Former Site of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC

Former Site of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC

The former site of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC is a classic red tourism destination and a patriotic education base.

Introduction to the Former Site of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC The memorial hall of the former site of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC is located in Daihou Village, Yaxi Town, Liandu District. Originally the ancestral hall of the Zhu family, it is a mud-and-wood structure built during the Qing Dynasty. In March 1947, revolutionary pioneers Zhang Zhiqing and Lin Yipu re-established the Lishui County Committee of the CPC here, formed revolutionary forces, created a guerrilla base area, and led armed struggles, making significant contributions to the liberation of Lishui County. In March 2007, the exhibition hall of the former site of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC was established; in July 2009, it was named a patriotic education base of Liandu District; in July 2011, it was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of Liandu District; on June 29, 2012, the Liandu District Committee of the CPC held the opening ceremony of the memorial hall of the former site of the Lishui County Committee in Daihou Village, Yaxi Town, officially establishing the museum. In February 2014, it was designated as a municipal-level patriotic education base of Lishui City.

Daihou Village, Yaxi Town, Liandu District, is situated on Xuefeng Mountain at the junction of Lishui, Jinyun, and Wuyi counties, and beside the ancient Jigou Trail. For centuries, the ancestors of the Zhu and Xie families in Daihou Village have toiled diligently here, creating a place rich in historical and cultural heritage, with kind and courageous people and a simple, honest folkway. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Advance Detachment entered the village, posted revolutionary slogans, mobilized the masses, and waged struggles against the reactionary Kuomintang. During the War of Resistance against Japan, communists such as Zhang Xinhao and Zhang Fu, under the cover of their public identities as rural construction instructors, stationed in Daihou Village, ran night schools and literacy classes, recruited progressive youths like Zhu Tai into the Party, established party cells, and led the masses to form land reclamation cooperatives. In February 1947, to adapt to the revolutionary struggle situation, revolutionary pioneers Zhang Zhiqing, Chen Fangyao, and Zhang Saiying, under the orders of the Chushu Special Committee of the CPC, came to Daihou Village, which had superior natural conditions and solid mass and revolutionary foundations, to mobilize and organize the people and establish a guerrilla base area. To strengthen unified leadership over the border work of Lishui, Jinyun, and Wuyi, in the second month after arriving in Daihou—by the end of March 1947—Zhang Zhiqing, Lin Yipu, Chen Fangyao, Zhang Saiying, and Zhu Jinbao held a meeting in the Zhu family ancestral hall, where the local elementary school was located. To ensure safety, they moved midway to continue the meeting on the upper floor of Zhu Tai’s home. At the meeting, it was decided to establish the Lishui County Committee of the CPC, jointly led by Zhang Zhiqing and Lin Yipu (with Zhang Zhiqing as the primary leader).

The revolutionary armed struggles led by the Lishui County Committee of the CPC received strong support from the people of the revolutionary base areas. In Daihou Village, the site of the former county committee, before liberation, there were 30 Party members who joined the CPC, including Zhu Tai, Zhu Chenfa, and Zhu Zengfang; 7 veteran couriers, including Zhu Rongbin, Zhu Aiju, and Xie Guanchun; and 19 veteran guerrillas, including Zhu Tai, Zhu Chenfa, and Xie Chenxing. Among them, guerrillas Zhu Chenfa, Zhu Zengfang, and Zhu Rongcai were unfortunately captured and heroically martyred at Dashuimen in Lishui in August 1947 during a battle with the Kuomintang Zhejiang Security Second Regiment. After liberation, they were posthumously recognized as revolutionary martyrs. The people of the revolutionary base areas made tremendous contributions to the Party and the revolutionary cause.

The memorial hall covers an area of 418 square meters, with 42 exhibition boards in the main display area. To the left front of the hall is the office and bedroom of veteran revolutionary Zhang Saiying, who used her identity as a teacher as a cover. The middle section was the classroom at the time, and the main exhibition hall houses many historical materials and cultural relics reflecting the revolutionary struggles. The entire memorial hall uses text, images, and artifacts to introduce the glorious history of the Chinese Communist Party leading the people of Lishui County in revolutionary struggles and the heroic deeds of the revolutionary pioneers.

Since its opening, the number of visiting party, league organizations, and members of the public has been continuously rising. The opening of the memorial hall has provided extremely valuable spiritual nourishment for the people of the entire district, offering an important venue and vivid teaching material for cadres and the masses to study and understand the history of the Lishui revolutionary struggles, carry out revolutionary tradition education, and patriotic education.

The Red Revolutionary History of Daihou Village

Daihou Village is located at the border of Lishui, Jinyun, Wuyi, and Xuancheng, and is the site where the Lishui County Committee of the CPC was re-established. After the committee was formed, it led the people of the entire county in vigorous armed struggles, eventually ushering in the liberation of Liandu (Lishui County). The Party members and masses here, under the leadership of the Party, fought bravely and fearlessly, composing moving and heroic hymns.

"Recounting the past" to "inspire future generations." In the new era of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, we should more earnestly learn the spirit of our predecessors in exploring the truth, their unwavering beliefs, and their purpose of serving the people. We must boost our morale, work hard, innovate, and make greater contributions to making Liandu even more beautiful.

I. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War Period

(1) During the Agrarian Revolutionary War period, the Party organization in Liandu (Lishui County) developed rapidly, and Party activities and the revolutionary struggles led by the Party flourished. In March 1930, influenced by the attack on Lishui City by the Red Army Guerrilla Headquarters of Southern Zhejiang (the predecessor of the Red 13th Army), a peasant armed force of over 100 people was formed in the northern township. In August, Zhu Minsheng led over 100 people carrying more than 80 homemade guns to Gao Shui, Xuancheng, joining the Third Battalion (South Battalion Red Army) of the 3rd Column of the Red 13th Army in Western Zhejiang. In mid-September, the Red Army at San Yan Temple (now part of Taiping Township) was ambushed by the Kuomintang Provincial Defense Army and landlord militias, with over 30 people, including commander Pan Chengbo, sacrificing heroically.

Li Chunyuan was one of the rebels. In 1930, influenced by the Red Army's attack on Lishui City and surrounding uprisings, Li Chunyuan, a farmer from Xiachuan Township, and Zhu Xikui, a farmer from Daihou Village, staged an uprising in the ancestral hall of Xuefeng Village (now under the jurisdiction of Jinyun County), forming a Red Army. Under Li Chunyuan’s leadership, this Red Army unit requisitioned grain and weapons such as broadswords from landlords and distributed them to poor peasants, alarming the local gentry and landlords. They rallied reactionary armed forces to besiege the Red Army. Due to inferior weapons and a surprise enemy attack, the Red Army unit was scattered in the San Yan Temple area, with Li Chunyuan retreating to the Zhu family ancestral hall in Daihou Village (now the former site of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC). The reactionary forces pursued them, smashing the wooden walls with clubs and spears, broke into the ancestral hall, and captured Li Chunyuan. A spear pierced a large hole in his abdomen, causing profuse bleeding. Ignoring his injuries, the reactionaries dragged him out of the ancestral hall at the entrance of Shiba Jian in Daihou Village, pushed him into a deep pool, then pulled him out, forcing him to confess. Though blood poured from his mouth, Li Chunyuan remained unyielding, shouting, "The Red Army cannot be wiped out," and was ultimately killed on the way to the county town. This was the first time villagers of Daihou witnessed revolutionary martyrdom, and Li Chunyuan’s fearless "death-defying" spirit ignited a wave of revolution in the hearts of the villagers.

(2) In May 1935, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army Advance Detachment, led by Commander Su Yu and Political Commissar Liu Ying, arrived in southwestern Zhejiang to establish a guerrilla base area. From the summer and autumn of 1935 onward, under the leadership of Su Yu, Huang Fuwu, and others, the Red Army Advance Detachment repeatedly operated in the mountainous areas of Liandu (Lishui County). In July, Huang Fuwu led over 160 troops from the Advance Detachment from the border area of Liandu (Lishui County) and Xuancheng, via Ruokeng Village, to stations in Daihou, Xiexia, and Lianfang. Wherever they went, the Red Army posted slogans, promoted armed revolution, attacked local tyrants and evil gentry, and carried out guerrilla warfare. They also distributed flower-patterned silver dollars at Xianling Temple in Daihou Village.

II. During the War of Resistance against Japan

The War of Resistance against Japan was a very important period in the history of the CPC in Liandu (Lishui County). With the establishment of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC and the development of the Party organization, the anti-Japanese salvation movement in Liandu (Lishui County) flourished. Various cultural groups were established, the woodcut movement rapidly developed, various anti-Japanese newspapers and periodicals were founded, the New Knowledge and Eastern Zhejiang bookstores were successively opened, the National Vanguard and political work teams were established as needed, and various anti-Japanese salvation activities were widely carried out. The Taiping Economic Experimental Zone was created, with rural construction instructors Zhang Xinhao and Zhang Fu coming to the village to run night schools, literacy classes, and establish shareholding land reclamation cooperatives. Zhu Rongbin and Zhu Chunying from Daihou Village participated in the "Cooperative Training Class" in Taiping District. Upon returning to the village, they respectively established shareholding consumer and hosiery cooperatives.

In 1947, Zhu Chunying, a villager from Daihou Village, regained her Party membership. She bought hosiery machines and set up a women’s hosiery cooperative in the Xie family ancestral hall in Daihou Village, introducing a group of youths to join the Party. She also brought Zhang Saiying to Qingpeng Ridge and Xuefeng Village to recruit Party members. In 1948, she became a full-time women’s worker, later taking charge of logistics, running a garment factory, and producing military uniforms, quilt covers, ammunition belts, backpacks, etc. The Party organization praised her as an excellent logistics supporter for the guerrillas.

III. During the Liberation War Period

On August 15, 1945, Japan announced unconditional surrender. The Chinese people achieved final victory in the eight-year War of Resistance. To avoid civil war, the Kuomintang and the CPC held negotiations in Chongqing. In June 1946, the Kuomintang launched attacks on the liberated areas, sparking all-out civil war. To adapt to the revolutionary struggle situation, the Lishui County Committee of the CPC was re-established in Daihou Village, Yaxi.

Re-establishment of the Lishui County Committee of the CPC. In March 1947, the Lishui County Committee of the CPC was re-established in Daihou Village, Yaxi. It was jointly led by Zhang Zhiqing and Lin Yipu (with Zhang Zhiqing as the primary leader), with other members including Chen Fangyao, Zhang Saiying, and Zhu Jinbao.

Among them, Zhang Zhiqing, Chen Fangyao, and Zhang Saiying were responsible for the border work of Lishui (Water), Wuyi (Martial), and Xuancheng (Proclamation); Lin Yipu was responsible for the border work of Lishui (Water), Qingtian (Green Field), and Songyang (Pine Yang).

In March 1947, a “Mr. Zhou” arrived at the village elementary school, but he was actually Zhang Saiying, in charge of publicity and women’s work for the county committee. She was not tall, pretty, spoke Mandarin, and could draw.

She came to the school, drew a portrait of Dr. Sun Yat-sen with a brush and hung it at the top center of the blackboard, with the couplet “The revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still need to strive” written beside it. She also drew portraits of Yue Fei, Zheng Chenggong, and Qi Jiguang on the right wall. Zhang Saiying taught students songs like “The Big Sword March” and “The Strange Song,” which was actually also a revolutionary song. She taught students to love their country, unite, and respect their elders. She promoted the revolutionary ideas of “resisting conscription, resisting taxes, and resisting oppression.” At night, Zhang Saiying also ran a night school.

After half a year, the whole village united to follow the CPC in the revolution. In the second half of the year, Zhang Saiying transferred to Xiexia Village, then to Wengshantou and Shanjingkeng villages. Villagers Xie Chenfu and Xie Chenxing from Daihou Village followed Zhang Saiying to join the guerrilla unit and engage in partisan warfare.

Counterattacking the Kuomintang reactionaries’ “pacification.” In the autumn and winter of 1947, the Linqingsong and Qingjingli guerrilla units, under the leadership of Zhang Zhiqing and Lin Yipu, relied on local masses, local cadres, and Party members united as one, achieving victory in the first “pacification” by the Kuomintang “Zhejiang Security Second Regiment” together with the Lishui County Self-Defense Brigade. From August to October 1948, the Kuomintang organized armed forces from Lishui, Jinyun, Xuancheng, and Wuyi counties, focusing on the Shangbei Township area around Daihou, launching a large-scale “pacification” against the L-W-X guerrilla base area. In the counter-“pacification” struggle, the local armed forces under Party leadership, with the support of the masses, overcame numerous difficulties and achieved major victories. The base area and armed forces rapidly grew and strengthened. During the “pacification” struggle, Party members and masses in Daihou Village united as one, contributed ideas, and risked their lives time and again to protect the Party organization.

In 1947, Zhang Saiying recalled in her memoirs: One day, she and Li Guisheng were hiding on the upper floor of Zhu Rongliang’s home. Looking out the window, they saw enemies searching Zhu Tai’s home on the opposite hillside. Grandma Lai (Zhu Rongliang’s mother), worried for them, told them to pretend to be sick in bed. Zhang Saiying said two people would be hard to explain, just as long as the enemies didn’t come upstairs. Grandma Lai started pounding rice in the main hall with grain, pretending nothing was wrong, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. This deceived the enemy’s search, allowing them to escape safely.

Guerrilla Concealment Tactics

Party members and masses in Daihou Village prepared seven hiding places for the Party organization.

One of the activity sites was Zhu Tai’s home, where the iron rings of the door knocker and the wooden panels behind the door still bear bullet marks from enemies to this day. Before liberation, more than ten people had joined the Communist Party from this very house.

The second activity site was the home of Zhu Yuan, a committee member of the Dayu Party Branch (who served as a puppet village head at the time). This place was also frequently used by guerrilla fighters for lodging and meals.

The third activity site was the home of Zhu Yuerong. In February 1947, Zhang Saiying stayed in the “Xiaxinwu” room at the elementary school teacher Zhu Yuerong’s home. The two lived and worked together in harmony.

The fourth activity site was the home of Zhu Yushan.

The fifth activity site was the home of Zhu Dekui.

The sixth activity site was the home of Xie Chenxing.

The seventh activity site was the home of Zhu Chunying.

In the second half of 1948, the party organization and guerrilla forces in the Liewuxuan border area grew stronger through struggle. Five district party committees and guerrilla squads were established: Taiping, Yanquan, Bihu, Xinzhai, Yeling, and Shangtan. (Secretary of the Taiping District Committee Chen Fangyao, commander of the guerrilla squad Zhu Chenfa; head of the Yanquan District Committee and commander of the guerrilla squad Li Fangren; secretary of the Xinzhai District Committee Zhang Saiying, commander of the guerrilla squad Li Guisheng; head of the Yeling District Committee and commander of the guerrilla squad Zhou Yiping; head of the Shangtan District Committee Li Ying, commander of the guerrilla squad Xie Chenxing).

When the enemy captured Communist Party member and guerrilla fighter Zhu Zengfen and hanged him to death at the bridgehead near the local temple, they also seized 75-year-old Zhu Tai’s mother, Fan Xingmei, to be killed alongside him. Grandma Fan faced her execution with unshaken composure and never revealed any information about the guerrillas or the base area, thus preventing further casualties. As for couriers Zhu Rongbin, Zhu Lide, Zhu Aiju, and the 15-year-old Zhu Liren, the number of times they delivered intelligence is countless.

Strengthening political power. On January 29, 1949, the People’s Democratic Government of Yeling District was proclaimed in Liufan Village, Liancheng (Juxi). Yeling became the first liberated area in the LijinXuan border region. In March, the Democratic Government of Lishui County was announced in Laizhu Village, Yeling. In April, it was renamed the Democratic Government of Chubei County, with Zhang Zhiqing serving as the county head. The Chubei County People’s Government governed seven districts: Taiping, Yanquan, Xinzhai, Shangtan, Taoxi, Yeling, and Xiayang.

In 1949, the Kuomintang’s Zhejiang Security Second Regiment came to “encircle and suppress” the Daohou guerrilla base area. Guerrilla fighters living upstairs in Zhu Tai’s house had no time to evacuate. To divert the enemy’s attention, villagers urgently asked the guerrillas to hide in the hearth’s fire pit. Although the guerrillas suffered burns, they survived and protected the lives of their comrades. Some of the upstairs guerrillas were hidden by villagers in straw stacks, while others were concealed inside wooden barrels.

Amid the vigorous revolutionary struggle, there were also Communists who appeared loyal to the enemy but were secretly red-hearted. Zhu Yuan (1907–1980), originally named Zhu Youyuan, joined the Communist Party in April 1947 and once served as a village party branch member. Zhu Yuan was honest and fair-minded, with no public grievances against him. In 1949, he left Daohou Village and became the civil affairs assistant of Taiping District. After the victory of the War of Resistance, during the KMT government’s reorganization of the village and hamlet administration system, Zhu Yuan served as a puppet village head. While outwardly working for the KMT, he actually served the Communist Party. Over three years, he made great contributions to intelligence gathering, grain procurement, and accommodation logistics for our Party.

Epilogue: The people of Daohou fully supported and participated in the revolutionary war. There were four revolutionary martyrs, two unnamed guerrilla fighters who died in battle in Daohou Village, seven villagers who served as couriers, nineteen who joined the guerrillas, and thirty who joined the Communist Party before liberation. The revolutionary stories of the Daohou base area are rich with examples of the mass line. Especially the historical fact that three vanguards crushed three enemy “encirclement and suppression” campaigns over three years proves that our Party, by putting the people first and relying closely on the masses, built an impregnable defense and overcame hardships to achieve victory.

Basic Information About Daohou Village, Yaxi Town

Daohou Village, Yaxi Town, is located in the northern part of Yaxi Town, Liandu District. It borders Jinyun to the east, Shuangyuan Village to the south, Xiexia Village to the west, and Wuyi to the north. It is 25 kilometers away from the town government seat. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the village enjoys a pleasant climate and is especially suitable for summer retreats. It governs two natural villages—Daohou and Hengkeng—and six villager groups, with a total of 254 households and 803 residents, including 557 laborers. One-third of the total population works outside the village. The village has 349,000 square meters of arable land and 5,915,000 square meters of forestland, mainly consisting of bamboo, yew, maple, and pine trees. Among the 5,915,000 square meters of forest, various types of wildlife thrive, including countless wild rabbits and wild boars.

Nowadays, the people of Daohou have realized the significance of leveraging their superior ecological conditions and historical status as a cradle of revolution to develop red tourism. The village has completed comprehensive improvement efforts: roads have been paved, greened, and lit, eco-friendly public toilets have been built, and garbage and sewage are now treated centrally. The entire village has become cleaner and more beautiful. This has not only improved the living environment for the people of Daohou but also attracted more and more visitors to explore and enjoy the area.

Currently, Daohou Village in Yaxi Town is actively working on the following initiatives: first, securing funding to plan and renovate the former site of the county committee and add more revolutionary historical relics; second, seeking support from higher-level governments to widen the road leading to the village and extend the bus route from Shuangyuan Village to Daohou Village to facilitate access for residents and tourists; third, developing farmhouse stays and folk arts to offer visitors scenic beauty, cultural experiences, historical exploration, and rural entertainment.

Daohou Village: Over 800 meters above sea level in Liandu District, Daohou Village is predominantly mountainous and forested. Within this high-altitude woodland lies a unique sight—verdant mountain bamboo. As night falls, sitting in the courtyard and watching the gentle wisps of cooking smoke slowly rise and fade into the distance backed by green mountains and bamboo, all the day’s toil and fatigue vanish without a trace.

Tea-picking dance is a traditional cultural performance that must be staged during festivals in Daohou Village. According to elders, the tea-picking lantern was introduced from Wuxi, Jiangsu, and has a history of over 200 years. Passed down through generations, it still retains its... Detailed Information on Daohou Village++