Site of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China in the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Area

Site of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China in the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Area

The site of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China in the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Area is located at the Xieshi Shen Ancestral Hall in Maoping. In May 1928, as the revolutionary struggle on Jinggangshan entered a period of major development, in order to strengthen unified party leadership in the border region, and with the approval of the Jiangxi and Hunan provincial committees, the First Congress of the Communist Party of China in the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Area was held on May 20 at the “Xieshi Shen Ancestral Hall” in Maoping. Over 60 representatives attended the meeting, including delegates from the county committees of Ninggang, Yongxin, Lianhua, Suichuan, and Lingxian, as well as from the Special District Committee of Chaling and military party organizations, along with representatives from three days of sessions. The congress reviewed the experiences of the half-year-long struggle on Jinggangshan. Due to the interference of "Left" adventurism errors, the “March Failure” occurred, resulting in the occupation of the border area by the enemy for over a month. A small number of comrades within the base area grew pessimistic about the prospects of the revolution, raising the question, “How long can the red flag continue to fly?” This was a fundamental issue concerning whether the Chinese Red Army and the base area could survive and develop. Without answering this, the revolution could not advance. At the meeting, Comrade Mao Zedong analyzed the situation of the Chinese revolution, profoundly expounded on the nature and characteristics of the Chinese revolution, criticized certain right-leaning pessimistic viewpoints, and answered the question of “How long can the red flag continue to fly?”

The meeting also formulated a series of correct policies for the construction of the base area. These policies included: resolutely fighting the enemy to establish political power in the middle section of the Luoxiao Mountains and opposing escapism; deepening the agrarian revolution in the base areas; having the party within the army assist in the development of local party organizations and using military forces to help develop local armed forces; adopting a defensive stance toward the more strongly governed Hunan and an offensive approach toward the weaker-governed Jiangxi; focusing efforts on developing Yongxin to create a mass-based base area and prepare for prolonged struggle; concentrating Red Army forces to engage the immediate enemy, opposing the dispersal of troops to avoid being defeated piecemeal; and pursuing a wave-like advancement policy in the base areas while opposing rash advances. These policies were not only suited to the contemporary struggle against the enemy but also represented the initial embodiment of the concept of armed agrarian revolutionary bases for workers and peasants.

The meeting elected the First Special Committee of the Communist Party of China in the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Area. Elected as members of the Special Committee were Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Chen Yi, Liu Yinsheng, Wan Xixian, Tan Zhenlin, Liu Tiangan, Xie Guibiao, Long Gaogui, Wang Zuo, Long Shouyu, He Zhihua, Liu Yan, Tan Puxiang, Chen Jingjin, Chen Zhengren, Liu Huixiao, Chen Shao, and Liu Zhen. Mao Zedong, Wan Xixian, Liu Zhen, Tan Zhenlin, and Xie Guibiao were elected as standing committee members; Zhu De, Chen Yi, Liu Huixiao, and Long Gaogui as alternate standing committee members; and Mao Zedong as the secretary of the Special Committee.

After the congress, a vigorous agrarian revolution movement centered on overthrowing local tyrants and redistributing land swept through the counties in the border area. The party, government, military, and agrarian revolution movement within the base area entered a period of major development, marking the heyday of the Jinggangshan struggle.

In March 1961, the State Council designated this historical site as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Source: China · Jinggangshan Revolutionary Museum