The Revolutionary Base in Jinggang Mountains

In October 1927, Mao Zedong led the troops of the Autumn Harvest Uprising to the Jinggang Mountains in Jiangxi Province. They then developed armed forces in the counties of Ninggang, Yongxin, Chaling and Suichuan, waged guerrilla warfare, mobilized the peasants and helped them overthrow local tyrants and distribute their land, and established independent armed regimes of workers and peasants. Thus, the first rural revolutionary base in China was formed.

In late April 1928, some of the Nanchang Uprising forces under the command of Zhu De and Chen Yi and the peasant troops of the Southern Hunan Uprising reached the Jinggang Mountains, and joined the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army led by Mao Zedong. Consequently, these troops were reorganized into the Fourth Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army (later renamed the Fourth Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army), with Mao as Party representative and secretary of the Military Committee and Zhu as commander.

On May 20, Mao Zedong chaired the First Party Congress of the Hunan-Jiangxi Border Area, and a special Party committee with Mao as secretary was set up. In October, the Second Party Congress adopted a resolution Mao had drafted analyzing the conditions under which a small, independent worker-peasant regime had been able to emerge and survive, discussed its significance, and answered a question that had been raised by some people in the Party and the Red Army, of "How long can we keep the Red Flag flying?" Mao pointed out that as long as the revolutionary situation continued, it was possible for an armed independent regime of workers and peasants to survive and grow under the following conditions: (1) a sound mass base, (2) a sound Party organization and correct policies, (3) a fairly strong Red Army, (4) terrain favorable to military operations, and (5) economic resources sufficient for sustenance.

In December 1928, Peng Dehuai (1898-1974) and Teng Daiyuan (1904-1974) led the main forces of the Fifth Red Army into the Jinggang Mountains to unite with the Fourth Army. The Red Army subsequently repelled a number of enemy assaults, and the revolutionary base area continued to expand. At its peak, the total area covered the three counties of Ninggang, Yongxin and Lianhua, and parts of the counties of Suichuan, Ji'an, and Anfu.

In January 1929, Mao Zedong and Zhu De led the main forces of the Fourth Red Army on a march to southern Jiangxi Province and western Fujian Province to launch attacks there, while Peng Dehuai stayed with a contingent of Red Army troops to defend the Jinggang Mountains.

At a point when the revolution was on the low ebb, the decision to create the rural revolutionary bases was the correct choice for the Chinese revolution. It represented a strategic shift from cities to rural areas, and paved the way for the ultimate success of the revolution – encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing power by armed force.

井岡山革命根據地

1927年10月，毛澤東率領秋收起義部隊到達江西井岡山，先后在寧岡縣、永新縣、茶陵縣、遂川縣等地發展武裝力量，開展游擊戰爭，領導農民打土豪分田地，建立紅色政權，實行工農武裝割據，創建農村革命根據地。

1928年4月下旬，朱德、陳毅率領南昌起義保存下來的部隊和湘南起義農軍到達井岡山，與毛澤東領導的工農革命軍會師，合編為工農革命軍第四軍（后改稱工農紅軍第四軍），毛澤東任黨代表和軍委書記，朱德任軍長。5月20日，毛澤東主持召開中國共產黨湘贛邊界第一次代表大會，會上成立了以毛澤東為書記的湘贛邊界特委。10月，中國共產黨湘贛邊界第二次代表大會通過了毛澤東起草的決議，分析了中國紅色政權發生和存在的原因，指出實行“工農武裝割據”的意義和經驗，回答了黨內和紅軍內部有人提出的“紅旗到底打得多久”的疑問：只要有繼續向前發展的革命形勢，有很好的黨并制定正確的政策，有很好的群眾，有相當力量的紅軍，有便利于作戰的地勢和提供足夠給養的經濟力，紅色政權就能夠存在和發展。12月，彭德懷、滕代遠率領紅五軍主力到達井岡山，與紅四軍會師。此后，紅軍粉碎了敵人多次“進剿”，根據地不斷擴大，全盛時期包括寧岡縣、永新縣、蓮花縣和遂川縣、吉安縣、安福縣部分等地。1929年1月，毛澤東、朱德率領紅四軍主力向贛南、閩西挺進后，彭德懷率一部紅軍留下堅持井岡山的斗爭。

在革命低潮時期，農村革命根據地的創建，代表著中國革命發展的正確方向，為中國革命的中心工作完成從城市到農村的偉大戰略轉移，開辟了“農村包圍城市，武裝奪取政權”的新道路。