Former Site of the 19th Route Army's Meeting to Plan the "Fujian Incident"

Former Site of the 19th Route Army's Meeting to Plan the "Fujian Incident"

The former site of the 19th Route Army's meeting to plan the "Fujian Incident" is a cultural heritage site protected by Fujian Province and also serves as a national defense education base.

The former site of the 19th Route Army's meeting to plan the "Fujian Incident" is located within the Qi Gong Shrine on Yu Mountain in downtown Fuzhou.

In October 1933, Nationalist generals of the 19th Route Army, including Cai Tingkai, Chen Mingshu, and Jiang Guangnai, dissatisfied with Chiang Kai-shek’s appeasement policies and his decision to suppress the Red Army (which had dealt heavy blows to them in battle), held a secret meeting here. They decided to sign an anti-Japanese, anti-Chiang agreement with the Red Army, cease military actions, demarcate a military boundary line, resume bilateral trade, release political prisoners in Fujian, support the existence and activities of revolutionary organizations within Fujian, and exchange plenipotentiary representatives to prepare for joint anti-Japanese and anti-Chiang military operations. The signing of the agreement not only created favorable conditions for the Red Army to break through Chiang Kai-shek’s “encirclement and suppression,” but also relieved the concerns of the 19th Route Army leaders. On November 20, they joined anti-Chiang forces within the Nationalist Party, including Li Jishen, Chen Youren, and the leader of the China Democratic League Huang Qixiang, to launch the "Fujian Incident." They convened the "People’s Provisional Congress of China" in Fuzhou, where the "Declaration of People’s Rights of the People’s Provisional Congress of China" was adopted, openly raising the banner of resistance against Japan and opposition to Chiang. On the 22nd, the Chinese People’s Revolutionary Government (commonly known as the Fujian People’s Government), with Li Jishen as chairman, was proclaimed. After its establishment, to consolidate and strengthen cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party, the Fujian People’s Government sent representatives to hold talks with delegates from the Chinese Soviet Republic, resulting in the signing of the "Minxi Border and Transportation Treaty." This ended military actions, defined borders, and restored and developed transportation and trade. Subsequently, large quantities of supplies such as salt, cloth, medicine, and military equipment were transported from Fujian to the Central Soviet Area, effectively lifting the economic blockade on the Central Soviet Area to some extent and providing strong support for its fight against the “encirclement and suppression.”

Two months before the "Fujian Incident," in September 1933, Chiang Kai-shek launched the fifth “encirclement and suppression” campaign, relying on fortifications and gradually advancing, which posed a serious threat to the Red Army. After the outbreak of the "Fujian Incident," Chiang Kai-shek was forced to change his original plans and redeployed eleven divisions from the Jiangxi anti-communist front and the Shanghai-Nanjing-Hangzhou area to Fujian to “suppress the rebellion.” The changing situation was highly favorable for smashing the “encirclement and suppression.” Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Peng Dehuai all proposed the correct strategy of militarily uniting with the 19th Route Army to break the blockade. Unfortunately, figures like Bo Gu did not adopt these sound suggestions. Fearful of losing their bases, they dared not implement the strategy of attacking the enemy’s rear and continued fighting on the inner lines. They also failed to win over potential allies to the greatest extent and continued to view centrist groups as the “most dangerous enemies.” Militarily, they did not provide the 19th Route Army with due support. As a result, Chiang Kai-shek leisurely dismantled the Fujian People’s Government and carried out large-scale suppression. By January 1934, the "Fujian Incident" had failed.

This site is also known as the Pushan Retreat at Yu Mountain. Originally a place for the White Pagoda Temple to receive dignitaries, it was first built in the Song Dynasty and rebuilt during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1821–1850). The structure has three bays in width and five columns in depth, featuring a post-and-lintel wooden frame, a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, and a clay and lime sculpted dragon-head ridge. Walls were built around the complex following the natural terrain. Within the courtyard walls are cliff inscriptions such as the “Pingyuan Terrace” from the Song Dynasty.

The former site of the 19th Route Army's meeting to plan the "Fujian Incident" was designated as part of the third batch of provincial-level cultural heritage sites by the Fujian Provincial People’s Government in 1991 and named a Fujian Provincial National Defense Education Base in 2007.

Jiang Guangnai (1888–1967), courtesy name Jingran, was a native of Nan栅 Township, Humen Town, Dongguan, Guangdong. He was an outstanding patriotic democrat, political activist, distinguished anti-Japanese general with remarkable achievements, an eminent leader and founder of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, and a key leader in China’s New China textile industry.

Having participated in the Xinhai Revolution, he once served as a division commander of the National Revolutionary Army and deputy commander of the 11th Army, taking part in the Central Plains War. In 1930, he became commander-in-chief of the 19th Route Army and garrison commander of the Shanghai-Nanjing region. On January 28, 1932, he led the 19th Route Army in resisting the Japanese invasion. In 1949, he began serving as… [Jiang Guangnai – More Details++]

Cai Tingkai (1892–1968), courtesy name Xianchu, was a native of Luoding, Guangdong. In the second year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1910), he enlisted in the Guangdong New Army. In 1919 (the 8th year of the Republic of China), he served as a platoon leader in Chen Mingshu’s battalion of the Zhao Army. In 1926, he became commander of the 28th Regiment, 10th Division, 4th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, participating in the Northern Expedition, later promoted to deputy commander of the 24th Division, 11th Army. After the “April 12th Incident,” he served as commander of the 10th Division, 11th Army. On August 1, 1927, he led troops in the Nanchang Uprising. Soon after, he broke away and joined the Nanjing central government, reinstating the 11th Army designation… [Cai Tingkai – More Details++]

Yu Mountain Community: AnTai Subdistrict’s Yu Mountain Community was formed by merging the former Baita Neighborhood Committee, parts of Fayi Neighborhood Committee, parts of Aofengfang Neighborhood Committee from Dongjie Subdistrict, and parts of Yu Mountain Neighborhood Committee from Shuibu Subdistrict. Its boundaries are: east to Wuyi North Road, west to Xinquan Road and Fayi Road, south to Gutian Road, north to Aofengfang, covering a total area of 370,000 square meters, with 1,605 households and 5,095 residents. There are 29 residential compounds, one provincial-level organization, seven municipal-level organizations, one medical facility, one school, and one senior citizens’ activity center within the jurisdiction. The community has a rich political and cultural atmosphere, housing the Municipal People’s Congress, the Fuzhou Garrison Command, the Xiehe… [Yu Mountain Community – More Details++]