Jinggangshan Revolutionary Sites

Jinggangshan Revolutionary Sites

The Jinggangshan Revolutionary Sites, located in Jinggangshan City, Ji’an, Jiangxi Province, lie in the central section of the Luoxiao Mountain Range at the junction of Jiangxi and Hunan provinces. The area is surrounded by high mountains, with basins prevalent in the central region and an average elevation of 1,000 meters. In October 1927, after the failure of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Mao Zedong led his troops to Jinggangshan, where he founded the first rural revolutionary base in China. Centered around Ciping, the base covered Ninggang, Yongxin, and Lianhua counties as well as parts of Ji’an, Anfu, Suixian, and Lingxian, spanning an area of 275 square kilometers. The main revolutionary sites in Jinggangshan are concentrated in areas such as Ciping, Maoping, the Greater and Lesser Wujing regions, and the five major passes in Jinggangshan City.

In 1961, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China designated it as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. In 1982, the State Council approved Jinggangshan as one of the first batch of National Key Scenic Spots. On December 2, 2017, the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Sites were included in the second list of 20th Century Chinese Architectural Heritage. On December 2, 2017, it was also selected for the second list of 20th Century Chinese Architectural Heritage.

Major Sites

Maoping Revolutionary Site Cluster

Maoping is located 16 kilometers southeast of the former Ninggang County, at the northern foot of Huangyangjie in Jinggangshan. In the early days of the Jinggangshan struggle, this area served as the headquarters for the highest party, government, and military authorities of the Hunan-Jiangxi border region and as the command center for revolutionary activities. It was also home to rear support facilities for the Red Army including the logistics office, hospital, and uniform factory. The first and second congresses of the Communist Party of the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Region were held here, making it a site dense with revolutionary heritage. Major sites include the former residence of Comrade Mao Zedong at the Octagonal Tower, the site of the First Congress of the CPC Hunan-Jiangxi Border Region Committee, the former site of the Soldiers’ Committee of the Fourth Red Army, the former residence of Comrade Chen Yi, the former site of the Jinggangshan Front Committee and the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Special Committee (Red Army Hospital), the former training ground at Buyunshan, the site of the Second Congress of the CPC Hunan-Jiangxi Border Region Committee, the Martyrs’ Cemetery of the Red Army, and Xiangshan Nunnery.

Site of the First Congress of the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Region: Originally the Xie Family Shen Ancestral Hall, built in the late Qing Dynasty with a brick-and-wood structure.

Former Residence of Mao Zedong: A two-story brick-and-wood building featuring one small hall and ten small rooms, with an octagonal skylight on the upper floor, hence also called the Octagonal Tower.

Former Site of the Jinggangshan Front Committee of the CPC: Originally the Panlong Academy, built in 1867 as a three-story pavilion-style structure with brick-and-wood construction. It includes one pavilion, two courtyards, front and rear halls, and fourteen rooms covering an area of 664 square meters. The first and second floors were used as a Red Army hospital, while the third floor served as the office of the Front Committee.

Former Site of the Workers-Peasants-Soldiers Government: A civilian house consisting of one hall, seven rooms, and one courtyard, covering 246 square meters, where various departments conducted their operations.

Ciping Revolutionary Site Cluster

The Ciping Revolutionary Sites, after July 1928 during the Jinggangshan struggle, became the location of the highest command center for the party, government, and military within the revolutionary base. This area housed the former residences of Mao Zedong, the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army (including Zhu De’s residence), the Jinggangshan Front Committee of the CPC, the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Special Committee, the Workers-Peasants-Soldiers Government of the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Region, the Border Defense Committee, as well as key facilities like the Fourth Red Army headquarters, the Officers’ Training Unit, the Armament Department, and the Public Sales Office of the Xin-Sui Border Area. The buildings were mostly traditional civilian houses or shops with tiled, earthen walls. The surrounding Ciping area features five strategic mountain passes known as the “Five Major Passes,” all of which were fortified with defensive positions, watchtowers, and barracks at the time, among which Huangyangjie Pass was a particularly important one.

Longshi Meeting Site Cluster

The Longshi Meeting Sites are located 14 kilometers west of Maoping. Longshi was the center of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base and the site of the famous meeting of Zhu and Mao’s forces, the establishment of the Fourth Red Army, the Second Congress of the Fourth Red Army, and the founding of the Fourth Red Army Officers’ Training Unit. After the meeting of the two armies, the struggle in Jinggangshan entered its most prosperous period. Major attractions include the Jinggangshan Meeting Memorial Hall, the Meeting Bridge, the Longjiang Academy, the Jinggangshan Meeting Monument, the large bronze statue of Zhu and Mao, the former site of the Fourth Red Army Founding Square, the site of the Ancient City Meeting, the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Martyrs’ Cemetery, the Wenxing Pavilion, and the former residences of Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Chen Yi.

The original site was the “Longjiang Academy,” built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty. It was the top educational institution for Ninggang, Lingxian, and Chaling counties in the Hunan-Jiangxi border region. The architecture consists of three sections with a central courtyard and side wings. The rear section is a three-story tower called Wenxing Pavilion, where Mao Zedong once held officers’ training sessions. On April 28, 1928, Mao Zedong and Zhu De met for the first time in Wenxing Pavilion to discuss major issues following the convergence of their armies. The Red Fourth Army Founding Square, also called the Meeting Square, is located by the Longjiang River in Ninggang County, with the Meeting Bridge at its front and the Jinggangshan Meeting Monument erected at the bridgehead.

Huangyangjie Site Cluster

Huangyangjie, also known as “Wangyangjie,” is located 17 kilometers northwest of Ciping. Major attractions include the site of the Huangyangjie Defense Battle, the rest spot where Red Army soldiers carried grain—Huangyangjie’s Lotus Tree, the fortifications at Bamianshan Red Army Pass, the fortifications at Shuangmashi Red Army Pass, the Revolutionary Site of Leidashi, the former site of the Shangjing Red Army Mint, the Hundred Bamboo Garden, Jingzhu Mountain, and the Leaders’ Peak Scenic Area. Huangyangjie stands at an elevation of 1,343 meters and is one of the five major passes of Jinggangshan.

Historical Value

The Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base was the first rural revolutionary base created under the leadership of Mao Zedong and Zhu De during the Second Revolutionary Civil War period. Its establishment pioneered a revolutionary path of encircling the cities from the countryside and ultimately seizing them. Known as the “Cradle of the Revolution” and the “Foremost Mountain Under Heaven,” it has become a sacred place for tourism, commemoration, visits, and study, as well as a major classroom for patriotic and revolutionary tradition education.

To date, over 100 well-preserved revolutionary sites and relics remain in Jinggangshan (26 of which are listed as Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level). It is hailed as the “Cradle of the Chinese Revolution” and the “Cornerstone of the People’s Republic of China,” serving as the eternal spiritual home of the Communist Party of China. It has been designated as one of the “First Batch of Top Ten National Youth Revolutionary Tradition Education Bases,” a “National Outstanding Social Education Base,” and a “National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base.”

On December 2, 2017, it was included in the second list of 20th Century Chinese Architectural Heritage.

Jinggangshan

Huangyangjie

Ciping Scenic Area

Longtan Waterfall Cluster

Maoping Octagonal Tower

Former Residence of Comrade Mao Zedong in Ciping

Site of the Ancient City Meeting

Tongmuling