Former Residence of Yang Xianjiang

Former Residence of Yang Xianjiang

The former residence of Yang Xianjiang is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The former residence of Yang Xianjiang is located in Xianjiang Village, Changhe Town. Originally named Fenjiangshi Village, it was renamed Xianjiang Village in 1995 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Yang Xianjiang’s birth. Yang Xianjiang (1895–1931), courtesy name Yingfu, wrote under various pen names including Li Haowu, Li Yingyang, and Liudaosheng. He was one of China's earliest Marxist educational theorists, an outstanding leader of the youth movement, and a staunch communist fighter.

The residence is a small, five-bay brick-and-wood structure facing south, with two side rooms on each of the east and west sides, forming a concave layout. The building features a simple design and has been well preserved. Its interior is arranged according to how it looked when Yang Xianjiang lived there in his early years: the central bay serves as the main hall, with a plaque inscribed “People’s Hero” bestowed upon his family by the Yuyao County Government in 1951 hanging on the right wall; the side bays were living quarters for Yang Xianjiang and his parents respectively; the end bays on the east and west sides were the kitchen and sewing room; and the side rooms served as a study and a storage room for farming tools.

Yang Xianjiang was born into a family of tailors. In the autumn of 1912, he was admitted to the First Normal School of Zhejiang Province. Influenced by teachers such as Jing Hengyi, Li Shutong, and Xia Mianzun, he resolved to save the nation through education. In May 1922, he joined the Chinese Communist Party. In 1923, he became a member of the National Movement Committee, working alongside Yun Daiying and others on youth and student affairs. After the First United Front between the Kuomintang and the CCP was formed in 1924, he held positions such as committee member, executive committee member, and head of the Youth Department of the KMT Shanghai Executive Committee. From 1926 to 1927, he organized and participated in the three armed uprisings of Shanghai workers.

Following the failure of the Great Revolution in 1927, Yang Xianjiang was forced to flee to Japan. During his stay in Kyoto, he was responsible for the work of the CCP Japan Special Branch. He translated works such as The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, An Outline of World History, and Today’s World, and authored educational theory books such as ABCs of Educational History and A New Outline of Education. In May 1929, he returned to Shanghai to serve as a member of the Cultural Work Committee of the CPC Central Committee, continuing his research in educational theory and initiating the “Union of Social Scientists.” He passed away in Nagasaki on August 9, 1931, at the age of 36.

In his short life, Yang Xianjiang dedicated himself entirely to the revolution, leaving behind a legacy of 3 million words of intellectual work, making significant contributions to China’s revolution, particularly the educational revolution. In 1958, the Civil Affairs Department of Zhejiang Province posthumously recognized him as a revolutionary martyr. In 1986, his former residence was listed as part of the third batch of cultural relic protection units by the Cixi County Government, and in 1997, it was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the Zhejiang Provincial Government. It was further listed as a patriotic education base in Cixi City in 1995 and in Ningbo City in 1998.

In 2004, the Changhe Town Government carried out large-scale renovations of Yang Xianjiang’s former residence and established the “Yang Xianjiang Memorial Hall” to its northwest. The museum displays his precious historical materials, including manuscripts, diaries, photographs, certificates, archives, and other literary documents, vividly showcasing the brilliant life of Yang Xianjiang’s revolutionary struggle.

Yang Xianjiang (1895–1931), also known as Yingfu, wrote under pen names such as Li Haowu and Li Yingyang. He was from Xiadianqiao, Yuyao (now Fenjiangshi Village, Changhe Town, Cixi), and graduated from Chengyi School in Simen in the third year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1911). The following year, he entered the First Normal School of Zhejiang Province, graduating in 1917. He then returned to Yuyao to teach at the Summer Education Research Association. That autumn, he worked as a clerk at Nanjing Higher Normal School while auditing university courses. In 1919, he joined the Young China Society and served as secretary of its Nanjing branch. In January 1921, he was hired by the Commercial Press in Shanghai to work on Student Magazine for six years... More details about Yang Xianjiang++

Xianjiang Village: Located in the western part of Changhe Town, Xianjiang Village consists of the former Xianjiang Village and Huinong Village. It is traversed by the Changmiao Highway and Zhongheng Line, bordering Changfeng Village to the east, Yunzhong Village of Zhouxiang Town to the south, Dianqiao Village to the west, and Yunhai Village to the north. The village office is situated on the south side of Nanda Road, at No. 8 Xianjiang Village Xinggong Road. Covering a total area of 1.75 square kilometers, the village currently has 1,027 households and a population of 2,941, with 227 residents in the area and over 1,200 registered temporary residents. There are 37 villager groups and 2,003.5 mu of arable land. Xianjiang Village is home to one of China’s earliest Marxist… More details about Xianjiang Village++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Zhejiang Province