Former Site of Yaqian Peasant Association

Former Site of Yaqian Peasant Association

The Former Site of Yaqian Peasant Association is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Former Site of Yaqian Peasant Association (including the Tomb of Li Chenghu) (Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit)

Era: Modern

Announcement Date: December 12, 1989

Located in Yaqian Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou. Includes the tomb and former residence of Li Chenghu, a rural elementary school, and Chenghu Bridge. The Yaqian Peasant Association was established on September 27, 1921, as the first peasant association led by the Communist Party. Under the leadership of figures such as Li Chenghu, the association issued China’s first modern written manifesto of a peasant movement—the "Yaqian Peasant Association Declaration" and the "Yaqian Peasant Association Charter." The association founded a “rural elementary school,” organized a “women’s association” and a “peasant self-defense army,” and led peasants in rent reduction struggles. The association expanded to over eighty villages across counties including Xiaoshan and Shaoxing.

The site was originally the Dongyue Temple, facing south with a northward orientation, consisting of front and rear main halls and left and right wing rooms. The front hall and the left and right wing rooms still remain, covering an area of 592 square meters. The front hall has three bays, a five-rafter beam structure with front and rear corridors, post-and-lintel construction with curved brackets, and a flush gable roof.

The Yaqian Peasant Movement Memorial Hall is located at the southern foot of Phoenix Mountain in Yaqian Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

On September 27, 1921, under the initiation, organization, and leadership of early Chinese Communist Party member Shen Dingyi and others, the Peasant Association was established in Yaqian Village, Xiaoshan County. It issued the "Yaqian Peasant Association Declaration" and the "Yaqian Peasant Association Charter." Li Chenghu, Chen Jinsheng, Shan Xialan, Jin Rutao, Zhu Meiyun, and Wang Rui Zhang were elected as committee members of the peasant association. The Yaqian Peasant Movement influenced 82 villages across Xiaoshan, Shaoxing, and Shangyu counties, involving over 100,000 peasants who participated in vigorous rent reduction struggles. It was the first organized and programmatic peasant movement led by the Chinese Communist Party.

The memorial hall officially opened to the public on September 25, 1999. Covering an area of 1,000 square meters, its name was inscribed by Bo Yibo. The exhibition space is divided into three sections, featuring display panels such as “The Spread of Modern Peasant Movement Ideology,” “The Launch of the Yaqian Peasant Movement,” “The Outbreak of the Yaqian Peasant Movement,” “The Surge of the Yaqian Peasant Movement,” “The Struggle Continues,” and “Yaqian Today.” The exhibits mainly consist of photographs and physical objects.

In October 2004, the Yaqian Peasant Movement Memorial Hall was designated as a Zhejiang Provincial Patriotic Education Base by the Publicity Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee.

Source: Zhejiang Cultural Relics Network

Yaqian Town: Yaqian Town in Xiaoshan District is located in the central part of Xiaoshan, 14 kilometers west of the Xiaoshan District center, 15 kilometers east of China Shaoxing Textile City, and 8 kilometers north of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. The town covers an area of 19.8 square kilometers, with a total population of over 23,600. National Highway 104, the Xiaoshao Canal, and the Hangzhou–Ningbo Railway all run through the town. It is one of Zhejiang Province’s “Top 100 Towns” in comprehensive economic strength, an Outstanding Town in Hangzhou, a Model Town for New Rural Construction, and ranks second in overall economic strength within the district.

　Yaqian Town is an economically strong and textile-focused town in Xiaoshan District. In 2001, it achieved an industrial output… More detailed information about Yaqian Town ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units