Former Site of the Party Branch and Peasant Association of Xiji Township

Former Site of the Party Branch and Peasant Association of Xiji Township

The Former Site of the Party Branch and Peasant Association of Xiji Township is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Xiguang Hall, the former site of the Party Branch and Peasant Association of Xiji Township, is located in Xiji Village, Xinkou Town, Sanyuan District.

Starting in 1933, with the help of Communist Party members from Ruijin, Jiangxi, Yu Ningzhu’s “Yu Ningzhu Inn” at Xiguang Hall in Xiji Village became a liaison station for the Red Army, and Yu Ningzhu, Yu Heshun, and others became Red Army liaisons. In May 1934, a detachment of the 9th Red Army Regiment arrived in Xiji, where they fought local tyrants and conducted propaganda. With the support of the Red Army, a peasant association was established in Xiji. The association’s chairman was Yu Ningzhu, vice-chairman was Wu Doushi, secretary was Yu Heshun, and clerk was Zhang Benyu. Active members of the peasant association, Yu Ningzhu and Yu Heshun, later joined the Communist Party, leading to the establishment of the Party Branch of Xiji Township, with Yu Ningzhu serving as the Party Branch Secretary of Xiji Village. A Red Guards unit was also formed, with Wu Doushi as its captain.

The Party Branch and Peasant Association of Xiji Township held numerous meetings at Xiguang Hall to discuss ways to support the Red Army. Under the leadership of the Party Branch and the Peasant Association, villagers from the surrounding areas of Liucheng, Shayang, Huangsha, and Xinkou delivered salt and rice to the Red Army, cared for the wounded, passed on intelligence, and sent young men such as Chen Chaoshao from Xiji Village to join the Red Army, contributing to the establishment of a red revolutionary base in the Xiji area.

The former site of the Party Branch and Peasant Association of Xiji Township was originally a civilian residence from the early Qing Dynasty in Xiji Village, Xinkou Town, known as Xiguang Hall. It measures 20 meters in width and 12 meters in depth, covering an area of nearly 250 square meters, and consists of a front courtyard, eaves corridor, main hall, left and right wing rooms, and rear wing room. The window lattices and carved decorations are well-preserved, but the front courtyard has been demolished to make way for new construction.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee

Xiji Village: Xiji Village is a typical semi-high mountain village. The village has 186 farming households, a population of over 700, 1,280 mu of arable land, and 7,416 mu of forestland, including 3,600 mu of orchards — 5.3 mu per capita — making it a well-known citrus-growing specialty village in the Sanming area. Since the reform and opening up, successive Party Branches in Xiji Village have led villagers in reclaiming land for fruit cultivation, applying science and technology to boost production, and expanding markets, thereby forging a path to prosperity through fruit production. In 2006, the village produced a total of 5 million kilograms of fruit, achieving an agricultural output value of 6 million yuan, and industrial total... Detailed information about Xiji Village++