The Central Red Army’s Passage Through Moxi

Moxi Town (formerly known as Moximian) was the first town in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture entered by the Central Red Army. From late May to early June 1935, approximately 20,000 soldiers of the left column of the Central Red Army, which famously "captured Luding Bridge by storm," passed through Moxi one after another on their northward march to join forces. The Red Army’s stay in Moxi lasted about a week, with troops passing through and camping there every day and night. As a crucial stop for the Central Red Army’s march into western Sichuan and northward convergence, Moxi witnessed touching stories of the Long March and preserved unique revolutionary heritage.

Central Leaders Who Visited Moxi

Central leaders and leading members of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army Military Commission who passed through Moxi included:

Mao Zedong (Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic)
Zhou Enlai (Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, General Political Commissar of the Red Army, Vice Chairman of the Military Commission)
Zhu De (Chairman of the Military Commission, Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army)
Zhang Wentian (Chief Responsible Person of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chairman of the People’s Committee of the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic)
Bo Gu (Qin Bangxian, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee)
Wang Jiaxiang (Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, Director of the General Political Department)
Chen Yun (Political Commissar of the Military Commission Column)
Liu Shaoqi (Director of the Political Department of the 3rd Red Army Corps)
Deng Xiaoping (Secretary-General of the Central Committee)

Marshals and Generals Who Visited Moxi

Marshals

Five of the People’s Republic of China’s "Ten Great Marshals" passed through Moxi:

Zhu De (Chairman of the Military Commission, Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army)
Peng Dehuai (Corps Commander of the 3rd Red Army Corps)
Lin Biao (Corps Commander of the 1st Red Army Corps)
Ye Jianying (Commander and Political Commissar of the 1st Column of the Military Commission)
Luo Ronghuan (Inspector of the General Political Department, Deputy Director of the Political Department of the 1st Red Army Corps)

Liu Bocheng and Nie Rongzhen, serving in the right column, did not visit Moxi.

Generals

Five of the People’s Republic of China’s "Ten Great Generals" passed through Moxi:

Huang Kecheng (then Political Commissar of the 4th Division of the 3rd Red Army Corps)
Tan Zheng (then Director of the Political Department of the 1st Division)
Xiao Jinguang (then Chief of Staff of the 3rd Red Army Corps)
Zhang Yunyi (then Chief of Staff of the Military Commission)
Luo Ruiqing (then Chief of Staff of the Vanguard of the Central Red Army)

General Chen Geng, serving in the right column, did not visit Moxi.

Story of the Battle of Guihuaping

At noon on May 28, as the 4th Red Regiment pursued the defeated Sichuan warlord troops to the Guihuaping Pass, retreating enemy forces from Menghu Gang and the Moxi Garrison Company withdrawing from Wandong Gou occupied favorable terrain at the pass, constructing positions to stubbornly resist the Red Army. The Red Army engaged the Kuomintang defenders in a fierce battle amid torrential rain. Pressured by time, the Red Army decided to launch a frontal assault. After a fierce charge, the Sichuan warlord troops scattered, leading to close-quarters combat as the two sides fought their way downhill. Through intense firepower, the Red Army finally gained complete dominance, forcing the enemy to retreat toward Kangding. The 4th Red Regiment successfully eliminated Kuomintang garrisons around Moxi, clearing the final obstacle for the storming of Luding Bridge. Fought during a forced march, the Battle of Guihuaping left the Red Army soldiers no time to bury their fallen comrades before hurrying to Luding Bridge.

Long March Memories of Baiyangping Village

Baiyangping Village was an important stop and campground for the Central Red Army during its passage through Moxi. Before the Red Army’s arrival, the 24th Army of the Kuomintang Sichuan warlords carried out reactionary propaganda, branding the Red Army as "bandits" (using the derogatory term "Mei Lao Er") who "killed everyone and looted everything." Terrified, villagers hid their grain in mud caves behind the mountains and took shelter with their livestock in mountain cow sheds, leaving the village deserted. Unlike the Kuomintang troops, the Red Army marched through the village in an orderly manner, singing and shouting slogans such as "Fight bandits (Chiang’s bandits), execute corrupt officials — this has nothing to do with you Gansu people" and "Come back, we are the army of the poor."

While marching, Red Army soldiers posted slogans to promote their cause. During their stay in Baiyangping, every household was filled with Red Army soldiers, who also camped around houses and even in cattle and sheep pens. Seeing that the Red Army was not terrifying but rather friendly — greeting villagers proactively and behaving nothing like "bandits" — the villagers’ fear turned to trust. They emerged from the mountains one after another, volunteering to cook for the Red Army, preparing potatoes, flour meals, and corn buns to ensure the soldiers did not go hungry. In return, the Red Army paid the villagers with copper coins for their meals.

Mao Zedong in the Memories of the Masses

According to the recollections of Baiyangping villagers, when the Red Army passed through the village, some residents saw a tall, robust middle-aged man holding a yellow bamboo umbrella at Gaojiagang. He approached villagers with kindness, nodding and smiling as he greeted them — this was Comrade Mao Zedong. Noticing that the villagers were curious rather than avoiding the Red Army, Mao Zedong ordered the troops marching along the mountain ridge to descend into the village, taking the easier route through Baiyangping to get closer to the masses.

Mao Zedong’s Stay at the Priest’s Building

On the night of May 29, 1935, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhang Wentian, Bo Gu, and other central leaders arrived in Moxi. That night, Mao Zedong stayed at the Priest’s Building of the Moxi Catholic Church.

His bodyguards, including Hu Changbao, Chen Changfeng, and Que Yizhong, divided their tasks: some made the bed, some lit lamps, some searched for maps, and some fetched boiling water. Suddenly, a bodyguard reported: "Wang Dongbao and his men have arrested three missionaries. We request instructions on how to handle them?" The Chairman replied: "Hand them over to the State Security Bureau." On the same night of their arrival, central leaders gathered at Mao Zedong’s residence to discuss the army’s crossing of Luding Bridge and subsequent actions. Han Youfu, the former steward of the Moxi Catholic Church, recalled: "Several Red Army soldiers held a meeting in the church that night."

Upon entering the Priest’s Building, Mao Zedong immediately searched for "spiritual food" — books. The foreign missionaries at the building had collected a collection of books and periodicals. Despite the exhaustion from the long march, Mao Zedong immediately began reading. According to the recollections of veteran Red Army soldier Lin Wei, the building contained a copy of the Chengdu Daily dated May 17, 1935, which recorded: "Xu Xiangqian’s Red Army unit has reached Zitong, Mianyang, Zhangming, and other places in northern Sichuan, and is advancing toward the Minjiang River basin; our army is rushing to the area." In addition, the building housed periodicals such as Eastern Miscellany and World Knowledge.

HAILUOGOU