The Monument of Nanchang Uprising
The National Flag raising ceremony in the August 1 Square in
Nanchang
On August 1 of 80 years ago, the Communist Party of China (CPC) triggered
off the first shot for independently leading armed struggles and creating the
revolutionary army. Nowadays, though the shot recorded in the history has passed
away for a long time, the special day remains to be commemorated forever.
Why did the Communist Party of China initiate the Nanchang Uprising?
In 1927, reactionaries of Kuomintang initiated the "April 12" political
upheaval of counterrevolution in Shanghai. Totally 300,000 Communists and
revolutionary public were killed in the one-year time.
The failure of the revolution gave a bitter lessen to the Communist Party
of China, making it to realize the utmost importance of the independently led
armed struggles. In order to save the revolution, the Central Committee of the
CPC decided to hold a uprising in Nanchang through adequate gestation.
On July 27, 1927, Zhou Enlai, Li Lisan, Yun Daiying and Peng Pai organized
the frontline committee. On July 28, He Long, head of the No.20 Army of the
Revolutionary Army of Kuomintang, was appointed to be the general commander of
the uprising. But representative of the Communist International and Zhang Guozhu
delayed the date from July 28 to August 1.
On July 31, as a betrayer went over to the enemy and blew the gab, the
frontline committee then decided to kick off the uprising in advance from 4:00
am to 2:00 am, August 1. then He Long, Ye Ting, Zhu De and Liu Bocheng led
troops of 20,000-odd fighters and pitched into the enemy stationed in Nanchang,
then defeating them four hours later.
Six days after the uprising, the CCCPC held the August 7th
Conference, at which Mao Zedong gave his famous lecture of Political Power
Grows out of the Barrel of a Gun.
On August 3, 1927, the uprising army withdrew from Nanchang and marched
down to Guangdong according to the decision of the CCCPC. In April 1928, the
contingent led by Zhu De and Chen Yi successfully joined force with the troops
of the Autumn Harvest Uprising led by Mao Zedong in Jinggang Mountain, becoming
backbone to change China's fortune and create the red political power.
The contingent had 20,000-odd servicemen at the beginning, of whom, only
hundreds left their names. It forged six marshals and four generals. 30-odd
female students from the Wuhan Central Military Political School became the
first group of servicewomen. Besides, Fan Changjiang, well-known journalist and
head of the People's Daily, was also one of these uprising fighters.
In 1957, the PLA Daily published a picture-story titled August 1
Uprising to commemorate the 30 anniversary of the founding of the PLA, the explanation
of the picture-story was drawn by the Memorial of the Nanchang Uprising
and approved by Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, He Long and Cheng Yi. Besides, Zhou Enlai
revised the final part of the explanation that the uprising army had met the
troops of Chairman Mao in Jinggang Mountain. The historic meeting laid a foundation
for China's armed revolution under personal leading of Chairman Mao and
commander-in-chief Zhu De, fostering the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the
first army that authentically represented the people, which was the former of
the PLA today.
By Ding Haiming
(July 16, PLA Daily)