Former Site of the General Headquarters of the Autumn Harvest Uprising

Former Site of the General Headquarters of the Autumn Harvest Uprising

The former site of the General Headquarters of the Autumn Harvest Uprising is a classic red tourism attraction.

The former site of the General Headquarters of the Autumn Harvest Uprising — Wanshou Palace on Old Street in Zhajin — is located at Wanshou Palace on the old street of Zhajin Township, Xiushui County.

In August 1927, in accordance with the spirit of the August 7th Meeting of the Party, Mao Zedong came to the Hunan-Jiangxi border area as a special envoy of the Central Committee to organize the Autumn Harvest Uprising. At the end of August and beginning of September, the Guard Regiment of the Second Front Army of the Fourth Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army, which was stationed in Xiushui County awaiting orders, the Pingjiang Workers’ and Peasants’ Volunteer Corps, and the Liuyang Workers’ and Peasants’ Volunteer Corps stationed in Tonggu County held a military formation and division conference in Shankou Town, Xiushui County, establishing the First Division of the First Army of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army. The Chongyang-Tongcheng Peasants’ Self-Defense Army and the Xiushui Peasants’ Self-Defense Army were incorporated into this Autumn Harvest Uprising force.

In the early hours of September 9, the Oath-Taking Assembly of the Autumn Harvest Uprising was held at Zihua Dun in Xiushui County, where the sensational Autumn Harvest Uprising broke out first in Xiushui. The troops proudly raised the very first military flag of our Party and army — the banner of the “First Division of the First Army of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army” — and marched triumphantly along the ancient east-west official road from the county town, passing through Xibai, Huangtian, Shuangjing, and Mazu Lake, arriving at Puli Menqian in Xiukou Village by noon to set up camp and prepare meals.

At noon that day, Lu Deming, former commander of the Guard Regiment, arrived at Xiukou Village after enduring great hardships from Wuhan, catching up with the Autumn Harvest Uprising forces. Standing under the trees in Jiuguilin Forest in Xiukou Village and facing the troops gathered on Taohua Zhou to the west, Lu conveyed the directives he had received in Wuhan after locating Xiang Jingyu of the Hubei Provincial Committee. He reported the Guard Regiment’s movements and conveyed Xiang Jingyu’s instructions, based on the spirit of the August 7th Meeting and decisions from higher Party organizations, for them to swiftly return to their units, establish a headquarters, and join the Autumn Harvest Uprising. He also assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Autumn Harvest Uprising. The troops erupted in cheers. Later, the uprising forces passed through Qingbanqiao, Ma’ao Old Street, Huoma, and Siqian before reaching Zhajin. Xu Guanghua, leader of the Party group of the Xiushui Branch Committee of the CPC, Zhang Boqin, and others led local workers and peasants in Zhajin to welcome the uprising troops with tea and water.

That evening, the troops arrived in the old street of Zhajin Township and joined forces with the Fourth Regiment of the First Division of the First Army of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army, led by Qiu Guoxuan (who later defected). The General Headquarters of the Autumn Harvest Uprising and the divisional headquarters were stationed at Wanshou Palace on the old street, while other soldiers were billeted in shops and nearby residences along the old street. The troops and local Zhajin residents held a joint celebration, marking the Mid-Autumn Festival ahead of schedule. That night, Commander-in-Chief Lu Deming convened a meeting of the Autumn Harvest Uprising General Headquarters in the left wing of Wanshou Palace, attended by divisional leaders Yu Saidu, Yu Benmin, Zhong Wenzhang, and heads of the Xiushui Party organization. They discussed the spirit of the August 7th Meeting and the directives for launching the Autumn Harvest Uprising, heard reports on the uprising’s progress, and planned the next day’s mass mobilization meeting and the army’s route toward Pingjiang.

On the morning of September 10 (Mid-Autumn Festival), the uprising troops organized a grand mass mobilization meeting at Dashazhou near Wanshou Palace, executed reactionary tyrants at Fuxing Bridge, and joined the public in a large-scale celebration on the old street before marching toward Daqiao and Pingjiang County. They successively achieved victories in battles at Zhufu Factory (Zhuxi) in Xiushui and Longmen Factory in Pingjiang. After suffering a setback in Jinping, Pingjiang, Lu Deming led his troops through areas such as Shangshan Shutang before moving to Taizhuang and Sanxiao’ao in Donggang Township, Xiushui County, to regroup.

Following Mao Zedong’s instructions, Lu Deming led his troops to Wanjia Market in Liuyang County, Hunan Province, where they joined the Third and Second Regiments of the First Division of the First Army of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army, thus embarking on the great journey of establishing China’s first rural revolutionary base — the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base.

During the New Democratic Revolution period, Wanshou Palace on the old street of Zhajin was the venue for many significant revolutionary activities. In August 1926, when the Northern Expeditionary Army arrived in Zhajin, they were warmly welcomed by people from all walks of life and carried out revolutionary propaganda and mobilization in the area. On the main wall of the Wanshou Palace hall, remnants still remain today, including portraits of Dr. Sun Yat-sen drawn in brush by the Northern Expeditionary Army, his “Political Testament,” and the couplet “The revolution is not yet complete, comrades must still strive.” These relics were discovered by renovation workers in October 2011, during commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution.

Wanshou Palace on the old street of Zhajin Township is one of over 100 ancient Wanshou Palace structures (including those with alternative names) in Xiushui County. Originally built during the Song Dynasty, it was called “Lingjianxian Palace.” In the 11th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1872), local residents renovated it and renamed it “Wanshou Palace.” Covering an area of more than 1,800 square meters, the palace integrates functions such as Taoist preaching, folk performances, commerce, entertainment, and more. Major religious ceremonies, deity worship festivals, commercial promotions, folk activities, and cultural performances in Zhajin were typically held here.