Former Site of the Red Twenty-Fifth Army Headquarters Hospital

Former Site of the Red Twenty-Fifth Army Headquarters Hospital

Former Site of the Red Twenty-Fifth Army Headquarters Hospital

The former site of the Red Twenty-Fifth Army Headquarters Hospital is located in Zhangguafu Gully, Hejiachong Village, and consists of four interconnected quadrangle courtyards. Covering an area of 1,600 square meters, its architectural style is the same as that of the He Family Ancestral Hall. In 1996, the former site of the Red Twenty-Fifth Army Headquarters Hospital was approved by the State Council as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

After the Fourth Front Army moved on, the enemy launched a “cleansing” operation against the Soviet Area with a force of 300,000 troops. Under these severe circumstances, on November 30, the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party established the Red Twenty-Fifth Army in Hong’an County to continue the guerrilla warfare in the Dabie Mountains. The He brothers from Hejia Village in Tiepu Township noticed that the Red Twenty-Fifth Army had many wounded soldiers, and medical staff faced great inconvenience while treating them. At the same time, they were deeply moved by how the medical personnel enthusiastically treated, injected, and administered medicine to local villagers. As a result, they decided to offer their large, multi-room quadrangle courtyard complex to the Red Army to be used as a hospital for treating the wounded. The entire Red Twenty-Fifth Army expressed deep gratitude and designated the compound as the Army Headquarters Hospital. The four courtyards were flanked by high, densely forested mountains, with continuous ranges stretching as far as the eye could see—ideal for the quick relocation of the hospital and wounded soldiers in case of enemy mountain searches. By the end of the year, the Red Twenty-Fifth Army decided to establish the Army Headquarters Hospital there. From 1932 to 1934, the Red Army Headquarters Hospital treated numerous wounded soldiers and also provided medical care to local villagers on many occasions.