Former Site of the Ningdu Conference

Former Site of the Ningdu Conference

The Former Site of the Ningdu Conference is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism destination.

The Former Site of the Ningdu Conference is located in the Fourth Village Group of Xiaoyuan, Xiaoyuan Village Committee, Dongshanba Town, Ningdu County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province. Originally the ancestral hall of the Zeng family, known as "Bangshan Weng Ancestral Hall," it covers a total area of 283.5 square meters.

The Bangshan Weng Ancestral Hall was built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1662–1722), featuring a rectangular layout that faces southeast and is situated northwest. It has an overall length of 22.67 m, an overall width of 13.55 m, and an overall height of 9.9 m, covering a floor area of 307.2 m². It is constructed with a brick-and-wood structure and features a tiled roof with small blue tiles. The eaves are fitted with drips and hooked tiles, and the ridges are made of stacked tiles with upturned corners decorated with animal ornaments. The roof is of the flush-gable type, with stepped firewalls on the gable sides. The building consists of a porch, entrance hall, courtyard, and main hall. The flooring is mainly blue bricks laid in a herringbone pattern, with some areas paved with pebbles. The walls feature blue brick masonry with lower sections in a "sleeping bond" style, while the wall body is constructed with single-dan, one-basket, one-sleeping hollow walls and firewalls. The top has three tiers of brick eaves, decorated with white lime plaster bands, capped with small blue tiles, and adorned with upturned corners shaped like ruyi scrolls and floral motifs.

In July 1932, Chiang Kai-shek launched the fourth military “Encirclement and Suppression” campaign, and the Central Red Army was ordered to return northward from Zhangzhou. In early August, the Central Bureau of the Soviet Area held a meeting in Xingguo to discuss the Red Army’s operational plans. The meeting adopted Zhou Enlai’s suggestion to appoint Mao Zedong as the Political Commissar of the First Front Red Army. A “Supreme Military Council” was formed at the front, consisting of Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Wang Jiaxiang, while serious disagreements arose between the rear Central Bureau and the front leaders over whether to attack Nancheng. In early October 1932, to resolve the disagreements between the front and rear leaders of the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Area regarding the direction of the Red Army’s actions and to establish strategic guidelines for confronting the enemy, the Central Bureau convened a full committee meeting at the “Bangshan Weng Ancestral Hall” in Xiaoyuan, Ningdu, historically known as the “Ningdu Conference.” Attendees included Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Wang Jiaxiang from the front, and Ren Bishi, Xiang Ying, Gu Zuolin, and Deng Fa from the rear—eight committee members in total—with Liu Bocheng attending as a non-voting delegate. The meeting evaluated and summarized the Red Army’s actions since 1932, discussed the strategic guidelines for the fourth counter-“encirclement and suppression” campaign, and addressed leadership issues for the ongoing battles. At the meeting, followers of Wang Ming’s “Left” deviationist line erroneously directed their criticism primarily at Mao Zedong. After the meeting, under instructions from the Provisional Central Committee of the CCP, the Central Bureau transferred Mao Zedong back to the rear to oversee the work of the Central Government and removed his position as Political Commissar of the First Front Red Army, causing significant losses to the Chinese revolution and marking a historic mistake that was only rectified at the “Zunyi Conference.”

The Ningdu Conference marked the full outbreak of the struggle between Wang Ming’s “Left” adventurist “active offensive strategy” and Mao Zedong’s “active defense strategy” under conditions where the enemy was strong and we were weak. Convened amid the imminent fourth counter-“encirclement and suppression” campaign, the conference sidelined and stripped Mao Zedong of his leadership and command over the Red Army. It not only created difficulties and disadvantages for the Red Army’s frontline command at the time but also became a key factor in the later failure of the fifth counter-“encirclement and suppression” campaign.

As a historical research subject, the Ningdu Conference site was once a point of contention in the history of our Party. However, with the liberation of thought in Party history research and the gradual declassification and release of certain historical archives, the site helps restore the true historical picture. It holds significant historical value for studying the journey of our Party, especially for gaining a comprehensive understanding of the history of the Central Soviet Area. The site itself and its surrounding environment are well-preserved. It is a typical example of traditional Hakka ancestral hall architecture in southern Jiangxi, serving both as a place for ancestor worship and as a highly practical Hakka residence. The brickwork above the entrance gate is adorned with calligraphy-style plaque decorations flanked by painted still-life reliefs, surrounded by colorful patterns. The lines of the designs are smooth, the color combinations refined, bright yet elegant, and the craftsmanship meticulous, reflecting the exceptional skill of the artisans. The site holds considerable scientific and artistic value for the study of Hakka ancestral hall and residential architectural art in southern Jiangxi.

On October 7, 2019, the Former Site of the Ningdu Conference was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Address: Xiaoyuan Village, Dongshanba Town, Ningdu County, Ganzhou City

Opening Information: Open to the public

Xiaoyuan Village: Xiaoyuan Village... More detailed information about Xiaoyuan Village++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units