Battle Site of the Red Third Army at Dabangchang

Battle Site of the Red Third Army at Dabangchang

The Battle Site of the Red Third Army at Dabangchang is a Chongqing Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism attraction.

The Battle Site of the Red Third Army at Dabangchang is located in Dabang Village, Nanyaojie Township, Youyang Autonomous County. The main structure of the site is the former residence of the puppet militia leader Ran Ruiting — the Ran Family Ancestral Hall. The Ran Family Ancestral Hall was originally built in 1371, covering a total area of 738.2 square meters. It faces south, has a traditional quadrangle layout, and is about 6 meters high overall. A watchtower is situated at the southeast corner, which can be used for observation and shooting. The Ran Family Ancestral Hall is surrounded by a 3-meter-high, 70-centimeter-thick stone wall that extends approximately 110 meters in length. Outside the stone wall lies an open area.

On August 9, 1934, Ran Ruiting, the puppet militia leader of Nanyaojie who had been hiding deep in the mountains, along with his son Ran Chonghou, took advantage of the absence of the main Red Army forces to launch a surprise attack on Nanyaojie. They massacred the Red Army personnel left behind, the wounded, and guerrilla fighters. Upon hearing the news, He Long immediately dispatched Zhong Ziting to lead his troops back to Nanyaojie overnight and surround Ran Ruiting’s stronghold at Dabangchang. Seeing that the situation was dire, Ran Ruiting fled and disappeared. His son, Ran Chonghou, took more than 100 civilians hostage and retreated into the Ran Family Ancestral Hall at Dabangchang to put up a desperate resistance. After surrounding the ancestral hall, the Red Army assessed the situation and decided to adopt the strategy of “long-term siege, winning over the masses, and waiting for the right moment to annihilate the stubborn enemy completely.” On the evening of September 12, when the hostages managed to break out of the Ran Family Ancestral Hall, He Long gave the order to storm the building. Red Army Regimental Commander Zhong Ziting and Liao Hansheng led their teams in storming the ancestral hall and completely wiped out Ran Chonghou and the other die-hard enemies. The victory in this battle removed the military threat posed by the enemy militia forces to Nanyaojie and consolidated the Sichuan-Guizhou border revolutionary base.

The Battle Site of the Red Third Army at Dabangchang is a Chongqing Municipal Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.