Cai Xiong Martyrs Memorial Hall

Cai Xiong Martyrs Memorial Hall

Cai Xiong Martyrs Memorial Hall is a classic red tourism attraction.

Cai Xiong (1907–1927), courtesy name Simou, was from Haian, Tangxia, Rui’an. In the autumn of 1922, he was admitted to the Tenth Provincial Normal School in Wenzhou. During his time at school, along with progressive classmates such as Jin Guanzhen, he diligently studied publications such as Guide, New Youth, and The Communist Manifesto. In 1923, together with classmates Jin Guanzhen and Su Zhongchang, he co-organized new literary research groups such as Hongwenhui (Grand Literature Society) and Xueboshi She (Blood Wave Society) (with Mr. Zhu Ziqing serving as advisor) to promote new culture and ideas. In 1924, he joined the Communist Youth League, and in 1926, he became a member of the Communist Party, serving as one of the key members of the Wenzhou Branch. He served as a leader of the Wenzhou Student Salvation Federation and secretary of the Wenzhou Branch of the Communist Youth League, leading movements across the district. In 1927, after Chiang Kai-shek launched the April 12 Counterrevolutionary Coup in Shanghai, the Wenzhou Kuomintang reactionaries carried out a “Party Purge” on April 15. On May 18, Cai Xiong was arrested at Xiaonanmen in downtown Wenzhou, where he endured brutal torture—his arms and thighs were broken—but he remained unyielding and faced death fearlessly. In the late night of May 23, the reactionaries placed the bloodied and barely alive Cai Xiong in a basket and carried him to the playground of Wenzhou No. 10 Middle School, where they secretly executed him.

Cai Xiong Martyrs Memorial Hall is located in Zhendong Village, Haian Office, Tangxia Town, Rui’an City. To commemorate Cai Xiong, Zhendong Village renovated his severely damaged former residence into the Cai Xiong Martyrs Memorial Hall, which displays the life story of Cai Xiong. The memorial hall was completed in 2008 and covers an area of approximately 300 square meters.

Cai Xiong Martyrs Memorial Hall is a patriotic education base in Rui’an City.

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