Autumn Harvest Uprisings

a series of armed revolts in China, carried out mainly by peasants against Kuomintang reaction at the time of the autumn harvest of 1927 in Hunan, Kiangsi, Kwangtung, Hupeh, and several other provinces. The uprisings were led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). They were begun in accordance with a decision of the Conference of the Central Committee of the CPC on Aug. 7, 1927, at which the slogan “not a single grain of the new harvest for the landowner” was issued. Attempts were made to start a revolt in southern Hupeh in late August and in eastern Hunan and western Kiangsi in September. In mid-October uprisings were started in eastern Kwangtung, including the districts of Haifeng and Lufeng, under the leadership of P’eng P’ai. In December, uprisings occurred in northern Kwangtung, on Hainan Island, and in southern and eastern Hunan. In northeastern Kiangsi, Fang Chih-min led a partisan struggle against Kuomintang power.

For his error of military adventurism in leading the uprising, Mao Tse-tung, then secretary of the CPC front committee in eastern Hunan and western Kiangsi, was removed from candidate membership in the Provisional Politburo and from membership in the Hunan committee of the CPC by a decision of the November Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPC.

One result of the Autumn Harvest Uprising was the formation of partisan detachments that later became part of the Red Army of China. The uprisings also resulted in the creation of the first soviet area, or revolutionary support base, to be formed in China. Later, they were formed in other areas, including Hailofeng, Chingkangshan (on the border between Hunan and Kiangsi), and northeastern Kiangsi.