly boosting the morale of the fighters. Seizing the momentum, Liu Tujun led over 80 members in a rapid assault on the key inland town of Huangshi. On the morning of June 24, the guerrillas, disguised as merchants, farmers, and peddlers, launched a sudden attack on the Third District Office located in the town center. The guards and the local militia were caught off guard and thrown into confusion, and over 30 rifles were seized by the guerrillas. After the battle, the guerrillas raised the red flag and openly propagated resistance against Japan in the streets, exposing Chiang Kai-shek’s policy of oppressing the people domestically while compromising with Japan. The Putian garrison and local authorities never expected such a well-guarded inland town to be attacked by the Red guerrillas. By the time they mobilized reinforcements to counter the attack, the guerrillas had already withdrawn along hillside paths to their underground base in the Thirty-Six Villages for rest. They also apprehended He Nian’an, the brother of He Xianzu — the main culprit behind the “Dongsha Massacre” — publicly denounced him, confiscated his three private firearms, and fined him 2,000 yuan as a warning, thereby expanding the influence of the guerrillas.

The original site of the Battle of the Attack on the Third District Office of Huangshi Town was the Huangshi People's Commune, which was demolished during the old street renovation in May 2010.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

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