Site of the Fifth Branch of the Central Military and Political School of the Chinese Soviet Republic

Site of the Fifth Branch of the Central Military and Political School of the Chinese Soviet Republic

The Site of the Fifth Branch of the Central Military and Political School of the Chinese Soviet Republic is a cultural tourism attraction and a classic red tourism destination.

Site of the Fifth Branch of the Central Military and Political School of the Chinese Soviet Republic

The Fifth Branch of the Central Military and Political School of the Chinese Soviet Republic was established in 1932 after the Third Enlarged Executive Meeting of the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Provincial Committee. It was built on the foundation of the military school originally led by the provincial Soviet government. On April 12, it moved to Xiaoyuan along with the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Provincial Committee and was stationed at the Yuan Family Ancestral Hall in Xincun Village. The school was managed by a principal, a political commissar, and an educational director. It had a Military Education Department, a Political Department, and an Administrative Office. Students were organized into three battalions—political, artillery, and infantry—according to their assignments, which were further divided into squads (or classes). The school was successively headed by Gao Yongsheng (also serving as principal) and Guo Ziming. A total of three training sessions were held, each lasting six months. Teaching was based on practical needs: the political battalion spent 60% of its time on political studies and 40% on military training, while the artillery and infantry battalions did the opposite. Live-fire shooting and graduation exams were conducted in actual combat scenarios. In October 1933, due to frequent warfare and harsh conditions, the school was reorganized into an instructional unit that operated alongside the Red 16th Division. Since its establishment, the school trained nearly 900 military and political cadres, strengthening the leadership of the Red Army in the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi region as well as local guard regiments and guerrilla units. It played a significant role in achieving victory in the revolutionary war.