Zhu De Memorial Hall in Waitongwu Village

Zhu De Memorial Hall in Waitongwu Village

Waitongwu Village. It is a national 3A-level new rural scenic area with 161 households. As the core production area of West Lake Longjing tea, tea farming is one of the main sources of income for villagers. The village hosts over 60 distinguished artists and masters, including internationally acclaimed painter Min Gengcan, Huang Jun – Dean of the School of Art at China Academy of Art, Yuan Jinhua from the Chinese Painting Department, Shen Lieyi from the Sculpture Department, and plant cultivation expert Pan Rui. It is a “First Village of Jiangnan Art Tourism,” integrating art tourism, tea tasting and wellness, art exhibitions and auctions, and academic exchanges among masters. The village has been honored with titles such as “National Civilized Village,” “Top 100 Model Beautiful Villages in China,” “Provincial Advanced Grassroots Party Organization in Striving to Be the First and Excel,” “Hangzhou Advanced Grassroots Party Organization,” “Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit – Civilized Village,” “Provincial Featured Tourism Village,” “Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit – Sanitary Village,” and “Hangzhou Model Collective” (for the village committee), among others.

From 1954 to 1966, Zhu De, then Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, visited Waitongwu Village four times, once every four years. Wang Fang, who was then Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Department and Secretary of the West Lake District Committee, provided a detailed account in his memoirs of accompanying Zhu De during these visits. During his inspections, Zhu De offered guidance on developing the village’s tea economy, and worked alongside villagers to reclaim barren hills, plant, pick, and process tea leaves — memories still vivid among the villagers today. To commemorate Zhu De’s visits, local party and government authorities restored an over 170-year-old former village committee office building to its original appearance during Zhu De’s time. The first floor houses an exhibition hall, and the second floor displays exhibits on Zhu De’s life and achievements for visitors to explore.

Source: Zhejiang Provincial Party History Research and Documentation Office

Waitongwu Village: Located northeast of Zhuan Tang Subdistrict and within the Longwu Tea Base, known as the “Hometown of Ten Thousand piculs of Tea,” Waitongwu Village consists of two natural villages with a permanent population of 567 and 160 households. The village collective has 2 million yuan in funds, and the per capita income is 15,000 yuan. It has repeatedly earned honors such as “Advanced Party Branch,” “Advanced Grassroots Party Organization,” and “Five-Star Party Organization” over the years, and has been awarded titles like “Municipal Model Civilized Village,” “Municipal Five-Star Distance Education Demonstration Site,” “Municipal Best Sanitary Village,” “Provincial Sanitary Village,” “Provincial Women’s Model Village,” and “Provincial Featured Tourism Village.” ... Waitongwu Village detailed information ++