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Ciping

The Site of Jinggang Mountain Revolution is located at the border of Jiangxi Province and Hunan Province. It is in the middle section of Luoxiao Mountains, which is 1,000 meters above sea level.

In October 1927, after the failure of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, Mao Zedong led the army to Jinggang Mountain, where the first revolutionary base of the farmers’ uprising was set up. In April 1928, Zhu De and Chen Yi led the army to Jinggang Mountain and the two forces joined to form the Fourth Corps of the Red Army. In December, the army in the Pingjiang Uprising led by Peng Dehuai also went to Jinggang Mountain, which became the Fifth Corps of the Red Army.

The revolutionary base consisted of Ninggang County, Yongxin County, and Lianhua County with Ciping as the center. It also included part of Ji’an County, Anfu County, Suixian County and Lingxian County. The area of the base was 275 square kilometers. The Site of Jinggang Mountain Revolution mainly included Ciping, Maoping, the five wells and five sentry posts in the city of Jinggang in Jiangxi Province. Ciping was where the highest organizations of the party, the regime and the army were based. The Red Army’s ordnance storage of, the quilt and clothes factory, and the former residences of Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, etc., were all located here. The Red Army took advantage of the strategic terrain around Ciping, and built five sentry posts at the natural barriers at Huangyangjie, Tongmuling, Zhushachong, Shuangmashi and Bamianshan. At the sentry posts, relics such as the defense position and the work, etc, are still well preserved. At the Sentry Post of Huangyangjie, there is also a monument for the victory of the Defense War. In the five villages of the five wells, there is the former residence of Mao Zedong, the Hospital of the Red Army, the military uniform factory, etc. Maoping is a village at the foot of Jinggang Mountain, and was once the base camp for the party, the regime and the army in the Xiang-Gan Base (the Base of Hunan Province and Jiangxi Province). There are the sites of some big organizations of the army. Beside Longjiang River at Ninggang County, there is a square for the celebration of the founding of the Fourth Red Army, called Jianjun (army founding) Square, or Huishi (forces joining) Square. In front of the square lies Huishi Bridge, at the head of which stands the monument for the forces joining at Jinggang Mountain. The founding of the Jinggang Revolution Base established the revolution guideline: To develop the regime at the countryside first, then besiege and capture the cities at last.

In January 1921, after the Red Army withdrew from Jinggang Mountain, the buildings were burnt down. After new China was founded in 1949, they were restored to the original appearance. To commemorate the martyrs at Jinggang Mountain, a cenotaph was built at Ciping. The Memorial Pavilion, the Tomb for the Martyrs and the Revolution Museum of Jinggang were also built there.

(Source: chinaculture.org)