Former Site of the First Meeting Between Mao Zedong and Zhu De — Wandong Palace of Shidu

In October 1927, Mao Zedong, leading troops of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, dispatched He Changgong to make contact with Zhu De. Meanwhile, Zhu De’s troops from the Nanchang Uprising, stationed in Chaozhou, Guangdong, sent Mao Zetan to locate Mao Zedong. The two sides spent more than four months searching for each other.

Having learned that Mao Zedong was on Jinggang Mountain, Zhu De headed there with his army. To cover Zhu De’s troops from pursuit, Mao Zedong deployed troops at the West Gate of Yanling County to fight the Battle of Dragon Meeting Bridge, blocking reactionary corps from You County and Chaling that chased Zhu De’s forces. After the victory, Mao Zedong traveled to Zixing and then Shidu. Zhu De’s troops also marched to Miandu in Yanling. Upon hearing that Mao Zedong had reached Shidu, Zhu De hurried there immediately. The two great men shook hands for the first time at Wandong Palace, an event known in history as "the first meeting between Zhu De and Mao Zedong".

This historic meeting of the two great men paved the way for the rendezvous of various Red Army contingents, the grand joining of forces at Jinggang Mountain, the buildup of strength to defeat powerful enemies, the spread of revolutionary sparks into a raging prairie fire, victory in the revolutionary struggle on Jinggang Mountain, and ultimately the founding of the People’s Republic of China.