Former Site of the Establishment of the Minnan Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Committee

Former Site of the Establishment of the Minnan Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Committee

The Former Site of the Establishment of the Minnan Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Committee is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Former Site of the Establishment of the Minnan Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Committee (Dongbanhou Christian Church on Qingnian Road) is located at Dongbanhou Christian Church, No. 216 Xinhua West Road, Xiangcheng District, Zhangzhou City. It is now a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit. This site was originally the Chinese Christian Church. At the end of the 10th year of the Tongzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1871), the Zhangzhou church branch separated from its parent church in Shima and officially established the Dongbanhou church branch here, where a small chapel was built. Three years later, as the Zhangzhou Christian church grew and the congregation increased, the old chapel could no longer accommodate the worshippers. In the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign (1874), a large chapel that could hold over 500 people was constructed at the current site. In 1923, the American Christian church funded its reconstruction, resulting in the existing building. The entire structure covers an area of over 1,000 square meters, faces south with a north orientation, features a reinforced concrete structure, and has a cement tile roof with a basement. At its center stands a faux-Gothic bell tower, which is a square structure with a square pyramid roof topped by a cross at the apex. Four square pillars rise skyward at the corners, each crowned with a small square pyramid. The entire building remains well-preserved to this day. It is currently a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit.

On April 24, 1932, after intensive and orderly preparations, the Zhangzhou County Committee of the Chinese Communist Party selected over 100 representatives to attend the Workers', Peasants', and Soldiers' Congress held here by the Red Army. Luo Ronghuan, the Political Director of the Red Army’s Eastern Route Army, and Deng Zihui and Wang Zhanchun, leaders of the Zhangzhou local party organization and guerrilla forces, were present at the meeting. The conference discussed the situation following the Red Army's entry into Zhangzhou and called on all laboring people to unite and arm themselves spontaneously, using the iron fist of revolution to break the old world. During the meeting, Deng Zihui and Luo Ronghuan delivered inspiring speeches, encouraging the broad masses of laboring workers and peasants to rally around the Communist Party. Under the leadership of the Minnan Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Committee, they were urged to actively cooperate with the Red Army’s work, engage in resolute struggle against the enemy, and liberate all oppressed people. The congress ultimately established the Minnan Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Committee, electing Wang Zhanchun as its chairman.

Source: Zhangzhou Municipal Party Committee Party History Research Office