Former Site of the Headquarters of the 17th Division of the First Red Army Corps

Former Site of the Headquarters of the 17th Division of the First Red Army Corps

The former site of the headquarters of the 17th Division of the First Red Army Corps is a cultural heritage protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The former site of the headquarters of the 17th Division of the First Red Army Corps is located in the ancestral hall of the Chen family in Tongshan Village, Xinjaibu Town. In March 2018, it was designated as part of the sixth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units in Jiangxi Province.

On one side of the main entrance of the ancestral hall stands a stone tablet inscribed with “Former Site of the Headquarters of the 17th Division of the First Red Army Corps.” On the back of the tablet are several lines of text documenting a history: “In August 1930, to support the attack on Changsha and advance the revolutionary struggle in the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border region, the First Red Army Corps advanced toward Wanzai. As the Red Army passed through Shanggao, the headquarters of the 17th Division of the First Red Army Corps was stationed at the ancestral hall in Tongshan Village, Xinjaibu Town. From there, it directed the assault on Shanggao County town and expanded the ranks of the Red Army.”

On the wall of the main entrance of the ancestral hall, the four bold characters “Red Army Proclamation” are particularly eye-catching. According to the Shanggao County Annals, the Red Army Proclamation was handwritten in ink by the Political Department of the First Red Army Corps in 1930. It is 1.4 meters high and 5.6 meters wide. The content consists of four articles: “Regulations on the Preferential Treatment of Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army Soldiers,” “Opposition to the Baojia System,” “Workers and Peasants shall not Exploit Workers and Peasants,” and “Overthrow the Reactionary Kuomintang.”

This former headquarters site bears witness to the revolutionary activities of the Red Army and the revolutionary lines, principles, and policies formulated by the Party. It is a valuable physical historical document of the revolution. On August 29, 1983, it was listed as a key cultural heritage protection unit of Shanggao County.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jiangxi Province