Site of the Autumn Harvest Uprising Military Formation and Division Meeting at Shakou

Site of the Autumn Harvest Uprising Military Formation and Division Meeting at Shakou

The Site of the Autumn Harvest Uprising Military Formation and Division Meeting at Shakou is a cultural heritage site protected by Jiangxi Province and a classic red tourism destination.

The original site of the Shakou Autumn Harvest Uprising Military Formation and Division Meeting was located at the Shakou Wanshou Palace, which was first built during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. The Wanshou Palace was destroyed by a flood in 1973, leaving only the site and a memorial stele.

In 1927, the troops originally prepared to participate in the Nanchang Uprising—the Guard Regiment of the Second Front Army of the Fourth Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army, the Pingjiang Workers’ and Peasants’ Volunteer Corps, and the Liuyang Workers’ and Peasants’ Volunteer Corps—were unable to join the uprising on time and gathered separately in Xiushui and Tonggu. However, they were constantly under threat of pursuit by the reactionary Kuomintang forces. In response to this situation, following instructions from their superiors, in late August and early September, the leaders of the three units held a military formation and division meeting in Shakou, an old town in Xiushui. This meeting is historically known as the “Shakou Meeting.” The meeting decided that the three units would be merged into one division. To avoid being pursued by enemy forces, the newly formed division would still operate under the banner of the Kuomintang and be called the “Provisional First Division of the Jiangxi Provincial Defense Forces.” In reality, it was a red armed force operating under a gray banner. The division headquarters was stationed in Xiushui County, with Yu Xiuji as the division commander, Yu Benmin as the deputy commander, and Zhong Wenzhang as the chief of staff. The division had two regiments, the First and the Third. The Guard Regiment stationed in Xiushui was incorporated into the First Regiment, with Zhong Wenzhang also serving as its commander. The Liuyang Workers’ and Peasants’ Volunteer Corps stationed in Tonggu was incorporated into the Third Regiment, commanded by Su Xianjun. The Pingjiang Workers’ and Peasants’ Volunteer Corps was divided to reinforce the First and Third Regiments. Additionally, the Fifth Company (the cadre company) of the Guard Regiment—composed of trade union and peasant association leaders—was assigned to various companies and platoons. Furthermore, Wu Zhonghao, Zeng Shie, and Huang Yongsheng led the 4th, 8th, and 12th Companies of the Guard Regiment to Tonggu to reinforce the Third Regiment.

The “Shakou Meeting” effectively established the first independently led workers’ and peasants’ armed force of our Party—the First Division of the First Army of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army. Moreover, under the conditions of white terror, it preserved the armed strength of a division led by our Party under a gray banner, laying the military foundation for the Autumn Harvest Uprising in the border region of Hunan and Jiangxi.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected by Jiangxi Province