Former Site of the Establishment of the First Detachment of the Minzhong Workers' and Peasants' Guerrilla Unit

Former Site of the Establishment of the First Detachment of the Minzhong Workers' and Peasants' Guerrilla Unit

The former site of the establishment of the First Detachment of the Minzhong Workers' and Peasants' Guerrilla Unit, Huguo Guanyin Temple, is located in Heshan Village, Guanban Town, Lianjiang County.

In mid-June 1932, the Fuzhou Central Municipal Committee of the CPC identified the development of workers’ and peasants’ guerrilla armed struggle in the northeastern Minzhong region, centered on Lianjiang and Fu’an, as the committee’s foremost task. To that end, the committee made careful and comprehensive preparations. In mid-June, Tao Zhu, who was well-versed in the art of military struggle, serving as head of the Military Department of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee and Secretary of the Fuzhou Central Municipal Committee, visited Lianjiang to conduct an on-site survey of the terrain and social conditions of Heshan Village in Guanban. He learned that Heshan Village, with its high mountains and cold waters, had infertile land. The over 30 households in the village were all extremely poor, relying on firewood gathering and tenant farming for survival, and a Party branch had already been secretly established there. Tao Zhu and Yang Erzhang agreed to develop Heshan as a guerrilla base. Yang Erzhang, the secretary of the Special Branch, assigned Party members Lin Jizao and Lin Jitong to pose as “seafood vendors” to travel to the Fuzhou Central Municipal Committee’s traffic station in Fanpu, Cangshan, to collect military supplies issued by the committee—namely one red flag, one bugle, and five broadswords—which they then secretly transported back to Heshan Village in Guanban, Lianjiang.

On the morning of June 19, the loud sound of a bugle rang out at the Guanyin Pavilion of Huguo Temple in Heshan. Yang Erzhang led the former Special Task Force in forming up in front of the pavilion to hold a solemn and grand flag-bestowing and flag-raising ceremony. A representative of the municipal committee presented the guerrilla unit’s leadership with a flag embroidered with the words “The 1st Detachment of the Minzhong Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army Guerrilla Unit,” which fluttered proudly atop a tall bamboo pole. This guerrilla unit was later referred to by local residents as the “13th Detachment of the Minzhong Workers’ and Peasants’ Guerrilla Unit.” The municipal committee appointed Lin Bingguang (also known as Wang Zhaoxun, who later defected) as the detachment leader. The original plan was for the political commissar to be Chen Xinggui (also known as Chen Xinggui), who was working elsewhere, but since he was unavailable, Yang Erzhang took on the role instead. The guerrilla unit consisted of 20 members, with key figures including Yang Yukey, Chen Kaiqiu, Lin Jitong, Lin Jizao, Lin Peili, and Huang Jinlong. The Lianjiang Special Branch of the CPC had previously prepared a smooth and catchy six-character-line folk-style ditty titled “Proclamation of the Headquarters of the 1st Detachment of the Minzhong Workers’ and Peasants’ Guerrilla Unit,” which was printed as small leaflets and widely distributed across the towns and villages of the county.

Huguo Guanyin Temple covers a construction area of 380 square meters, with a brick-and-wood structure. The original site was destroyed and was rebuilt in 1966 with funds raised by villagers. The temple is five bays wide and three bays deep, with a flush gable roof. In front of the temple stands a memorial stele erected by the Lianjiang County People’s Government. The stele is made of bluestone, standing 2 meters tall and 0.8 meters wide, with the inscription “Former Site of the Establishment of the First Detachment of the Minzhong Workers’ and Peasants’ Guerrilla Unit” on the front.

Heshan Village: Heshan Village is a secluded mountain village in Guanban Town. It served as the central location of the Lianluo Guerrilla County Committee, an early revolutionary base in eastern Min. Located in the western part of Guanban Town, it is 3 kilometers from Guanban Town. The village has a total of 72 households, with a population of 275, covering 130 mu of arable land and 2,690 mu of forested land. In 2000, with the approval of the county government, a “Benefit the People Project” was implemented, relocating residents in phases to areas in front of Meiligong and at the head of Yangwei Bridge. … More details about Heshan Village++