Former Residence of Liu Xiao, Secretary of the Underground Communist Party in Shanghai

Former Residence of Liu Xiao, Secretary of the Underground Communist Party in Shanghai

The former residence of Liu Xiao, Secretary of the Underground Communist Party in Shanghai, is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

Former Residence of Liu Xiao, Secretary of the Underground Communist Party in Shanghai

Located at No. 44 Zhongshi Xincun, it is a standard three-story modern lane house. The first floor served as the living room, the second floor was where Liu Xiao’s wife and their children lived, and the third floor was where Liu Xiao resided alone. The attic on the third floor was occupied by telegraph operator Zhu Zhiliang, who posed as Liu Xiao’s nephew. This setup enabled Liu Xiao to receive messages and directives from the central leadership as soon as they arrived. At the time, Liu Xiao served as Secretary of the Shanghai Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, overseeing all underground party activities in Shanghai. However, his public identity was that of Deputy General Manager and board member of the Guan Leming Pen Factory. His wife, Zhang Yi, acted as a key courier among the underground leadership while posing as a housewife. To their neighbors, Liu Xiao appeared to be a mature, successful, hardworking businessman who supported his family through his job.

Liu Xiao (May 13, 1908 – June 11, 1988) was from Chenxi, Hunan Province, and came from an educated family. He joined the Communist Party of China in September 1926. In 1927, he participated in the armed uprising of Shanghai workers. After graduating in July 1929, he was assigned to work in the distribution department of the Shanghai Anti-Imperialist League but was arrested and imprisoned the same month. He was released upon completing his sentence in September 1930. In April 1931, he was arrested again due to betrayal by a traitor and was not released until January 1932 through the efforts of the Party organization. In February 1932, he entered the Central Revolutionary Base Area. In October 1934, he took part in the Long March. In May 1937, he was dispatched by the Party Central Committee to Shanghai to restore and rebuild the underground Party organization. In April 1944, he was assigned by the Central China Bureau to go to Yan’an to attend the 7th National Congress of the CPC. From January 1947 to May 1949, he served as Secretary of the Shanghai Branch of the CPC Central Committee. After the liberation of Shanghai in May 1949, he served as Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPC until August 1949. From February 1955 to October 1962, he was the Chinese Ambassador to the Soviet Union. From December 1962 to September 1966, he served as Executive Vice Minister and Deputy Party Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From April 1967 to March 1968, he was the Chinese Ambassador to Albania. During the Cultural Revolution, he suffered persecution for over seven years before being fully rehabilitated and having his reputation restored. In 1979, he served as an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Starting in March 1984, he received treatment equivalent to that of a minister-level official within the central state organs. He was a member of the First National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and a standing committee member during the second, third, fourth, and fifth CPPCC national committees. He was an alternate member of the 7th Central Committee of the CPC, a full member of the 8th Central Committee, and was elected as a member of the Central Advisory Commission at the 12th National Congress of the CPC (serving until the 1985 National Representative Conference of the CPC). He passed away in Beijing on June 11, 1988, due to illness.

Liu Xiao

(1908–1988)

Member of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

Liu Xiao was born in May 1908 in Tongwanxi Village, Chenyang Town, Chenxi County, Hunan Province, into a family of scholars. His mother passed away when he was five. Starting in 1915, he attended Baiyan Temple Primary School and the private Chen Cui Primary School in the county town. In the autumn of 1921, he was admitted to Chaoyang Middle School in Yuanling County. In 1925, witnessing the “Qingdao Massacre” and the “May 30th Massacre” orchestrated by imperialists, and seeing the nation plagued by internal and external crises and the suffering of its people, he firmly… Liu Xiao’s detailed information++