Former Residence of Jin Weiyin

Former Residence of Jin Weiyin

The former residence of Jin Weiyin serves as a patriotic education base.

The former residence of Jin Weiyin is located at No. 14, Houjie Lane, Qingtai Road, Gaoting Town, Daishan County (at the Huang family residence).

Jin Weiyin (1904–1941), female, originally named Jin Aiqing, also known as Jin Zhicheng, and nicknamed "Ajin", was a native of Gaoting Town, Daishan County, Zhejiang Province. She spent her childhood in the Huang family home in Gaoting Town. In 1913, she studied at the Dinghai County Girls’ Primary School. In 1919, she went to Ningbo Normal School. After graduating from the normal school, she returned to Dinghai to teach in the kindergarten class at the “Girls’ Primary School”. Born in the early 20th century in semi-feudal, semi-colonial China, Jin Weiyin witnessed from an early age the bullying of China by imperialist powers and the oppressive rule of feudal warlords, which gave rise to her strong anti-imperialist and anti-feudal patriotic ideals from her youth. With lofty patriotic aspirations, during her teaching years at the Dinghai “Girls’ Primary School”, she actively participated in patriotic and anti-imperialist movements in support of the May Fourth Movement and the May Thirtieth Movement. It was during this time that she was exposed to and embraced Marxist ideology. In October 1926, Jin Weiyin, a democratic-minded intellectual, joined the Communist Party of China with honor, becoming a member of the first communist organization in the Zhoushan Archipelago—the Dinghai Independent Branch of the CPC—and one of its leading members. In 1927, she led and initiated the famous Daishan Salt Workers’ Movement, igniting the flames of revolutionary struggle in the Zhoushan area. At that time, she was hailed by the Ningbo Regional Committee as the “Female General of Dinghai”. After the failure of the Great Revolution, she moved to Shanghai, where she worked with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the Women’s Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the CPC, engaging in the labor movement. She served as Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee Women’s Committee, Secretary of the United Action Committee of the Party, Youth League, and Trade Union of the Shanghai Silk Weaving Industry, and Standing Committee Member of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the CPC, among other roles. In July 1931, she was transferred to work in the Central Soviet Area. She held various positions, including Party Secretary of Yudu County and Shengli County (one of only two female county Party secretaries in the Central Soviet Area), Commander-in-Chief of the Central Soviet Area’s “Red Expansion” Assault Team, Head of the Organization Department of the Central Committee, and Deputy Minister of the Armed Mobilization Department of the Central Revolutionary Military Commission. During the economic development and Red Army expansion efforts in the Central Soviet Area, she demonstrated initiative, creativity, and outstanding performance, showcasing exceptional leadership and organizational skills. In January 1934, she was elected as a member of the Second Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Soviet Republic. In October 1934, during the strategic relocation of the Central Red Army, Jin Weiyin embarked on the Long March, becoming one of the 30 female soldiers from the First Front Army to participate. In 1937, she was assigned to the Chinese People’s Anti-Japanese Military and Political University as the District Leader of the Fourth Regiment’s Female Squad. In 1938, she was dispatched by the Party organization to study in Moscow, Soviet Union. In June 1941, when the German invasion of the Soviet Union broke out, Jin Weiyin tragically lost her life amid the chaos of war, at the age of 37.

The former residence of Jin Weiyin faces southeast and originally consisted of three 62.4-square-meter wooden structures with tiled roofs (including the central hall). In September 1988, it was listed as a county-level cultural relics protection unit. In December 1990, the residence was renovated to restore its original appearance, and a simple indoor exhibition was set up. In July 1991, it was opened to the public on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. In June 1994, it was listed as one of the first municipal-level patriotic education bases. In March 1995, Comrade Jiang Zemin inscribed the plaque for the former residence, which reads “Former Residence of Jin Weiyin”. The plaque-hanging ceremony was held in June of the same year. In 2000, it was listed as a municipal-level national defense education base. In June 2001, it was designated as a provincial-level patriotic education base. From April to October 2004, the Daishan County Committee of the CPC and the People’s Government of Daishan County allocated special funds for renovation. The original three rooms were expanded into five brick-and-wood structured tile-roofed rooms, covering a land area of 349 square meters and a construction area of 158.54 square meters. At the end of October, on the centenary of the birth of martyr Jin Weiyin, the residence displayed 149 photographs and images, along with over 40 precious artifacts. These materials illustrate six sections of her life: 1926–1941, including her time in Zhoushan, Shanghai, the Central Soviet Area, during the Long March, in Yan’an, and tributes in her memory—accompanied by approximately 25,000 words of explanatory text. In April 2005, it was listed as a municipal-level red tourism base.

Inscriptions by Party and state leaders Jiang Zemin and Wang Guangying, the calligraphy piece “Noble Character and Integrity” by famed calligrapher Guo Zhongxuan, and the painting “Bamboo Waves” by artist Lu Xiaoxuan are displayed in the central hall of the residence. Additionally, there are 25 inscriptions and 17 traditional Chinese paintings gifted to the former residence. Currently, there is one full-time manager and guide, along with three part-time staff. As of April 2008, the residence has received over 280,000 visitors from all walks of life across the country, making significant contributions to Daishan County’s opening-up and the development of both material and spiritual civilization.

In June 2001, the former residence of Jin Weiyin was designated as a Zhejiang Provincial Patriotic Education Base by the Publicity Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CPC.

Jin Weiyin (1904–circa 1942), female, originally named Jin Aiqing, used the alias “Ajin”. She was a native of Gaoting Town, Daishan, Zhejiang Province. In November 1926 (the 15th year of the Republic of China), she joined the Communist Party of China, becoming the earliest female Communist Party member in the Zhoushan area, as well as a committee member of the Dinghai Independent Branch of the CPC. She led and established the Dinghai County General Labor Union and the Daishan Salt Workers’ Association.

In the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), after Chiang Kai-shek launched the “April 12 Counterrevolutionary Coup”, she went to Shanghai. Using a teaching position at Yuezhou Road Primary School as a cover, she worked for the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the Jiangsu Provincial Women’s Committee. Everyone affectionately called her “Ajin”. More details about Jin Weiyin ++