Former Site of the Supreme Court of the Chinese Soviet Republic

Former Site of the Supreme Court of the Chinese Soviet Republic

The Former Site of the Supreme Court of the Chinese Soviet Republic is a classic red tourism destination.

The Former Site of the Supreme Court of the Chinese Soviet Republic is located in Shazhoubay, Ruijin City, and is one of the important revolutionary historical sites from the Soviet Area period. In December 1931, the preparatory staff of the Provisional Supreme Tribunal selected the ancestral hall of the Yang family in Dongkeng Village, Shazhoubay, Ruijin County (then a centrally-administered county) as the site for the tribunal. This clan house was originally built during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty and is of wood-and-earth construction. The Supreme Tribunal organized laborers to build a front wall and gates to the south and north of the compound, a sentry tower and guardhouse on the back hill, as well as an air-raid shelter and a well. The tribunal faced the Central Judicial People's Commissariat located to its north. Comrade He Shuheng’s office and living quarters were situated in a simple room on the lower hall of the clan house. In February 1934, after the establishment of the Supreme Court, his successor, Comrade Dong Biwu, also set up his office and bedroom in the private Yang family ancestral hall, taking over He Shuheng’s duties. During this time, Dong Biwu personally served as the presiding judge of the Supreme Tribunal’s Special Tribunal, presiding over the case of Xiong Xianbi, Chairman of the Yudu County Soviet Government, who was charged with the crime of shielding. He was sentenced to one year in prison and deprivation of civil rights for one year. The verdict of this case is preserved to this day. Between July and August 1934, the Supreme Court moved with the central authorities to the Yunshishan area in the western part of the county. In October of the same year, the main force of the Red Army began its strategic relocation, embarking on the world-shaking 25,000-li Long March. Important leaders of the Supreme Court, including Comrade Dong Biwu, also joined the Long March.

After the nationwide liberation, in the spring of 1955, the Ruijin County People’s Government designated the original site of the former Supreme Court at the Yang family ancestral hall in Dongkeng Village, Shazhoubay, as one of the first batch of county-level cultural relic protection units and installed a protective marker. In the winter of 1991, the Supreme People’s Court allocated funds to renovate the site. In April 1998, the site collapsed due to natural disasters. In July 1998, under the direct leadership of the Supreme People’s Court and the Jiangxi Provincial High People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Court allocated special funds. The Ganzhou Intermediate People’s Court and the Ruijin City People’s Court jointly undertook the project to relocate the site from Dongkeng Village to the former site of the Provisional Central Government at Yuantaiwu in Shazhoubay, reconstructing it according to its original appearance to facilitate visitation and preservation. Currently, the site has been restored to its historical appearance, with separate offices and living quarters set up for three individuals: Comrades He Shuheng, Dong Biwu, and Liang Botai. It also includes reconstructions of the Supreme Court Committee, Military Tribunal, Criminal Tribunal, Civil Tribunal, Judicial Police Unit, and Detention House. The courtroom has been reassembled in the main hall. Over 200 cultural relics and exhibits are displayed on the site. The plaque inscribed with “Former Site of the Supreme Court of the Chinese Soviet Republic” was written by Comrade Zheng Tianxiang, former President of the Supreme People’s Court.

The Supreme Court of the Chinese Soviet Republic was headed by one President and two Vice Presidents, appointed by the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee. Dong Biwu served as the first President of the Supreme Court. Internally, the Supreme Court had institutions such as the Criminal Tribunal, Civil Tribunal, and Military Tribunal, each responsible for handling relevant cases, with each tribunal led by a Chief Judge. The Supreme Court operated under a unified system of judiciary and prosecution, with one Chief Prosecutor, one Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and several Prosecutors. The Chief Prosecutor and Deputy Chief Prosecutor were also appointed by the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee.

The Supreme Court also housed the “Supreme Military Adjudication Conference.” According to the “Interim Organizational Regulations of the Military Adjudication Offices of the Chinese Soviet Republic” dated February 1, 1932, the Supreme Military Adjudication Conference was composed of several individuals designated by the Supreme Court, including representatives from the Central Revolutionary Military Commission. The status and responsibilities of the Supreme Military Adjudication Conference were: ① the highest judicial body of the Chinese Soviet Republic for hearing military cases; ② to hear appeals or protests against initial rulings made by higher military adjudication offices, with its verdicts being final; ③ to try criminal cases involving important military personnel at the rank of corps commander or above, where its verdicts served as both initial and final judgments. Defendants had no right to appeal. The Supreme Court held the authority to approve the appointments of the heads and judges of the higher military adjudication offices.