Former Site of the First Expanded Meeting of the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Huangpi

Former Site of the First Expanded Meeting of the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Huangpi

The Former Site of the First Expanded Meeting of the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Huangpi is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism destination.

The Former Site of the First Expanded Meeting of the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic is located in Yaoshang Village Group, Shantang Village, Huangpi Town, Ningdu County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province. Originally known as the "Hu Family Ancestral Temple," it covers a land area of 1,404.5 square meters and has a built-up area of 2,033.6 square meters.

The Hu Family Ancestral Temple was built in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period. It faces south with a northward orientation and features a concave-shaped layout with a two-courtyard design and a “four waters converging into the hall” configuration. The structure spans five bays with a total width of 27.35 meters and four bays in depth, totaling 51.84 meters, standing 12 meters tall with partial two-story sections. It is built with brick and wood, featuring a flush gable roof, stacked firewalls constructed from blue bricks, and a tiled roof with small gray tiles. The eaves are fitted with drip tiles. The entrance is supported by four cylindrical columns, with a brick-bracketed lintel overhead. The roof ridges curl upwards, adorned with sculpted animal ornaments. The stone-framed door is surrounded by bas-relief carvings of scrolling cloud motifs. The building is grand in scale, exquisitely decorated, finely crafted, with painted beams and carved rafters. It comprises a front hall, front corridor, front courtyard, central hall, rear corridor, rear corridor wing, rear courtyard, and rear hall.

After the failure of the first “encirclement and suppression” campaign, in February 1931, Chiang Kai-shek appointed He Yingqin, the Minister of Military Affairs, to act as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Navy, and Air Force and Director of the Nanchang Garrison, mobilizing 18 divisions and 3 brigades totaling 200,000 troops. With the strategy of “massing forces, tight encirclement, and advancing cautiously,” they adopted a measured, step-by-step approach to actively prepare for the second “encirclement and suppression” campaign against the Central Soviet Area. To thwart the Kuomintang’s second encirclement plan and make military, political, and economic preparations to counter the enemy, on February 22, 1931, Xiang Ying and Mao Zedong relocated the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic from Xiaobu to the Hu Family Ancestral Temple in Shantang, Huangpi. From March 18 to 21, 1931, the First Expanded Meeting of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Area was held at the Hu Family Ancestral Temple in Shantang, Huangpi, chaired by acting secretary Xiang Ying. On April 17, the meeting reconvened at Xinwu, Hebei, Qingtang.

The meeting conducted the first review of the work carried out by the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic in its first two months since its establishment. It conveyed the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the directives of the “International Letter” opposing the “Li San Line.” The strategic policy for the second counter-“encirclement and suppression” campaign was discussed for the first time. Additionally, issues such as land reform, the Futian Incident, the work of the Communist Youth League, the current situation and tasks, and the election of additional members—Peng Dehuai, Lin Biao, Zhou Yiliu, Zeng Shan, and Chen Yi—as members of the Central Bureau were deliberated. Five resolutions were passed, including the Resolution on the Futian Incident.

The First Expanded Meeting of the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic was the first meeting convened after the establishment of the bureau. It was a significant meeting in which the bureau implemented the directives of the “International Letter” and firmly opposed the “Li San Line.” It effectively curtailed the implementation of the Li San Line within the Central Soviet Area. It played a crucial role in ensuring the success of the Red Army's strategy of “luring the enemy deep” and in securing victory in the second counter-“encirclement and suppression” campaign. The site holds significant historical value for studying the second counter-“encirclement and suppression” campaign and the history of the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic. The site is surrounded by water on three sides, featuring ingenious layout, grand scale, distinct characteristics, unique decorations, and strong local flavor. It is a typical representative of late Qing to early Republican-era Hakka ancestral hall architecture in southern Jiangxi, providing valuable research material on ancestral hall architecture in southern Jiangxi from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republican period. It holds considerable scientific and artistic value.

On October 7, 2019, the Former Site of the First Expanded Meeting of the Central Bureau of the Chinese Soviet Republic in Huangpi was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Address: Yaoshang Village, Shantang Village, Huangpi Town, Ningdu County, Ganzhou City

Opening Information: Open to the public

Shantang Village: The Yaoshang group of Shantang Village is only 2 kilometers from the town center, with 48 households, 192 residents, 86 laborers, and nearly 300 acres of arable land. Before the new rural development initiative, the area had low, dilapidated houses, random structures, disorderly firewood piles, bumpy muddy roads, inconvenient transportation, and unstable electricity supply. Since the new rural development began in 2006, every household has built a 134.2-square-meter villa-style new home, leading to tremendous changes in people’s lives.

I. Stable production development and peaceful community life. Firstly, relying on its proximity to the town center, abundant arable land, fertile soil, and ample water resources... Detailed information about Shantang Village++

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units