Former Site of the Biandanhui Revolution

Former Site of the Biandanhui Revolution

The Former Site of the Biandanhui Revolution is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

Former Site of the Biandanhui Revolution In 1935, Xinyang County

The birthplace of the Red Army guerrilla forces of the Eyu Border Area Provincial Committee, also known as the site of the Biandanhui Revolutionary Uprising. Located in Xiaoshiling Village, Gaoyan Township, Xingji County, approximately 45 kilometers northwest of Xinyang City, there is an east-facing courtyard that served as the birthplace of the Red Army guerrilla forces of the Eyu Border Area Provincial Committee.

In 1935, after the Henan Provincial Committee and the Eyu Border Area Working Committee were disrupted, they merged to form the Eyu Border Area Provincial Committee, with Zhang Xingjiang as the secretary. Soon after, the committee decided to carry out guerrilla warfare and establish a revolutionary base in the border areas of Xinyang, Queshan, Tongbai, and Biyang counties within the Tongbai Mountain region. In September of that year, Comrade Zhou Junming (former head of the military department of the Henan Provincial Committee) was sent to the area to connect with local veterans of the Great Revolution such as Wu Renfu, Wang Xintai, and Wu Hengxiu, and together they established the Jianshan Branch of the Communist Party of China, with Wang Xintai as the secretary. By the end of the month, Provincial Committee Secretary Zhang Xingjiang and committee member Wang Guohua came to guide the work. Recognizing the remote location and solid mass foundation, they relocated the provincial committee headquarters here (the old site was also used by the provincial committee at the time) and began preparations to establish the Red Army guerrilla forces.

On January 4, 1936, the Eyu Border Area Provincial Committee established the Red Army guerrilla forces (also known as the Southern Henan Guerrilla Forces) at this former site (the home of Comrade Wang Xintai). At that time, the guerrilla force consisted of only seven members: Captain Zhou Junming, Political Instructor Zhang Xingjiang (also serving as secretary), as well as Wang Guofu, Wang Xintai, Wu Hengshan, Kang Chun, and Lao Wang. They had three guns, one of which did not fire, hence the nickname “two and a half guns.” That very night, they launched an armed uprising, killing a notorious local militia director and seizing six guns from the militia station. Subsequently, they targeted local tyrants in the areas of Songchong, Zhugou, and Shigun'gou, confiscating ammunition from reactionary local armed forces. Underground party organizations from various counties also sent additional party members, and before long the force grew to over 30 people, equipped with 14 long guns and 5 short guns.

In the years that followed, the guerrilla forces grew from small to large and from weak to strong, engaging in arduous guerrilla warfare across the regions of Xinyang, Queshan, Tongbai, and Biyang. By the end of 1936, the force had expanded to nearly 200 members, becoming one of the 14 revolutionary bases in southern China where our Party persisted in guerrilla warfare among the eight southern provinces. This laid the foundation for the establishment of the Zhugou base during the War of Resistance Against Japan, as well as the Central Plains Bureau and Henan Provincial Committee. Many of its key members later became backbone forces of the New Fourth Army’s 2nd, 4th, and 5th Divisions, writing a glorious chapter in the history of the Chinese revolution.

The site is a late Qing Dynasty-style quadrangle courtyard constructed with blue bricks and tiled roofs, consisting of 12 brick-and-wood structure rooms. After liberation, it underwent multiple renovations and preservation efforts, maintaining its original appearance. In 2014, the provincial cultural relics bureau approved a restoration plan prepared by Xinyang City, and repairs began in October 2014. During the restoration, parts requiring replacement—including roof tiles, beams, purlins, rafters, doors, windows, and ceilings—of the main building and wing rooms were all replaced; the surrounding courtyard walls and front and rear gate towers were restored; the courtyard was paved with gray brick flooring, and a small plaza was built outside the courtyard featuring folk artifacts such as stone rollers, millstones, and cattle troughs; and the surrounding environment was improved. On March 25, 2015, the first phase of the restoration project for the provincial cultural relic protection unit — the Former Site of the Biandanhui Revolutionary Uprising (also the birthplace of the guerrilla forces of the Eyu Border Area Provincial Committee) — was recently completed and passed the initial inspection by the city’s cultural relics bureau. Future plans include continuing with the second phase of restoration, aiming to rebuild three collapsed north wing rooms and carry out necessary internal improvements. Additionally, in collaboration with departments such as the Pingqiao District Culture, News and Publishing Bureau and the Party History Office, materials will be collected and research conducted to refine themes and develop exhibitions, transforming the site into the Biandanhui Revolutionary Uprising Memorial Hall, thereby enhancing its role in revolutionary tradition education and patriotic education for the public.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Henan Province