(1974) MiNr. 1182 ** - China - Tzeping in the Chingkang Mountains, the beginning of the Long March

Tzeping in the Chingkang Mountains: the Beginning of the Long March

The Chingkang Mountains, straddling the border of Jiangxi and Hunan provinces in southeastern China, played a key role in the early days of the Chinese Revolution. It was here that the Communist Red Army under Mao Zedong settled in 1927 after retreating from the Kuomintang. The area provided a natural defence due to its rugged mountainous terrain, dense forests and limited access roads.

Strategic Base
Tzeping (Ciping), a small mountain town, became the administrative center and base for Communist troops. The Red Army organized supplies, military training and formed the first germs of Soviet administration here. In addition to military operations, Mao Zedong and Zhu Te developed a strategy of guerrilla warfare here that later became the basis for the success of the Communist forces in the civil war.

Encirclement and Departure
In 1934, the area came under increasing pressure from the Kuomintang, whose forces gradually isolated the Communist forces in Chingkang. Despite all attempts at defence, it was clear that holding the region was not possible in the long term. In October 1934, therefore, the remaining troops decided to make an organised retreat, thus beginning the Long March - a key episode in Chinese history during which the Communists travelled thousands of kilometres across China to finally settle in the Yenan region in the north of the country.

The Tzeping in the Chingkang Mountains thus represents an important site not only in terms of Chinese military history, but also for understanding the strategy and method of warfare that influenced the course of the Chinese Civil War and the future political direction of the country.