Former Site of the Wangdayawan Meeting

Former Site of the Wangdayawan Meeting

The Former Site of the Wangdayawan Meeting is a protected cultural heritage site in Henan Province, a classic red tourism destination, and a patriotic education base.

A national-level red tourism scenic area, a national youth education base, and a provincial-level cultural heritage site — the Former Site of the Wangdayawan Meeting. Located in Zhuanqiao Town, about 20 kilometers southeast of Guangshan County, Henan Province, it covers an area of over 10,000 square meters. The site is a Qing Dynasty building that integrates architectural features from Hubei, Henan, and Anhui provinces, mainly consisting of four quadrangle courtyard complexes named “Fu,” “Lu,” “Shou,” and “Xi,” forming an elegant and distinctive residential complex.

In the autumn of 1947, following instructions from the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army, commanded by Liu Bocheng and with Deng Xiaoping as political commissar, made a thousand-mile leap into the Dabie Mountains. After more than a month of arduous trekking and fierce battles, overcoming enemy encirclement and pursuit, they successfully arrived in Guangshan County within the tri-provincial border area of Hubei, Henan, and Anhui on August 27. As the troops had just entered the Dabie Mountain region, transitioning from the north to the south, they faced numerous challenges: difficulty adapting to the climate and food, language barriers, unfamiliar terrain, lack of mountain warfare experience, continuous marching and combat without rear support, and local residents influenced and intimidated by Kuomintang propaganda who dared not openly approach the army. These factors created extremely harsh conditions. Under such circumstances, some comrades failed to fully grasp the strategic significance and hardships of rebuilding the Dabie Mountain base, and doubted whether the struggle in the Dabie Mountains could be sustained. Fatigue and lax discipline emerged among the troops, and they became hesitant in battle, missing opportunities to annihilate the enemy. At the time, enemy forces numbering over a million had encircled our 100,000 troops. Without achieving victories and breaking the deadlock, our army’s situation would become extremely perilous. At this critical juncture of survival, Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, and the headquarters of the Central Plains Bureau and Field Army decided to hold a meeting of senior officers at or above the brigade level in the Wen Family Ancestral Hall in Zhuanqiao, Guangshan, from September 27 to 29. This historic gathering is known as the “Wangdayawan Meeting,” also referred to in military history as the “Gutian Meeting” of the Liberation War period.

The three-day-and-three-night Wangdayawan Meeting was a highly influential conference following the Liu-Deng Army’s advance into the Dabie Mountains, playing a crucial role in military and political struggles. It significantly contributed to rebuilding the Dabie Mountain base, disrupting Chiang Kai-shek’s overall strategy, and realizing the Party Central Committee’s grand decision for strategic offensives. It greatly enhanced the ideological awareness of officers and soldiers and strengthened the Party’s leadership. After the meeting, all units swiftly launched vigorous military and political competitions, leading to substantial progress across various tasks. Inspired by the spirit of the Wangdayawan Meeting, the Liu-Deng Army overcame the challenges of fighting without rear support and adapting to the environment. With renewed morale and high fighting spirit, they achieved a series of major victories in both military operations and mass work, quickly turning the tide of war and opening up a new situation.

In 1993, relying on the Former Site of the Wangdayawan Meeting, the second “Hand-in-Hand” Hope Primary School in China was established after Xibaipo. Every year, Hand-in-Hand summer camps from Beijing, Tianjin, and other regions are held here. Visitors from across the country flock to explore the traces of the Liu-Deng Army’s battles and life and to receive revolutionary tradition education. National media frequently conduct interviews here, and many revolutionary-themed films and documentaries, such as “A Thousand-Mile Leap into the Dabie Mountains” and “Advancing into Central China,” have been specifically filmed on location.

In 2005, the Former Site of the Wangdayawan Meeting was included in the National Development and Reform Commission’s key red tourism development projects. In 2006, it received 6.6 million yuan in development funds from the National Development and Reform Commission and 2 million yuan in matching provincial funds. The Guangshan County Party Committee and County Government established the “Guangshan County Wangdayawan Red Tourism Scenic Area Construction Leading Group,” headed by the Chairman of the County Political Consultative Conference, with the Propaganda Minister and the Deputy County Head in charge of tourism serving as deputy leaders. This group was responsible for the comprehensive development of the Wangdayawan Scenic Area, and the Wangdayawan Cultural Relics Protection Office was set up. Planning and design were commissioned to institutions including Zhengzhou University, Henan University, Henan Provincial Ancient Architecture Research Institute, and Nanyang Ancient Architecture Research Institute. In 2007, it was designated as a “National Youth Education Base” by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. In 2009, the Publicity Department of the Henan Provincial Committee awarded it the title of “Henan Provincial Patriotic Education Demonstration Base,” and in 2010, it was honored as a “Civilized Unit of Xinyang City.”

Overall development concept of the Wangdayawan Meeting Site Scenic Area: Adhere to a combination of “red” and “folk” themes, using the red theme to drive interest in folk culture and vice versa. Form a thematic red and folk tourism route and a weekend leisure resort. Built to the standards of a national 4A-level tourist attraction, striving to create one of Xinyang’s finest premium scenic spots. The entire scenic area is mainly divided into several sections: the Former Residence Exhibition Hall (where Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng, and others stayed during the three-day-and-three-night meeting of brigade-level and higher officers of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Field Army), the Generals’ Hall (introducing the life stories and displaying personal items of generals from Guangshan, showcasing their valor), the Meritorious Garden (mainly exhibiting the great achievements of the Liu-Deng Army), the Fish-Water Village (recreating the deep bond between the people of Guangshan and the Liu-Deng Army, featuring scenes such as a department store, pharmacy, barbershop, photo studio, shadow puppetry, woodblock printing, small taverns, and women’s embroidery rooms from the Republican era), the Film and Television Hall, and the Tourist Service Center. Here, you can not only appreciate the great achievements of the Liu-Deng Army but also experience the simple and sincere folk customs of Guangshan.

Address: Town Center, Zhuanqiao Town, Guangshan County, Xinyang City, Henan Province

Tel: 0376----8451850

Opening Hours: Morning: 8:00–11:30; Afternoon: (Winter) 2:30–5:30 / (Summer) 3:00–6:00

Transportation Guide:

The Wangdayawan Meeting Site Scenic Area is 37 kilometers north of National Highway 312, 30 kilometers from the Guangshan exit of the Shanghai-Xi’an Expressway, 20 kilometers from Guangshan Station on the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, 20 kilometers west of the Guangshan exit of the Da-Guang Expressway, 200 kilometers from Wuhan, Hubei, and 98 kilometers from Xinyang City.

Ticket Information

Free

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites