Former Command Post of the February 7th Strike by Railway Workers from Liangpu

Former Command Post of the February 7th Strike by Railway Workers from Liangpu

The former command post of the February 7th Strike by railway workers from Liangpu is located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

The site was originally built in the early years of the Republic of China and served as the headquarters of the "Chinese Labor Union." This labor union was formed by Wang Hebo, an early leader of the Chinese workers' movement, bringing together workers from the Puzhen Locomotive Works. It was established in March 1921. In the autumn of 1922, the first party cell of the Communist Party of China in Nanjing — the Pukou Party Cell — was founded here. In February 1923, Wang Hebo held an emergency meeting at this location with local party members and key union figures from the Liangpu area to report on the atrocities committed by reactionary troops and police in sabotaging the founding assembly of the Beijing-Hankou Railway Workers’ Federation, as well as the general situation regarding the Beijing-Hankou Railway Strike. The meeting resolved that, in solidarity with the Beijing-Hankou Railway workers' great strike, railway workers from Liangpu would initiate a general strike starting February 8, presenting demands such as wage increases through the Jin-Pu Railway Bureau, and designated this site as the strike command center. On February 9, 1923, to support the struggle of the Beijing-Hankou Railway workers during the February 7th Strike, the party cell led workers from the locomotive works in a track-sitting protest, achieving partial victory.

The site was originally a newly opened public bathhouse, which the union rented in its entirety. The central part remained the bath area, while the two outer rooms were used as offices. The building faces west and is oriented east, designed in the style of traditional southern Chinese residential architecture with a brick-and-wood structure. It consists of a main building and wing rooms, covering a construction area of 243 square meters and a site area of 278.15 square meters. The site has now been converted into a memorial for public visits.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units