Huangpidong Battle Site

Huangpidong Battle Site

Huangpidong Battle Site is a cultural tourism attraction.

Huangpidong Battle Site

Huangpidong Battle Site Huangpidong Battle Site is located in Xingguang Village, Tiantai Town, Chishui City. On January 25, 1935, the 1st Division of the 1st Corps of the First Front Red Army advanced swiftly along the road toward Chishui, passing through Dajinsha, Hushi, and Xiaoguanzi before arriving at Wanglongchang. That evening, they learned that only one regiment of Sichuan troops was stationed to defend Chishui County, and that County Magistrate Zhou Wei’an had ordered nearby villages to deliver straw to the county town for the Sichuan troops to use as bedding. Division Commander Li Jukui of the Red 1st Division immediately decided to turn the situation to their advantage and launch an attack on the county town.

At dawn on January 26, the Red Army disguised four platoons as civilians delivering straw, hiding weapons inside the straw and mingling with the straw-carrying crowd as they approached the county town, with the main force following behind. When the Red Army reached Laziwang near Huangpidong and Congpan, about 12 kilometers from Chishui County, they encountered the 1st Regiment of Zhang Anping’s Brigade, which was advancing from Chishui, and the 3rd Regiment taking a shortcut from Fuxingchang. The Sichuan troops, upon questioning, noticed that some of the “straw deliverers” spoke with a Jiangxi accent and suspected they were Red Army soldiers in disguise, so they opened fire. This triggered intense fighting between the two sides.

The Sichuan troops quickly seized the high ground on the right and used the fortress on the left to fire on the Red Army. The main Red Army force launched a fierce assault with concentrated firepower, but due to unfavorable terrain, they were pinned down in the narrow valley and unable to deploy effectively. Meanwhile, a Sichuan regiment from the right guard arrived near Yangtishan and Pingqiao, engaging another portion of the Red Army. The Sichuan troops first occupied the high ground on the right side of Jigong’ao and battled the Red Army back and forth for over an hour. The Red 1st Regiment then quickly took the high ground at Huangpidong and fiercely counterattacked the Sichuan troops, who retreated toward the Congpan road. The Red Army’s frontal forces seized the right-wing high ground and prepared to push the enemy down completely, but were pinned by flanking machine-gun fire from the Sichuan fortress on the left, preventing them from breaking out of the bottleneck-shaped opening. The Sichuan troops reinforced with another regiment, using a large number of machine guns and artillery to suppress the Red Army. After several hours of fierce combat, both sides entered a stalemate.

In the afternoon, the Red Army’s right-wing forces maneuvered behind the enemy to encircle them. The Sichuan machine-gun and artillery battalion preemptively seized the high ground at Sanbaishi, leaving the Red Army in an extremely disadvantageous position. After several consecutive charges, they finally drove off the blocking forces and advanced behind enemy lines. The enemy then increased firepower again, seizing the high ground at Yuetyan and concentrating fire on the Red 1st Battalion. Due to the unfavorable terrain, the Red 1st Battalion voluntarily withdrew from the high ground and rejoined the main force. At this time, a regiment from the Fenggang Brigade that had just arrived also came to reinforce, and the frontal battle immediately intensified. The Sichuan troops, under the cover of two artillery battalions, launched fierce assaults on Jigong’ao and Huangpidong. Both sides launched repeated counterattacks, battling fiercely and engaging in hand-to-hand combat more than ten times, resulting in a seesaw struggle. The Red 1st Division’s 3rd Regiment suffered heavy casualties, with most company and platoon-level officers killed, disrupting unit organization. Some soldiers spontaneously took command and continued to fight. As more and more enemy reinforcements arrived, the Red 1st Division could only concentrate its forces on one hilltop, but was unable to break out of the bottleneck-shaped pass, putting them in an extremely critical situation. As a result, the Red Army decisively decided to withdraw from the battle and avoid the enemy’s overwhelming forces by seeking another path to break through. In the evening, the Red Army concentrated its forces and charged from behind the hill onto the left road, retreating toward Wanglong. When the enemy discovered the Red Army’s breakout, they pursued along the mountaintops by the road, attempting to block their escape, but by then the Red Army had already broken through the line, crossed Qilikan, and retreated to Wanglong.

During the Huangpidong Battle, approximately 300 Red Army officers and soldiers were killed. At the time, they were buried separately by local villagers. Some wounded soldiers were hidden and treated by local people and later returned to the battlefield. After the liberation, the Party and government gathered the remains of the Red Army martyrs who died in the Huangpidong Battle and reburied them at Sanbeibei, erecting 22 stone tablets and one small tablet. Every year during the Qingming Festival, teachers and students from nearby schools and many young people come here to sweep the tombs of the martyrs, honor the revolutionary heroes, listen to local elders recount the brave battles of the Red Army, and many Party and League admission oath ceremonies are held here.

In March 1989, the Chishui County Committee and County Government relocated the remains of the Red Army martyrs who died in the Huangpidong Battle to the current “Red Army Martyrs’ Cemetery” in Shan Shu Ba on the outskirts of Chishui City. A total of 21 Red Army graves, 22 tombstones, and two tablet pillars were moved. During the exhumation, Red Army martyr relics were unearthed, including: seven rifle bullets, one potato grenade, one magazine, seven buttons, 14 silver dollars, copper coins, and fragments. All these items were sent to the Red Army Martyrs’ Cemetery for exhibition.

In 2004, plans were made to develop the Huangpidong Battle Site into a red tourism attraction. Preparatory work began in 2006, and in 2009, a central government new investment project of 17 million yuan was secured to build a memorial tower, exhibition hall, and other facilities. Construction started in April 2009 and was fully completed by the end of December 2010.

Xingguang Village: Xingguang Village is located in the southwestern part of Tiantai Town. It borders Fenghuang Village to the east, Xindian Village to the south, Fuxing Town to the west, and Tiejianglu Village and Xinghong Village to the north. The area is hilly, with elevations generally ranging from 300 to 350 meters. It is a major rice-producing area in the town and has abundant bamboo resources. The village covers a total area of 5.93 square kilometers, with 3,364.5 mu of arable land, 7,971.8 mu of forest land, and a population of 628 households totaling 2,192 people. The village committee is located at Daobanfang. The Chishui-Wangrong Highway and Chishui-Changshou Highway run through the area, providing very convenient transportation.

Caizigou within the village... More details about Xingguang Village++