Former Site of the Secret Peasant Association

Former Site of the Secret Peasant Association

The former site of the Secret Peasant Association is a cultural heritage site protected by Ninghua County and a classic red tourism destination.

The former site of the Secret Peasant Association, the Cao Clan Ancestral Hall, is located in Shangcao Natural Village, Shangcao Village, Caofang Township, Ninghua County.

On April 20, 1929, the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party instructed the Western Fujian Special Committee to expand anti-enemy struggle efforts into new areas (such as counties including Ninghua) as much as possible. In accordance with the provincial committee’s directive, the Provisional County Committee of the CCP in Changting assigned a party member and a student from the Provincial No. 7 Middle School (located in Changting), Xu Chisheng (a native of Genzhu, Caofang and the first CCP member in Ninghua), to return to Ninghua to carry out revolutionary activities.

After returning to Caofang, Xu Chisheng actively promoted revolutionary ideas among relatives, friends, and schoolmates, raising public awareness. He quickly developed a group of progressive youths and enlightened peasants—including Cao Yanxun, Cao Zhenggang, Cao Guo’ang, Cao Shengren, and Cao Luobao—as the first members of the peasant association. Under the guise of a campaign to quit smoking opium, in late April, he established Tongfu Society at the Cao Clan Ancestral Hall in Shangcao. In reality, this was a secret peasant association and became the first such organization in Ninghua. After its establishment, the association continued to recruit between thirty and forty enlightened peasants as members. The association planned to launch its first armed peasant uprising in Caofang in June, but the plot was leaked and the uprising was thwarted. The establishment of the secret peasant association in Caofang laid the organizational groundwork for the armed peasant uprising that would take place in Caofang the following summer.

The former site of the Secret Peasant Association, the Cao Clan Ancestral Hall, faces southwest and covers an area of 735 square meters. It is a well-preserved Qing Dynasty-era Hakka traditional building, featuring a single-courtyard layout with a mixed brick-and-wood structure.

In December 2001, the Cao Clan Ancestral Hall, the former site of the Secret Peasant Association, was designated as a cultural heritage site of Ninghua County by the Ninghua County People’s Government.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Sanming Municipal Committee