Former Site of the First Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of Ninghua County and the CPC Ninghua County Committee & Ninghua County Soviet Government

Former Site of the First Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of Ninghua County and the CPC Ninghua County Committee & Ninghua County Soviet Government

The former site of the First Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of Ninghua County and the CPC Ninghua County Committee & Ninghua County Soviet Government is a cultural heritage site protected by Sanming City and a classic red tourism attraction.

The Liu Clan Ancestral Temple at the former site of the First Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of Ninghua County and the CPC Ninghua County Committee & Ninghua County Soviet Government is located at No. 97–102, South Street, Huaiyang Village, Huaitu Township, Ninghua County.

After the victory in the Third Counter-Encirclement Campaign in the Central Soviet Area, Ninghua became an important part of the Central Soviet Area. To consolidate the Ninghua Soviet Area and establish a workers’ and peasants’ armed stronghold, under the unified leadership of the Party, efforts to strengthen party and government construction in Ninghua were accelerated. In October 1931, the CPC Ningqinggui Working Committee relocated from Shangcao, Caofang, to the Liu Clan Ancestral Temple in Huaiyang, preparing to convene the First Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of Ninghua County.

In November 1931, Zhang Dingcheng, a member of the CPC Fujian-Guangdong-Jiangxi Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Western Fujian Soviet Government, personally led a work team to Huaiyang, Ninghua, to guide the establishment of party and government structures as well as local armed forces. Under Zhang Dingcheng’s direct guidance, the First Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of Ninghua County was successfully held at the Liu Clan Ancestral Temple in Huaiyang District, Ninghua County (now Huaiyang Village, Huaitu Township). Zhang Dingcheng delivered an important speech at the meeting. Over 100 delegates attended the congress (including two female delegates). The congress elected more than 30 executive committee members and 15 presidium members. Cao Zhenggang was elected Chairman of the Ninghua County Soviet Government, with Zhang Enchong and Zhang Bangfu as Vice Chairmen. Departments including the Military Affairs Department, Finance Department, Land Department, Labor Department, Culture Department, Grain Department, Judiciary Department, Internal Affairs Department, and Security Bureau were established. The CPC Ninghua County Committee and the Young Communist League Ninghua County Committee were also formed. The establishment of the red political power in Ninghua marked the full development period of the Ninghua Soviet Area and began the prelude to red governance in the region. This also formally established the Party’s implementation of a workers’ and peasants’ armed stronghold in the Ninghua Soviet Area.

The former site of the First Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of Ninghua County and the CPC Ninghua County Committee & Ninghua County Soviet Government was originally the ancestral temple of the Liu descendants, covering an area of 1,342 square meters. It is a Qing Dynasty-built ancient Hakka building with a brick-and-timber structure and firewalls topped by flush gables. Parts of the surrounding wall have been damaged and replaced with concrete-brick structures, but the overall architecture remains well-preserved. In 2008, an exhibition room on the revolutionary history of Huaitu was set up inside, displaying the area’s revolutionary past. A mural depicting the scene of the congress hangs on the right wall of the upper hall.

The Liu Clan Ancestral Temple at the former site of the First Congress of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers of Ninghua County and the CPC Ninghua County Committee & Ninghua County Soviet Government was designated as a cultural heritage site of Ninghua County by the Ninghua County People’s Government in December 2001, and as a provincial-level cultural heritage site of Fujian Province by the Fujian Provincial People’s Government in December 2009.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee

Huaitu Town: A township under the jurisdiction of Ninghua County. Established as Huaitu Commune in 1958, merged into Hekou Commune in 1959, re-established as Huaitu Commune in 1966, and restructured as a township in 1984. Located in the southwestern part of the county, it is 20 kilometers from the county seat. Covering an area of 106 square kilometers with a population of 33,000, it is traversed by Provincial Highway Fuwu. The township administers 20 villages: Huaiyang, Tianbei, Hangu, Wubei, Hekeng, Qingping, Aimen, Zhoukeng, Sunkeng, Shuidong, Chiling, Fengshan, Tuanjie, Qiaotou, Dawang, Lishu, Shibian, Zhuyuan, Wuxing, and Yuxia. The main agricultural products include rice, tobacco, tea, fruit, and oil tea. Township enterprises... More details about Huaitu Town++