Site of the Battle to Liberate Zhongxin Town

Site of the Battle to Liberate Zhongxin Town

The site of the battle to liberate Zhongxin Town is a classic red tourism attraction.

The site of the battle to liberate Zhongxin Town is located in the old street area of Zhongxin Market Town in Zhenping County.

In early March 1949, the main Third Regiment of the Second Guerrilla Detachment of the East China Column, personally commanded by Zheng Qun, defeated two companies of the Nationalist First Security Regiment and Xie Yuochen’s police unit from Zhenping County at Gaobizhai. Following this, the overall situation in the upper reaches of the Dongjiang River developed rapidly. In mid-May, Zeng Tianjie, commander of the Nationalist Thirteenth Security Regiment, led his troops in a revolt, which significantly altered the balance of power between enemy and friendly forces. The Second Guerrilla Detachment units operated across the upper reaches of the Dongjiang, sweeping away enemy strongholds with unstoppable momentum. Nationalist forces scattered throughout the Dongjiang region had retreated and regrouped near Heyuan City. Facing this favorable situation, the Ninth United Front District Committee and the People’s Government of Lianhe County decided to eliminate the Zhongxin stronghold and liberate the entire Zhongxin region. They also assigned Deng Ji, deputy head of Lianhe County, to oversee the operation, with Wu Wenhui leading the Zhongxin Zhepi Armed Work Team as the main force, marching toward Zhongxin.

In late May, Deng Ji returned to Zhepi. On May 22, Deng Ji held a meeting at South China Primary School to plan the liberation of Zhongxin Market Town. At dawn on May 26, various units moved into prearranged ambush positions, cutting off reinforcement routes at key road junctions. Zeng Kunyan and Wu Yang each led a squad to storm Fei’e Ridge, seizing the high ground and opening fire on the headquarters of the Nationalist Zhongxin Militia (located at the Zhongxin Transfer Station of the County Supply and Marketing Cooperative) and the district government office (at the Zhongxin Town Rattan Furniture Cooperative). Subsequently, our encircling units tightened the cordon around the militia headquarters and the government building. After the militiamen surrendered, we entered the militia headquarters, confiscating over 40 rifles, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, over 100 handguns, and two grenade launchers. We captured He Yingjie, leader of the Zhongxin Militia, along with over 30 Nationalist personnel and militiamen. Following this victory, Zhongxin Town was liberated.

Zhongxin Town: Known as “the top town in Heyuan City,” Zhongxin Town covers a total area of 151 square kilometers, with an urban built-up area of 4.8 square kilometers, and is a central town in Guangdong Province. It boasts a superior geographical location and strong regional influence, with significant economic radiating power. Located upstream of the Xinfeng River at the junction of Lianping, Heping, and Dongyuan counties, Zhongxin is traversed by Provincial Roads Guandeng Line and Zhongding Line. The under-construction Yue-Gan Expressway will feature a secondary grade-separated interchange near the southern part of the town. Since ancient times, it has served as a commercial trade hub serving a population of over 600,000 across 16 towns in three counties, and is also the southern… More details about Zhongxin Town++