Former Site of the Red Fourth Army Headquarters in Wenwuba

Former Site of the Red Fourth Army Headquarters in Wenwuba

The former site of the Red Fourth Army Headquarters in Wenwuba is a cultural heritage protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The former site of the Red Fourth Army Headquarters in Wenwuba is located at No. 11, East Street, Wenwuba Town, Huichang County. It dates back to 1930 and was designated as part of the sixth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units in Jiangxi Province in March 2018.

The former site of the Red Fourth Army Headquarters (the Dacheng Hall) was first built during the late Northern Song Dynasty, in the Zhenzhen years (1102–1106). By the sixth year of the Qiandao era in the Southern Song Dynasty (1170), Magistrate Zhang Guan advocated for its reconstruction, which took three years to complete. In the ninth year of Qiandao (1173), Hong Mai, the prefectural magistrate of Ganzhou, documented in his article “Record of the Reconstruction of the Prefectural School in Huichang, Ganzhou”: the reconstruction of the county school was initiated by Magistrate Zhang Guan and completed under the tenure of his successor, Magistrate Shen Lingchen. After reconstruction, the school regained its former scale—boasting a hundred pillars standing in grand array, with a majestic and spacious layout.

It wasn’t until the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty (around 1353) that the county school was destroyed by a fire. Magistrate Chang Fanghu rebuilt it and converted it into a prefectural school. In the first year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1368), the prefecture was abolished and the county reinstated, and it was once again called the county school. In the Wushen year of Hongwu (1368), Magistrate Zhang Gui relocated the school to the northeast corner, but it was destroyed by fire in the Ren Shen year. In the Guiwei year of the Yongle era, Magistrate Wang Wenzi rebuilt it; in the Renchen year of the Chenghua era, Magistrate Liang Qian purchased the former residence of the military officer Bai Qiong, exchanged land with the City God Temple, and expanded and renovated the school. In the 43rd year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1625), Magistrate Mao Mengling carried out another reconstruction, orienting the main gate to the south, with the Hall of Confucius in the center, side halls on the east and west, the temple gate in front, the Shrine of the Sage’s Ancestors on the right, and the Local Worthies Gate on the left; behind the hall was the Hall of Enlightenment, with study rooms for moral and intellectual cultivation on the left and right, followed by the Hall of Reverence, the Scripture Pavilion, the Instruction Office on the left side of the pavilion, the lecture hall, and the ritual vessel storage room; on the right side of the pavilion were the Instructor’s Office, the dining quarters, and flanking wings of student dormitories, with the Confucian school gates on either side of the temple gate. In the Jiayin year of the Tianqi era, Magistrate Liang Hong changed the orientation to face east. In the eighth year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1651), Magistrate Wang Xun, with the support and request of the local gentry and residents, rebuilt the county school from the ruins. He oversaw the construction of the Hall of Confucius, the side halls, the ceremonial gate, and the Temples of Meritorious Officials and Local Worthies on the left and right, with the Lingxing Gate in front, still facing south. The entire school complex featured an imposing main hall, bridges, ponds, and gates and side halls all restored to their former designs, with the Hall of Enlightenment on the left, the Scripture Pavilion and various halls and storage rooms at the rear. By this time, the Huichang school complex, having undergone repeated destructions, reconstructions, and expansions since the Song Dynasty, had become a relatively comprehensive and grandly planned county-level educational institution.

On April 17, 1930, Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and others led the Third Column of the Red Fourth Army and the Army Headquarters to Huichang for the first time, staying in the “Confucius Temple” for over a week. Although Mao’s stay here was brief, his activities were highly significant. He met with over 300 representatives of miners from the Pangu Mountain mine and farmers from Qingxi; he also received commanders of the newly formed Second Battalion of the Red Fifty Regiment of Xunwu and officers and soldiers of the Twenty-Third Column of Anyuan. On April 20, a mass rally to struggle against local tyrants was held at the entrance of the Confucius Temple, where Mao delivered an important speech to the public.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jiangxi Province