Former Site of the Special Branch of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

Former Site of the Special Branch of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

The former site of the Special Branch of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a classic red tourism attraction.

The former site of the Special Branch of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is located at No. 14, Lane 930, Wuding Road, Shanghai (formerly No. 6, Xiudefang, Wuding Road), a three-story brick-and-wood structure built in 1930. This site was also where the Fourth Plenary Session of the Sixth CPC Central Committee was held. The Special Branch was under the leadership of the Central Special Committee and was personally established and overseen by Zhou Enlai. It was primarily engaged in underground work, including intelligence gathering, providing political protection for senior CPC figures to prevent their arrest or assassination by the Nationalist Government and the Shanghai International Settlement authorities, as well as conducting infiltration activities against the Nationalist Government. Another important task of the Special Branch was to punish former CPC members who had betrayed the Party and caused serious harm through assassination. The Special Branch existed from 1927 to 1935.

Walking into the lane, Building No. 14, made of red bricks, is a three-story structure that occupies the largest space in the lane—this is the location of the former site of the Special Branch of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The clothes drying in front of the building and the bicycles parked at the entrance give it a lived-in feel. This place, once the stage for thrilling stories, has quietly transformed into an ordinary residential home. Today, nine households live in Building No. 14. Inside, the building retains classic old Shanghai architectural features such as the Tingzijian (a small room under the roof), dormer windows, courtyards, and rooftop drying areas.

On April 4, 2014, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government designated and announced the former site of the Special Branch of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as a Shanghai Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit (Shanghai Government Document [2014] No. 29).