Former Residence of Zhang Renya

Former Residence of Zhang Renya

The former residence of Zhang Renya is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Zhejiang Province.

The former residence of Zhang Renya is located at No. 19, Xi’nan East Road, Xi’nan Village, Xiapu Subdistrict, Beilun District, Ningbo City, locally referred to as "behind the ancestral hall." According to the homeowner, the house was built in the mid-Qing Dynasty and features a traditional three-sided courtyard layout. Between 1898 and 1914, Zhang Renya lived here. The courtyard is enclosed by walls, with the entrance facing south. There is a gate in the middle section of the southern wall. The gate is framed with strip stones and topped with a brick-built, flush-gable roof gatehouse.

The main house faces south and is a single-story building with a flush gable roof. It includes three bays and two corridors, with storage rooms extending from both ends, each consisting of three bays. The main house's timber frame is constructed using a seven-pillar, seven-purlin through-tenon system.

Both wing houses are two-story, double-eave buildings, each with three bays and one corridor, connected in a row with the storage rooms. The gable ends of the wing houses feature upturned eaves, forming a three-sided slope. Their roofs are of the hanging gable style, and the timber frames use a five-pillar, five-purlin through-tenon system. Each first floor of the east and west wing houses has a lean-to shed built at the back.

All structures in the courtyard are built on strip stone foundations, with flagstone paving on the ground. Among them, the south gable wall of the west wing house had its horse-head wall removed and replaced with a regular gable wall. The first and second floors of the southernmost bay on the first floor have been modified—the first-floor eaves were rebuilt as a cement platform, and the second-floor front wall was changed to brick. The eaves of the second southern bay on the first floor were also rebuilt as a cement platform. The front columns of both the first and second southern bays were replaced with brick columns. The right storage room of the main house has undergone renovation for interior furnishing. The east wing house has been expanded outward. Some windows in the main house and wing houses have been replaced with glass windows and fitted with security grilles.

Zhang Renya was born in 1898 in Xiapu, Beilun. He was an outstanding early professional revolutionary in the history of our Party. His party standing is as old as the Party itself—he joined as a member in 1921, making him the first Communist Party member from Ningbo. He fought in perilous places—after the April 12 Incident, he served as the Internal Communications Chief of the Party Central Committee in Shanghai. He also held the position of Director of the National General Administration of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Mutual Aid Association. He secretly raised substantial funds for the activities of the Party Central Committee. He served as a member of the Workers' and Peasants' Inspection Commission of the First Soviet Government, as well as the Director of the Central Publishing Bureau and the Printing Bureau. He preserved a large amount of precious historical documents for the Party and was a revolutionary of remarkable contribution.

Born in Zhenhai, Zhang Renya joined the Communist Party of China in 1921, making him one of the Party’s earliest members, with party standing as old as the Party itself. After joining the revolution, he led strike actions in Shanghai’s gold and silver industry, delivering heavy blows to reactionary forces both domestic and foreign. He oversaw the publication of the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions' official newspaper, The People’s Daily, rallying support for the Shanghai Third Armed Uprising. While serving as the Head of the Internal Communications Department of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat, he repeatedly accomplished critical secret missions entrusted by the Party under extremely harsh conditions. After taking charge of publishing in the Soviet Area, he organized the publication of... More details about Zhang Renya++

Xiapu Subdistrict: Located by the harbor in Beilun District, Ningbo City, Xiapu Subdistrict faces the Zhoushan Archipelago across the sea, is 3 kilometers from the Chuanshan Peninsula, and 32 kilometers from downtown Ningbo. It is at the forefront of Beilun’s development and opening-up. The subdistrict enjoys convenient transportation, with both the old and new routes of National Highway 329 and the Luoxia Line passing through it. In ancient times, Xiapu was called "Xiapu Zhang," and the Zhang surname is the most common among residents. The subdistrict covers a total area of 26.1 square kilometers, with a current population of 24,755 (excluding migrant population) and 6,581 mu of arable land. Currently, the subdistrict has 23 administrative villages and 3 community neighborhood committees. The subdistrict government office is located at Shu... More details about Xiapu Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units