Written by: Mahnoor Fatima
Posted on: June 28, 2021 | 
A Diorama at the Revolutionary Museum at Jinggang Mountains
Deep in the forests of southeast China during the early years of the country’s revolutionary struggle, a group of communist fighters congregated to form what was to be one of the most powerful parties in the history of the world. The Communist Party of China (CPC) led a long and difficult struggle for the liberation of China and its people, and as the party celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is worth looking at the original site of its formation. The party consolidated and substantially grew its army at Jinggang Mountains, located at the border of the Jiangxi and Hunan provinces of China.
After the violent Shanghai massacre on April 12 of 1927 at the hands of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party, or KMT), the CPC either went underground or fled to the countryside to escape persecution. One of those people was Mao Zedong, who steadily became a central figure of the party’s leadership and led the struggle.
After fighting Kuomintang in Hunan, Chairman Mao set up the first rural revolutionary base in Jinggang in 1927. He was joined by Zhu De, who later became the commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). With his troops, Zhu formed the New Fourth Army in Jinggang, which played a huge role in the victory of the CPC-led Agrarian Revolutionary War. While the base remained operational, most of the communist forces left in 1934 for the historic Long March across China.
Mao at Jinggang Mountain by Luo Gongliu 1961
What was special about Jinggang and the CPC was that they revolutionized the way a revolution and revolutionary warfare could take place. Initially, the Revolution did not occur as a spontaneous rebellion taken up by the peasants in a short period, as the communists had envisaged it. But it was in these mountains that a large portion of China’s hundreds of millions of peasants sympathized with, and supported the efforts of the CPC. With their help, Mao was able to lead a protracted civil war that encircled the urban areas from the countryside, and gained control of the country from the KMT.
The Memorial at the Martyr's Cemetery
Aside from Mao’s hometown in Shaoshan, this area is one of the most frequently visited and oft-referenced areas in Chinese culture. In total, the entire scenic area consists of 11 sub-areas and 76 attractions. There are over 460 objects related to the local culture and the revolutionary history, and the most visited include the Mint of the Red Army, the Revolutionary Museum and the Martyr’s Cemetery.
The mountains themselves are quite picturesque, boasting tall trees and quaint villages that have been designated as a nationally-protected area. Forests in Jinggangshan are particularly well-known for their sturdy bamboos. With their twisting landscapes and rugged peaks, these forests served as the ideal location for communist fighters to hide out and plan their battles.
South Chinese Architecture at Jinggang
Most of the important revolutionary attractions are located in Ciping, the centre base area on Jinggang. The Revolutionary Museum was founded in 1959, it is one of the first and most important local revolutionary museums in the country, with the inscription on the door written by Zhu De himself. The museum itself is quite well-organized and extensive, tracing the history of Jinggang’s battles and strategies. Next to it is the Martyrs Cemetery, built in 1987 to remember the fallen soldiers of the revolutionary struggle. The Mint is close by, with a large statue of the Mexican ‘Libertad’ coin that was once used as revolutionary currency, when the KMT choked many of the CPC’s financial resources.
A Sculpture of a Mexican Coin at the Mint
As China gears up to celebrate the centenary of the CPC, places like Jinggangshan have been crowded with tourists flocking to country’s national monuments, to learn and pay respects to their revolutionary history. Jinggang Mountains have been an important site for the consolidation and evolution of the CPC’s struggle to change the course of Chinese history, as it preluded the Long March and ensured peasant cooperation in the struggle. It is not just a beautiful and well-preserved landscape, for it provides an opportunity for the Chinese to learn and pay respect to the people who helped establish modern-day China.
The Revolutionary Museum
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