Quan Tan Site

　　       Quan Tan, located by the Ye Mu River on the southwest side of Guan Jie in Ye Li Guan Township, Lintan County, is also known as "Hui Jie Tan" (Assembly Beach) because in 1943, it was here that Gannan farmers and herders led by Ribba Fo swore an oath to rise up in rebellion.

　　      In March 1943, due to natural disasters and extreme hardship among the people, Wang Dingchen and Huang Jianwei from Ye Li Guan, Ren Xiaozhou from Bajiao Township, along with Jinbajiamucuo from Shuimochuan Temple in Zhuoni, organized the "Caodeng Caowei" (an alliance of seven tribes). They also contacted Wang Zhongjia from Lintao and Ma Fushan from Kang Le. On March 28, they gathered at Changye Temple in Chigou, Ye Li Guan. After sacrificing animals and raising the flag, they held a swearing-in ceremony at Quan Tan in Ye Li Guan. Over 2,000 impoverished people from Han, Tibetan, Hui, and Tu ethnic groups joined the rebellion. Led by Ribba Fo (commander), the rebel army attacked Xincheng, the county seat of Lintan, freed prisoners from jail, opened granaries to aid the poor, and later joined forces with rebels from other parts of southern Gansu, amassing a force of reportedly 107,000. In September, the rebel army disbanded.

　　      To commemorate the Quan Tan Uprising, in 1987, with support from the county government, Ye Li Guan Township erected a monument here. The monument is 8 meters tall and 1.2 meters wide, inscribed with the Tibetan and Chinese text “Gannan Farmers and Herders Uprising Heroes Live Forever.” The black background with yellow characters gives it a solemn and dignified appearance. To the north of the monument stands a memorial hall, with a plaque inscribed “Hui Jie Tan” (Assembly Beach) by Ya Hanzhang hanging above the entrance. Inside the hall are exhibits of relics from the uprising and banners and plaques offered by later visitors in tribute. A bronze statue of Ribba Fo is also erected in the courtyard of the memorial hall.

　　      Not far west of Quan Tan lies Chigou, where Changye Temple (dedicated to the Ming Dynasty general Chang Yuchun) is the site where Ribba Fo and others sacrificed animals and raised the flag.

　　       Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province