Former Site of the Dinghai County Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

Former Site of the Dinghai County Committee of the Chinese Communist Party

The former site of the Dinghai County Committee of the Chinese Communist Party is a patriotic education base.

The former site of the Dinghai County Committee of the Chinese Communist Party is located at No. 15, Chenwuli, Huimin Bridge, Wuxie Community, Lincheng Subdistrict, Dinghai District, with a construction area of 216 square meters. It is a building from the Republican era and served as the headquarters of the underground Dinghai County Committee of the CCP during the War of Resistance against Japan.

The Dinghai Working Committee of the CCP was established in October 1938. In June 1939, after the Japanese invaders occupied Dinghai County town and Shenjiamen Town, the county committee moved to rural areas, first relocating to Hou’ao Village in Baiquan, and then in 1940 to Wuxie (the current site). It persisted in the War of Resistance, led the anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare centered around Huangyangjian, and established an anti-Japanese base area covering what are now Chengdong Subdistrict, Baiquan, Beichan, Zhanmao, Luhua, Goushan, Lincheng, Changzhi, and Panzhi. Party branches and labor union organizations were also set up in places such as Dong’ao, Wuxie, and Changzhi. Activities such as literacy classes and adult night schools in schools were used to promote resistance against Japan. In October 1943, the anti-Japanese armed forces in the eastern base area moved to eastern Zhejiang, and the Dinghai County Committee of the CCP shifted to underground struggle, continuing to lead the people of Dinghai in resisting Japan until the end of the war.

Originally, the site of the committee only had two rooms: the main room adjacent to the ancestral hall of the Zhu family and the storage room to its east, with a total construction area of about 94 square meters. In 1999, the Zhoushan Municipal Government allocated 200,000 yuan, and the Lincheng Subdistrict contributed 50,000 yuan to purchase four residential houses south of the storage room and carry out renovations. An open space was also created southeast of the committee site to serve as a parking lot. After the expansion, the construction area of the committee site reached 216 square meters.

The Dinghai County Committee of the CCP was the backbone leading the people of Dinghai in their resistance against Japan. It guided the people in guerrilla warfare, established anti-Japanese bases, and struck a blow against the arrogance of the Japanese puppet troops, contributing to China’s eventual victory over the Japanese invaders. The Dinghai County Committee also trained and developed a number of CCP members and revolutionary cadres, such as Yang Jingjuan, Zhang Shuxin, Lou Tongsheng, Wu Zhixian, and Hu Jianfeng, who all sacrificed heroically for the interests of the people during the War of Resistance or later in the People’s Liberation War. The former site of the Dinghai County Committee of the CCP holds significant historical importance for educating future generations in patriotism and inspiring national self-strengthening. It was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection unit of Dinghai in June 1993 and listed as one of the second batch of patriotic education bases in Zhoushan City in 1995.

The former site of the Dinghai County Committee of the CCP is located within the jurisdiction of Xincheng, situated midway between Dinghai and Xincheng. Just 50 meters to the west is Haitian Avenue, making transportation extremely convenient. Lincheng also has a glorious history. Legend has it that during the Western Zhou Dynasty, King Xuyan resided in Wengzhou and built Xucheng. The "Changguo County Annals" from the Baqing era of the Song Dynasty records: “Wengshan, also called Wengzhou, is thirty li east of the county, where King Xuyan lived. The remains of the city can still be seen.” Thirty li east of the county refers to the current Lincheng. Today, Lincheng still retains many historical records related to King Xuyan, such as the Temple of King Yan, Chen’ao Mountain, Jinqi Mountain, and Guchui Peak. However, due to the lack of concrete physical evidence, these accounts have largely become legends that are difficult to verify.

As the current political center of Zhoushan and its future hub for culture and education services, Xincheng greatly needs historical and cultural support — and the former site of the Dinghai County Committee of the CCP precisely fulfills this need. In line with the cultural relics work policy of “protection first, rescue foremost, rational utilization, and strengthened management,” the Zhoushan Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Press and Publication adheres to the scientific, moderate, sustainable, and rational use of the site without altering its original state, historical environment, or making unnecessary interventions. The bureau has protected the main structure of the former site of the Dinghai County Committee of the CCP, renovated the surrounding environment, and transformed the original residential buildings within the construction control zone of the committee site into structures consistent with its architectural style. These have been repurposed as exhibition rooms for party history to display relevant information, fully leveraging the role of the patriotic education base. The renovation work has now been completed, and the site awaits new exhibitions. Once the displays are installed, it will be open to the public free of charge.