Former Sites of the Fourth Red Army’s Activities in Pule

Former Sites of the Fourth Red Army’s Activities in Pule

The Former Sites of the Fourth Red Army’s Activities in Pule are a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

The “Former Sites of the Fourth Red Army Revolutionary Complex” include the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army, the Red Army arsenal, Zhu De’s former residence, the Red Army hospital, the Soviet government, Liu Xiong’s former residence, Liu Bin’s former residence, and more. There is also a Red Army Road, a Red Army Bridge, and a Red Army Pavilion. This is truly the first village of red tourism.

Former Site of the Fourth Red Army Headquarters and Zhu De’s Former Residence

Follow me, everyone. Look, this is the headquarters of the Fourth Red Army. In 1928, Zhu De and Chen Yi led the Fourth Red Army to station in Dongshui, Pule, setting up the headquarters here — at the Dongshui Old House. This building was a relatively spacious house in Dongshui at the time.

The site of the Sixth Red Army headquarters was chosen here for its defensible and strategic position. As you can see, the house backs onto a small hill, with paths leading to Dongluo and the eastern mountains, as well as routes through Hongdong into Qiyun Mountain. To the left, a path leads to Nankou Mountain and Shatian, just about five kilometers away. To the right, following the river upstream to Youluokou and Longxi is around ten kilometers.

This house was originally the home of the Liu family during the Qing Dynasty. It is a dry-laid structure with two halls of uniform design. The roof is covered with locally made small blue tiles, and the hall has side rooms on both sides, with a courtyard for lighting. The layout is rational. It covers an area of about 1,200 square meters, with a built-up area of 800 square meters. Next to the house are the ruins of a watchtower. Beside the watchtower is the dining hall. A small room separated by a wall in the dining hall was where Commander Zhu De lived at the time. Red Army slogans can be seen all over the interior screen walls.

Zhu De and Chen Yi conducted a series of revolutionary activities in Dongshui, including visiting the poor, mobilizing the masses, overthrowing local tyrants, struggling against landlords, and redistributing land. They led the people of Dongshui in a vigorous agrarian revolution.

Subsequently, the Dongshui Soviet Government Peasant Association was established, forming a revolutionary regime. The meeting was held at the Liu Family Ancestral Hall. At the mass meeting in Dongshui, Zhu De announced that four conditions were required to become an executive committee member of the Soviet Government... Then, Zhu De personally presented guns to the Dongshui Soviet Government Peasant Association.

Finally, Zhu De said at the meeting: “In the past, the local tyrants and evil gentry exploited us. Farmers had no food to eat, and weavers had no clothes to wear. They oppressed us poor people until we could hardly breathe. We must unite to overthrow the rule of the tyrants and landlords and achieve the goal that those who till the land shall own it.” The revolutionary fervor of the peasant association members soared, driving the vigorous development of the agrarian revolution in surrounding villages and townships. Now, the former site of the Fourth Red Army headquarters has become a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

The First Red Army Arsenal

Alright, the next revolutionary site is the arsenal of the Fourth Red Army. It’s not far from here, less than twenty meters away.

This is the Red Army arsenal. The locals in Dongshui call this place Laohéfén. The arsenal of the Fourth Red Army was personally established by Zhu De and Chen Yi. It is the very first arsenal in the history of the Red Army.

Red Army soldiers and the armed workers and peasants of Dongshui built two furnaces here together. They manufactured weapons such as broadswords, spears, guns, muskets, and homemade rifles, and repaired damaged parts of the Fourth Red Army’s equipment from battle. They also collected the wall soil from the old walls of the entire Dongshui village, which had been used to produce white saltpeter, and concentrated it here to boil and produce saltpeter for making gunpowder, effectively replenishing the Red Army’s weaponry. The soldiers loaded the gunpowder into muskets and pine cannons, using them to fight the enemy on the battlefield and strike fear into their hearts, greatly enhancing the combat effectiveness of the Red Army.

Take a look at the walls of this house. The entire structure is made of dry-laid walls, what the locals in Dongshui call “shook walls.” You can see several holes have been dug in these walls, which have since been patched with mud bricks, making them look like the robes worn by monks. In fact, these holes were where the white saltpeter was extracted, and the Red Army soldiers dug out the mud to boil into gunpowder. The bricks were patched in to prevent the house from collapsing.

Later, the blacksmith Master Fang from Dongshui and several strong young men joined Zhu De’s forces and went up to Jinggangshan.

Red Army Bridge

Follow me, everyone, let’s go visit the Red Army hospital together. The Red Army hospital is located in Dongshui Tangxia (now known as the E’gongkou Group). It’s a fifteen-minute walk from here. As we walk, I’ll show you the scenic spots along the way and introduce the commemorative Red Army Road, Red Army Bridge, and Red Army Pavilion in Dongshui. After visiting the Red Army hospital, if there’s time, I’ll take you to see more. Sound good?

Then let me start with the Red Army Bridge. The Red Army Bridge is an ancient covered bridge in Dongshui, located in the center of Dongshui Dong. It lies on the route from Shatian through Dongshui into Qiyun Mountain. The Red Army Bridge is a wooden covered bridge structure. From a distance, it looks like a large bridal sedan chair. The bridge has eight large pillars, and the roof is covered with small water tiles fired in earthen kilns. The sides of the bridge are enclosed with wooden boards, making it a closed structure. No matter the wind or rain, travelers can rest here. The bridge deck is made of large planks cut from bitter bead trees. The locals call these planks “shimatu” (square-textured stone), which are rot-resistant for a hundred years and won’t decay for a thousand. Even after hundreds of years and the fiercest floods, this bridge has never been washed away. The ancient wooden bridge of Dongshui has long been a gathering place for villagers, where people often chat, play chess, or cards on the bridge. The ancient covered bridge has long benches on both sides for travelers to sit and rest.

In 1928, Zhu De often came to this bridge to play chess with the locals, keeping close contact with the people. He took the opportunity while playing chess to promote revolutionary ideas and called on the peasants to rise up in revolution.

Later, the people of Dongshui named this ancient covered bridge the Red Army Bridge in memory of Comrade Zhu De and the soldiers of the Fourth Red Army.

Red Army Road

There is an ancient path from Dongshui Village to Shatian that is only five kilometers long. It takes less than an hour to get from Dongshui to Shatian. It is truly a Red Army Road. Back then, the Red Army troops led by Zhu De and Chen Yi entered Dongshui via this road.

Now we are walking along this Red Army Road. The mountain path ahead is paved with scattered rocks like corn kernels. On the Red Army Road, near the Temple Front, there is a tall century-old maple tree. In autumn, its leaves turn completely red, giving the feeling of “frost-covered leaves redder than February flowers.” There is also an ancient pine tree. This pine looks like a welcoming guest pine, with branches stretching out and green leaves rustling. Halfway along the Red Army Road, a spring flows continuously from the cliff, with cool, sweet water. One person can drink from it, yet no matter how many drink, it never runs out.

This Red Army Road slowly ascends from Dongshui up the southern mountain ridge. Once past the ridge, you can see the full view of Shatian, and then it becomes the downhill path. This section is a particularly perilous stone stairway, seemingly carved out of the cliff face, embodying the danger of “one man guarding the pass, ten thousand unable to get through.”

On the left peak of the southern mountain ridge is Niu’s Fairy Peak. It is a Taoist site. Look where I’m pointing—Niu’s Fairy Peak. Back then, a Red Army sentry post was set up there. The Red Army sentries could observe enemy troops advancing from Shatian toward Dongshui. If any threat was detected, they would immediately light a signal fire from the mountaintop of Niu’s Fairy. The Red Army soldiers in Dongshui, seeing the smoke, would know that there was enemy activity from Shatian and would have ample time to prepare for battle.

Red Army Pavilion

The Red Army Pavilion I want to tell you about is located on the Red Army Road, right at the southern mountain ridge. The Red Army Pavilion has dry-laid mud walls, with small water tiles covering the roof. On both sides of the pavilion are long benches where travelers can sit, talk, and rest. Ancient, lush trees grow nearby the pavilion.

Every year, volunteers from Dongshui Village repair the roof, fix leaks, and clean the Red Army Pavilion. It remains well-preserved to this day, symbolizing the villagers' remembrance of Zhu De and the Red Army.

There are ancient pines along the Red Army Road, inspiring someone to inscribe a couplet on the inner wall of the pavilion: "May your lifespan rival the immortal pines of the southern mountain; may your fortune flow like the endless waters of the eastern sea." The first line subtly includes the words "southern mountain" and "pine," while the second incorporates "east" and "water." Though the couplet may seem forced, it can also be seen as a coincidence.

Commander Zhu De also found the couplet quite fitting for the place. While drinking tea at the home of Liu Jikun, the chairman of the Dongshui Farmers' Association, he mentioned the pavilion’s couplet. Zhu De thought it would be nice if someone could compose a couplet for the pavilion’s entrance. Liu Jikun said he had long wanted to write one for the mountain pass at Nankou but had only come up with the first line. He then recited it aloud:

"Surrounded by nothingness—neither home nor shop, who rules here?"

Hearing this, Commander Zhu De was impressed by the farmers' association chairman’s wit. After a moment of contemplation, he composed the second line:

"With paths on both sides—it’s my call whether to stand or sit."

Later, someone carved this pavilion couplet onto wooden boards and hung them at the entrance. The couplet became a celebrated tale in the Shatian area of Dongshui.

Red Army Hospital

Alright, we’ve arrived at the Red Army Hospital. This location is called Dongshuitangxia (now part of the E’gongkou villager group). The hospital of the Fourth Red Army was set up in a house at the foot of the mountain, also chosen for easy retreat in case of enemy threats. The house has a single entry with two halls and is covered with small water tiles. The earthen plaza in front is quite spacious.

In early August 1928, after the failed attack on Chenzhou, the 28th and 29th Regiments of the Fourth Red Army suffered heavy casualties. All wounded Red Army soldiers were brought here for treatment. Despite a shortage of medicine, local Dongshui herbalists were invited to gather medicinal herbs from the mountains. They collected baskets upon baskets of herbs—Guangdong is a genetic treasure trove of traditional Chinese medicine, with over a thousand varieties growing in the hills, such as notoginseng, rock monkey herb, polygonatum, coptis, lobelia, barbed skullcap, morning glory vine, honeysuckle, golden dogfern, and solidago. Army doctors and local herbalists worked together to prepare bone-setting medicinal wine, hemostatic and wound-healing powders, and specially made gunshot wound treatments. These remedies greatly aided the recovery of the wounded and sick. Over a dozen proactive members of the Farmers' Association volunteered to care for the injured—washing clothes, cooking meals, boiling water, and tending vegetables. Many locals also donated eggs and Sanhuang chickens to help supplement the nutrition of the wounded soldiers, aiding their speedy recovery and return to the front lines, thus maintaining the combat strength of the Red Army.

The presence of the Red Army in Dongshui embodied the deep bond between the military and civilians. On August 22, 1928, after Mao Zedong and Wan Xixian led their troops into Guihua County, they sent a messenger to the Red Fourth Army headquarters in Dongshui to establish contact with Zhu De and Chen Yi. The next morning, Zhu De and Chen Yi traveled from Shatian to Guihua County to meet Mao Zedong. Mao convened an expanded meeting of the Front Committee attended by officers at the battalion level and above at Tang Family Residence in Guihua. On August 25, the main force of the Red Army divided into two routes to return to Jinggangshan, the cradle of the revolution.

Pule Town: A township under the jurisdiction of Guihua County. Established as a township in 1950, converted to a commune in 1958, and reinstated as a township in 1984. Located in the southern part of the county, it is 32 kilometers from the county seat. Covering an area of 126.6 square kilometers with a population of 13,000, the town government is based in Fangyuanli. The area is accessible by road. It administers 13 village committees: Shangjin, Wenxi, Baoxia, Dongshui, Shangjing, Hongdong, Xinzhuang, Jiangbei, Aipai, Xiaojiang, Xudong, Yangling, and Pule. Local enterprises include a ceramics factory. Points of interest include the Xianniao Natural Bridge, one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Guihua. ... More details about Pule Town ++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units