Former Site of the Front Committee of the Autumn Harvest Uprising on the Hunan-Jiangxi Border (Xiao Yongweng Ancestral Hall)

Former Site of the Front Committee of the Autumn Harvest Uprising on the Hunan-Jiangxi Border (Xiao Yongweng Ancestral Hall)

The Former Site of the Front Committee of the Autumn Harvest Uprising on the Hunan-Jiangxi Border (Xiao Yongweng Ancestral Hall) is a classic red tourism attraction.

The site is located at No. 487 Dingjiang East Road, Yongning Town, Tonggu County, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province. Originally known as the “Xiao Yongweng Ancestral Hall,” commonly referred to as the Xiao Family Ancestral Hall, it is a late Qing Dynasty building facing south with a north orientation. The structure is made of earth and wood, featuring two courtyards, with a lawn, gate tower, and earthen walls in the front, covering an area of 2,000 square meters. The first major renovation was carried out in 1968, along with restoration displays. Since then, it has undergone multiple renovations and display improvements over the years and has been open to the public year-round. In 2013, it was listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

On August 20, 1927, the Hunan-Liuyang Workers' and Peasants' Volunteer Army, under the banner of the Independent Regiment of the 20th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, was ordered to march to Nanchang to participate in an armed uprising but failed to arrive and instead headed to Tonggu for rest and awaiting orders. During their stay in Tonggu, the regimental headquarters and the directly affiliated machine gun company were stationed here. On September 10 of the same year, Comrade Mao Zedong, in his capacity as Secretary of the Front Committee, personally came to Tonggu to organize and launch the Autumn Harvest Uprising on the Hunan-Jiangxi Border. Mao Zedong held a meeting with platoon-level and higher cadres of the Third Regiment in the Xiao Family Ancestral Hall, conveying the spirit of the August 7th Meeting and the decisions of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee. At the same time, he announced the reorganization of the troops into the First Regiment of the First Division of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army, officially establishing the Front Committee. That evening, Mao Zedong stayed at the Xiao Family Ancestral Hall and wrote “The Moon Over the West River – Autumn Harvest Uprising.”

The Xiao Family Ancestral Hall served as the command center for the Autumn Harvest Uprising on the Hunan-Jiangxi Border, with Front Committee Secretary Mao Zedong directing operations from there, thereby establishing its pivotal role as the leadership hub of the uprising. The Xiao Family Ancestral Hall witnessed the birth of a new army, thus having a profound impact as one of the main birthplaces of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army. The Xiao Family Ancestral Hall also raised the first flag of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army, adding a unique and defining highlight to the history of the people’s military.