Former Site of the General Hospital of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army in Tongjiang

Former Site of the General Hospital of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army in Tongjiang

The former site of the General Hospital of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army in Tongjiang is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a Classic Red Tourism Scenic Area, and a Patriotic Education Base.

The former site complex of the General Hospital of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army is located in Wangping Village, Shaxi Town. It includes the sites of the hospital’s headquarters, political department, medical department, general affairs office, as well as its subordinate medical institutions. It functioned as a military-level organization integrating military, political, and medical functions. All the buildings feature a traditional three-courtyard layout, are constructed with earth and wood, and exhibit the architectural style of civilian houses from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period. The total construction area exceeds 40,000 square meters. It is a County-Level Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

In the spring of 1934, the General Hospital of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army relocated from Yinggezui to present-day Wangping Village, Shaxi Town. Zhou Guangtan served as the hospital director, and Zhang Qinqiu as the head of the political department. Due to intense warfare, hundreds or even thousands of wounded and sick soldiers were sent to the general hospital for treatment. Although many worsened and heroically sacrificed their lives due to shortages of medicine and medical supplies, the General Hospital of the Fourth Front Army made significant historical contributions to preserving the revolutionary forces and safeguarding the health and lives of soldiers in the Fourth Front Army and the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area.

To showcase the historical appearance of the General Hospital of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army, the county civil affairs bureau carried out protective restoration and exhibition arrangement at the former site in early 2005. After inspecting the site, Zhang Xuezhong, then Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, personally inscribed the words “Revolutionary Tradition Education Base of the Health System of Sichuan Province.” The former site complex has now become an important patriotic education base in the province and another highlight of red tourism in the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area.

On October 7, 2019, the former site of the General Hospital of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army in Tongjiang was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Protected Area: The former site consists of 17 courtyards, each with a protected zone extending 50 meters outward from its perimeter.

Construction Control Zone: A buffer zone extending 30 meters beyond the protected area.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units