Former Residence of Zhang Tailei

Former Residence of Zhang Tailei

The Former Residence of Zhang Tailei is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province and a patriotic education base.

The Zhang Tailei Memorial Hall is located at No. 3 Zihe Li, Qingliang Road, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It consists of three parts: the Former Residence of Zhang Tailei, the Exhibition Room of Zhang Tailei’s Life and Deeds, and auxiliary rooms (Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition Room), with a total building area of 900 square meters and an exhibition area of 500 square meters.

The central axis of the Zhang Tailei Memorial Hall is a typical two-courtyard, three-bay wooden structure of a traditional Jiangnan-style residence. Above the entrance gate of the front courtyard is a plaque inscribed with “Former Residence of Zhang Tailei,” personally written by the beloved Comrade Deng Xiaoping. In the courtyard stands a half-length white marble statue of Comrade Zhang Tailei, vividly portraying him as one of the important early leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, a founder of the Socialist Youth League of China, an outstanding political activist, and a staunch Marxist. The rear courtyard was where Zhang Tailei’s family temporarily lived from 1918 to 1925. His daughters Xiping and Xilei, and son Yiyang were all born here. The restored exhibition with a strong sense of daily life recreates the scene of their life at that time and truly records the traces of the lives of Zhang Tailei and his son, both martyrs, witnessing the great dedication and sacrifice this heroic family made for the Chinese revolution.

Precious historical materials such as photos, oil paintings, and artifacts that encapsulate the brilliant twenty-nine years of Zhang Tailei’s life are displayed in the Exhibition Room of Zhang Tailei’s Life and Deeds, located on the east side of the memorial hall. “Striving for the lasting and true happiness of all people under heaven,” Zhang Tailei’s thunderous legacy contains a tremendously powerful spiritual force that inspires future generations to embark on even grander modernization endeavors.

The Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition Room on the west side houses calligraphic inscriptions by veteran revolutionaries such as Nie Rongzhen, Xu Xiangqian, Zhang Aiping, Wang Renzhong, and Li Weihan in memory of Zhang Tailei, as well as fine calligraphic and painting works created by leaders and scholars from across the country to commemorate him.

The Former Residence of Zhang Tailei was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government in 1982; it was approved for restoration and opened to the public by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee in 1987. After 1994, it was named a provincial and municipal patriotic education base and a school moral education base. In 2000, the Former Residence of Zhang Tailei was officially renamed the Zhang Tailei Memorial Hall, and in 2003, it was rated as a National AA-level tourist attraction (scenic spot).

Since its official opening to the public in 1987, the Zhang Tailei Memorial Hall has received over 200,000 visitors from across the country and overseas. It has also published more than ten research books on Zhang Tailei, including “Chronicles of Zhang Tailei,” “Memories of Zhang Tailei,” “Collected Works of Zhang Tailei,” and “Thunder That Awakens the World,” making it an important site for commemorating, studying, promoting, and researching the deeds and spirit of Comrade Zhang Tailei.

The Former Residence of Zhang Tailei is a two-courtyard, three-bay wooden structure of a traditional Jiangnan-style residence, which has a history of over a hundred years and is well preserved. Zhang Tailei and his wife Lu Jinghua rented and lived here for seven years after their marriage in the summer of 1918. His daughters Xiping, Xilei, and son Yiyang were all born here. The restored exhibition with a strong sense of daily life recreates the life scenes of Zhang Tailei and his family here. This simple yet elegant house witnessed the bravery and tragedy of a great family and contributed two martyrs to the Chinese revolution (his son Yiyang was martyred at the age of 18 in the Shangrao Concentration Camp). Above the entrance gate of the front courtyard is a golden plaque inscribed with “Former Residence of Zhang Tailei,” personally written by the beloved Comrade Deng Xiaoping, and in the center of the courtyard stands a half-length white marble statue of Comrade Zhang Tailei.

Zhang Tailei, born in June 1898 in Wujin, Jiangsu Province. In 1915, he was admitted to Peking University and transferred to the Law Department of Peiyang University (now Tianjin University) in Tianjin in the winter of the same year. When the May Fourth Movement broke out in 1919, Zhang Tailei actively participated and became one of the key figures in the Tianjin area. He joined the speech group organized by students of Peiyang University, often going to urban areas and nearby towns and villages in Tianjin to carry out propaganda activities, exposing the crimes of the reactionary government in betraying the sovereignty of Shandong. During the struggle, Zhang Tailei established contact with Li Dazhao, whom he had long admired, and also connected with Zhou Enlai, the leader of the May Fourth Movement in Tianjin… More details about Zhang Tailei ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units