Site of the Red First Front Army Command in Dongshan

Site of the Red First Front Army Command in Dongshan

The Site of the Red First Front Army Command in Dongshan is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province and a classic red tourism destination.

The former site of the Red First Front Army combat command in Dongshan Village, Chenfang. After the "Huangpi-Dengxianqiao Victory" in 1933, in early March, Commander Zhu De led his troops from Le’an to Dongshan and set up the combat command. In June of the same year, the CPC Chongren County Committee relocated from Gugang to Dongshan and established the Chongren County Soviet Government there.

The Red Army Combat Command in Dongshan — located at the "Shanshui Qinghui" residential house in Dongshan Village, part of Chenfang Village Committee, Xiangshan Town. It sits to the right of a hillside, backed by green mountains, and features a post-and-lintel brick-and-wood structure. Two combat shelters are situated in the hillside behind the house. This building is an important historical relic and material evidence of the 1933 "Dongshan Ridge Battle," holding significant cultural value. According to records, in the spring of 1933, to counter Chiang Kai-shek’s fourth “encirclement and suppression” campaign, Red Army commanders including Zhu De led the First, Third, and Fifth Corps of the Central Red Army to establish a command post in this “Shanshui Qinghui” residence in Dongshan, directing the famous "Dengxianqiao" and "Huangpi" battles. In June 1933, the "Chongren County Soviet Government" was established in Dongshan Village. From then on, Dongshan became the cradle of the revolution in Chongren and the center of revolutionary struggle across the county. In July 1933, the Nationalist forces, consisting of the 27th, 31st, and 44th Divisions, successively advanced toward Fenggang—now Xiangshan—and under the leadership of so-called “refugee militias” (comprising fleeing landlords, despots, local tyrants, village heads, security team leaders, and local thugs), employed a “pincer attack” strategy, attacking Dongshan from three directions. At the time, the main Red Army forces had moved to the Central Base Area, leaving only around 200 troops in Dongshan, including the County Independent Battalion and guerrilla units, to resist the enemy. Although they repelled several enemy assaults, the defenders were ultimately betrayed and ambushed, leading to the fall of Dongshan. To preserve their strength, Soviet officials and civilians broke through the encirclement under the cover of the Independent Battalion and guard company, retreating from Dongshan. During the fierce breakout battle, Cai Zhongxian, political commissar of the County Independent Battalion, was seriously wounded, and Battalion Commander Hu Jiatao heroically sacrificed his life. This is the famous "Dongshan Ridge Battle" of Chongren.

Chenfang Village: Chenfang Village... More details about Chenfang Village++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangxi Province