The Cradle Of The Chinese Revolution ：Jinggangshan
By admin on 2015-01-07

Mt. Jinggangshan (jǐng gāng shān 井冈山) is located on the common boundary of Jiangxi Province (jiāng xī shěng 江西省) and Hunan Province (hú nán shěng 湖南省), 352 kilometers southwest from Nanchang (nán chāng 南昌). It was these natural indentations that gave the mountain its name of Jing, meaning well and gang, meaning ridge - hence 'Jinggang'. The mountain has great significance in the annals of modern Chinese history for it was here that important events during the Chinese revolution took places.
In 1927, after suffering crushing losses in urban areas, a weakened Communist force led by Mao Zedong (máo zé dōng 毛泽东) sought refuge in Jinggangshan's dense forests. Mao's small band was soon joined by the Communist army led by Zhu De (zhū dé 朱德) and Zhou Enlai (zhōu ēn lái 周恩来) who had been unsuccessful after the Nanchang Uprising as well as Peng Dehuai (péng dé huái 彭德怀) and his legion. These troops and their leaders joined forces in Ciping (cí píng 茨坪), a village of Mt. Jinggangshan and began the Long March. For the tourists who are interested in the history of the revolution, it is possible to take a tour on Mt.Jinggangshan that the people who against great odds struggled to establish the People's Republic of China.

Along with Mao Zedong's hometown, Shaoshan (sháo shān 韶山), Jinggangshan became one of the most important sites of the Communist Revolution. It was celebrated on posters, songs and operas. During the Cultural Revolution, Jinggangshan became a place of pilgrimage for young Red Guards, who took advantage of a nationwide "networking movement". They often made the journey on foot to relive the experiences of their revolutionary forebearers. At its peak, more than 30,000 Red Guards arrived a day, causing terrible problems of food, housing, sanitation. Peak numbers continued for more than two months until the government began to discourage the young people.