Former Site of the Yuanzhou Meeting

Former Site of the Yuanzhou Meeting

The Former Site of the Yuanzhou Meeting is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Former Site of the Yuanzhou Meeting is located at No. 22 Dongfeng Street in the central urban area of Yichun (currently Dongfeng Pharmacy). It covers an area of 600 square meters. Originally, it was the Zhang Tiancheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop. The main hall of the rear building served as the site of the meeting. In June 1930, the First Red Army Corps was established in Tingzhou, Fujian, with Zhu De serving as the corps commander and Mao Zedong as the political commissar. Tu Zhenong (a native of Zhacun, Xinfeng), a special envoy from the Party Central Committee, conveyed the Central Committee’s directive, ordering the Red Army to attack major cities and “meet in Wuhan and water horses in the Yangtze River.” The First Red Army Corps followed the Central decision and made deployment to advance toward Nanchang. However, attacking Nanchang was deemed unfavorable. On August 2, the headquarters of the First Red Army Corps moved into Fengxin County. On August 5, a unit of the 12th Red Army captured Jing’an County. While in Fengxin, they learned that Peng Dehuai had led the Third Red Army Corps to capture Changsha. On August 7, the vanguard of the 4th Red Army moved into Shanggao County. On August 9, the vanguard of the 12th Red Army occupied Yifeng County. Starting on August 12, the entire corps concentrated in Wanzai. On August 18, Zhu De and Mao Zedong arrived in Huangmao. In the early hours of August 20, they attacked Wenjiashi in Liuyang, annihilating over 5,000 troops of the Nationalist Dai Douyuan Brigade and capturing more than 4,000 rifles. On August 24, they successfully joined forces with the Third Red Army Corps, which had withdrawn from Changsha, in Yonghe, Liuyang, and decided to merge the First and Third Corps into the First Front Red Army.

On August 25, the First Front Red Army began advancing toward Changsha. On August 29, they reached the outskirts of Changsha. Given that the defending enemy forces consisted of 31 regiments with about 100,000 troops and well-fortified defenses, while the Red Army had only 13 regiments, they decided to lure the enemy out to be defeated, but the main enemy force remained in their stronghold. On September 12, the First Front Red Army resolved to retreat to Pingxiang and Liling to await an opportunity. On September 13, the “Order to Capture Ji’an” was issued in Zhuzhou. On September 28, the First Front Red Army moved into Yichun County.

On September 29, the meeting of the General Front Committee of the First Front Red Army was held in the main hall of the rear building of Zhang Tiancheng Pharmacy (now Tiancheng Pharmacy on Dongfeng Street) in Yichun City. This meeting is historically known as the “Yuanzhou Meeting.” Participants included Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhu Yunqing, Yang Yuebin, Huang Gonglue, Cai Huowen, Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, Peng Dehuai, Teng Daiyuan, Deng Ping, Zhang Chunjing, Wu Guanzhi, Yuan Guoping, among others, with Li Jingquan serving as the meeting recorder. The meeting decided to first attack Ji’an and engage in repeated battles along the Hunan-Jiangxi border to eliminate enemy forces. On the same afternoon, the order to advance toward Ji’an was issued.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units