Former Site of the Taishun Peasant Uprising

Former Site of the Taishun Peasant Uprising

In 1929, Taishun County suffered from a once-in-a-century drought, yet the Kuomintang government, heedless of the peasants’ famine, implemented a policy in early January 1930 to measure farmland and increase taxes across the county. Puppeteer Zeng Guanyu from Baifenhua Village in Sixi, unable to bear it any longer, rose up in resistance. Together with Zeng Qinglian and Bao Congjian, the three organized under the folk group “Green Gang Society,” recruiting a large number of impoverished peasants. They put forward slogans such as “abolish taxes and fees, oppose land surveys,” obtained weapons through various means, and devised a plan. On April 12, the peasant militia first clashed with a company of the Kuomintang’s Zhejiang Security Fourth Regiment at Nanxi in Sixi, defeating the enemy troops who fled and capturing five rifles. In late June, Zeng Guanyu and others led a peasant force of over 800 people to establish a stronghold on the mountain peak of Shangren in Song Township, constructing two mountain forts named “Shuangfeng Fort.”

Faced with the growing peasant forces, the Kuomintang authorities in Taishun grew uneasy and dispatched troops to suppress them. In early July 1930, 18 members of the “Green Gang,” including Wu Xingfa, were shot dead by the Zhejiang Security Forces in Da’an Township, with another 20 captured. In mid-July, a peasant force of over 500 confronted the enemy in Da’an Township, causing the Kuomintang troops to flee in panic. Later that month, Zeng Guanyu’s forces encountered a unit of the Zhejiang Security Forces in Feng Township. After a fierce battle, they killed five enemies, captured three alive, and forced the rest to flee. In early August, a peasant force of 400 attacked a company of the Kuomintang’s Zhejiang Security Fourth Regiment resting at the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Guoling, scattering the panicked troops and capturing three prisoners.

On October 2, during the single-season rice harvest, Zeng Guanyu agreed to let a large number of armed personnel return home to harvest crops, leaving only about 100 to defend “Shuangfeng Fort.” The enemy took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, breaching the fort’s defenses. The Kuomintang troops massacred the defenders in the fort, resulting in heavy casualties among the peasant militia. Subsequently, government forces swept through surrounding villages, arresting and executing people based on the Green Gang membership lists. This peasant uprising ultimately failed. Although it was defeated, it had a profound impact on later revolutionary struggles in the Taishun region.

The Former Site of the Taishun Peasant Uprising is located at the Zeng Clan Ancestral Hall in Baifenhua Village, Sixi Town, Taishun County. Covering a total area of 900 square meters, this ancestral hall was where the peasant uprising was planned and meetings held. In November 1992, the Sixi Town People’s Government renovated the site and erected a monument in honor of martyr Zeng Qinglian within the grounds, along with displays of photos and historical materials.

The Former Site of the Taishun Peasant Uprising is a cultural heritage site protected by Taishun County.

Source: Party History Research Office of the CPC Wenzhou Municipal Committee