Jinggangshan is located in the Luoxian Mountains , in the remote border region between Jiangxi and Hunan provinces of China. It lies at the junction of four counties – Ninggang, Yongxing, Suichuan and Lingxian. The mountains cover some 670 km², with an average elevation of 381.5 m above sea level. The highest point is 1841 m above sea level.
The massif itself consists of a number of thickly forested parallel ridges. On the heights there is not much farmland and most settlements at the base of the mountains. The main settlement is at Ciping, which is surrounded by five villages – Big Well, Little Well, Middle Well, Lower Well and Upper Well – from which Jinggangshan (literally “Well Ridge Mountains”) took its name.
Jinggangshan is known as the birthplace of the Chinese Red Army,People’s Liberation Army of China) and the “cradle of the Chinese revolution”. After the Kuomintang (KMT) turned against the Communist Party during the Shanghai Massacre of 1927, the Communists either went underground or fled to the countryside. Following the unsuccessful Autumn Harvest Uprising in Changsha, Mao Zedong led his 1000 remaining men to Jinggangshan, where he set up his first peasant soviet.
Mao reorganised his forces at the mountain village of Sanwan, consolidating them into a single regiment – the “1st Regiment, 1st Division, of the First Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Army”. Mao then made an alliance with the local bandit chieftains Wang Zuo and Yuan Wencai, who had previously had little association with the Communists.
Along with Mao Zedong’s hometown, Shaoshan, 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.
In 1981, an area of 16.6 km2 was designated a Natural Protection Area. The next year Jinggang Mountain was listed as a National Priority Scenic Area. In recent years Jinggangshan has become an attraction for domestic tourists interested in revolutionary history. According to Xinhua, tens of thousands of domestic tourists visist the mountain every year. Sites promoted by the local authorities include the mint of the Red Army, the Revolution Museum, and the Martyrs Cemetery.
In May 2004 a domestic airport was opened to attract tourists.
