Former Site of the Headquarters of the Fourth Red Army of China

Former Site of the Headquarters of the Fourth Red Army of China

The former site of the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army of China is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The former site of the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army of China is located in Dianshang Village, Ciping, adjacent to the former residence of Comrade Mao Zedong. Zhu De and Chen Yi led part of the forces that survived the Nanchang Uprising, after arduous battles along the borders of Hunan, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces, arrived in Jinggangshan in late April 1928, and successfully joined forces with the troops from the Autumn Harvest Uprising led by Mao Zedong. Together, they formed the Fourth Red Army of China, with Zhu De as the army commander, Mao Zedong as the party representative, Chen Yi as the director of the army’s political department, and Wang Erzhuo as the army chief of staff. Initially, the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army was successively located in Yangqiaohu, Maoping Village, and Longshi, Ninggang County. In the summer of the same year, the headquarters moved to the home of Li Shenlong in Ciping Village, Jinggangshan. Thereafter, the army leadership often held military meetings here to study and plan combat strategies, making it the military command center for consolidating and developing the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area.

Comrades Zhu De and Chen Yi were mainly responsible for the daily work of the headquarters. They often lived in the building. The central hall of the house served as the venue for military commission cadre meetings, the right room was Zhu De’s living quarters, and the left room was Chen Yi’s. The furnishings in their rooms were simple. On the desk, aside from writing brushes and ink for reviewing documents, there was only an oil lamp with a single wick used for lighting at night. Their beds were padded with straw, covered with coarse linen sheets, and topped with old military blankets. During the tough years of the struggle in Jinggangshan, the Red Army practiced political, military, and economic democracy. Officers and soldiers were treated equally in all aspects, including clothing and meals. Everyone ate the same ration costing five cents, and when receiving pocket money, whether it was two cents or four cents, everyone—from the army commander down to the cooks—received the exact same amount without any exceptions. The exemplary conduct of leaders such as Zhu De and Chen Yi, who endured hardship and led by example, greatly inspired the revolutionary fervor of the Red Army soldiers. It helped them maintain high morale and a spirit of optimistic revolution.

Thanks to the unity between officers and soldiers, and between the army and the people, the Red Army overcame numerous hardships and eventually shattered the frequent military attacks and tight economic blockades imposed by enemy forces on Jinggangshan, thereby achieving the great victory of the Jinggangshan struggle.

In January 1929, when the main force of the Fourth Red Army left Jinggangshan, the headquarters of the Fifth Red Army, led by Comrade Peng Dehuai, was also stationed in this building. Peng Dehuai lived in the right room where Zhu De had stayed, while Comrade Teng Daiyuan lived in the left room where Chen Yi had stayed. Here, Peng Dehuai and Teng Daiyuan worked day and night directing the Jinggangshan military and civilians to persist in the struggle.

On March 4, 1961, the State Council announced the “Former Site of the Fourth Red Army of China Headquarters in Ciping” as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Ciping Town: Ciping Subdistrict is located in the central scenic area of Ciping, a part of the Jinggangshan Scenic Area in Jinggangshan City, Jiangxi Province. The jurisdiction covers an area of approximately 3.8 square kilometers, with 6,036 resident households and a total population of 20,098 people (according to data from the Sixth National Population Census, including 14,459 permanent residents). The subdistrict has four community residents' committees. Administratively, it neighbors the forest farms under the jurisdiction of the Jinggangshan Administration Bureau and the Jinggangshan Nature Reserve Management Bureau. To the west, it neighbors the Dajing Forest Farm; to the south, it borders the Zhusha Forest Farm; and to the northeast, it adjoins the Ciping Forest Farm.

The Ciping Subdistrict Party Working Committee and the Ciping Subdistrict Office are respectively the... Detailed Information on Ciping Town++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units