Former Site of Zhejiang Iron Factory

Former Site of Zhejiang Iron Factory

The former site of the Zhejiang Iron Factory is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The former site of the Zhejiang Iron Factory is located in Dakengtou Town, Liandu District, Lishui City, dating back to the Republican era.

Xiaoshun Village is a veteran revolutionary base area with deep roots in red culture. During the Anti-Japanese War, it became a crucial rear-area military industrial production base and an “economic experimental zone.” In the spring of 1938, the Zhejiang Provincial Iron Works General Factory (abbreviated as the “Zhejiang Iron Factory”) was established here, employing over a thousand workers and producing more than a thousand steel products per month. On April 2, 1939, Zhou Enlai, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and then Deputy Minister of the Political Department of the National Government Military Commission, visited the Zhejiang Iron Factory at the invitation of Huang Shaohong, Chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Government, while serving in his official capacity. He stayed at Huang Shaohong’s villa in Xiaoshun Fantou. On the morning of April 3, accompanied by Governor Huang Shaohong, Wutingfang, Director of the Provincial Construction Department, and factory director Huang Zhumin, Zhou Enlai inspected the Yunhe and Xiaoshun branches of the Zhejiang Iron Factory. He carefully toured the workshops, visited the workers' dormitories and canteens, and delivered a “Resist Japan and Save the Nation” situation report to over 2,000 workers and staff at Qinxiang Temple, inspiring all present and strengthening their resolve to fight the war. Zhou Enlai’s visit had significant real-time impact and far-reaching historical importance in winning over progressive forces led by Huang Shaohong, consolidating and developing the united front, galvanizing workers’ anti-Japanese enthusiasm, and promoting the growth of Party organizations in Zhejiang and at the “Zhejiang Iron Factory.”

During the war, Tan Kah Kee visited Xiaoshun to comfort the iron factory workers; Feng Xuefeng recuperated and wrote books here; Pan Tianshou taught at Yingshi University; and numerous notable figures gathered in the village. To this day, the village retains ruins of the Zhejiang Iron Factory from the wartime period, a monument commemorating Zhou Enlai’s inspection of the “Xiaoshun Zhejiang Iron Works General Factory,” and ruins of Huang Shaohong’s mansion.

On January 13, 2017, the People's Government of Zhejiang Province listed it as part of the seventh batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Dakengtou Town: Located in the southwestern part of Liandu District, Dakengtou Town is 23 kilometers from the city center. It borders Zhangcun Township of Qingtian County to the east, Zhengdi Township and Fengyuan Township to the south, Zhucun Township of Yunhe County to the west, Yuxi Township of Songyang County to the northwest, and faces Bihu Town across the water to the north. The town government is stationed in Dakengtou Village.

Dakengtou Town enjoys convenient land and water transportation. Provincial Highway 53 runs through the entire area, serving as a vital transport route connecting Lishui, Songyang, Yunhe, Longquan, Qingyuan, and Pu’an County in Fujian. The waterways extend upstream to Longquan and downstream to Wenzhou. The Dashixi River and Songyangxi River converge north of the town. Dakengtou remains an important hub in the Ou River basin… More details about Dakengtou Town++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units