The Tang Clan Ancestral Hall and Ancestral Residence in Wenfang (Former Site of the Wireless Radio Station of the 1st Regiment, 1st Army of the Red Army)

The Tang Clan Ancestral Hall and Ancestral Residence in Wenfang (Former Site of the Wireless Radio Station of the 1st Regiment, 1st Army of the Red Army)

The Tang Clan Ancestral Hall and Ancestral Residence in Wenfang (Former Site of the Wireless Radio Station of the 1st Regiment, 1st Army of the Red Army) is a cultural heritage site protected by Fujian Province and a classic red tourism attraction.

The Tang Clan Ancestral Hall and Ancestral Residence in Wenfang

Era: Qing Dynasty

Location: Wenfang Village, Nankou Township, Jiangle County

Introduction: Initially built in the first year of the Xuanhe era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1119), the existing structures retain architectural features from the late Qing period. The front features an open courtyard, and it is a single-courtyard complex composed of a gate tower, entrance hall, and main hall, covering an area of 270.64 square meters. The gate tower is styled like a memorial archway, with four pillars, three bays, and three stories, featuring a hip-and-gable roof and ornamental bracket sets under the eaves. The ancestral residence has never undergone major renovations since its construction in the late Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty. It faces northwest and is situated southeast, featuring a layout of front and rear halls with one wing room on each side, covering an area of 992.18 square meters. The main hall retains colored paintings on its columns, beams, and brackets, as well as multiple preserved slogans from the Red Army.

Between 1931 and 1934, the 1st Regiment of the Red 1st Army and units of the Red Army’s Eastern Army were stationed in Wenfang Village three times. The Red Army held mass meetings in the village to promote revolutionary ideas, taught the “Red Army Song,” and opened the grain storage and houses of the Tang Bangrong (former county magistrate of Shaowu and Shunchang in the Republic of China, former speaker of Jiangle County Council) and Tang Yongnian (former county magistrate of Qingliu and Sha County, former member of the Fujian Provincial Senate) family, who had fled upon hearing of the Red Army’s arrival. The Red Army confiscated their clothing, property, and silver coins, distributing them to impoverished villagers. The headquarters of the 1st Regiment was set up in the Tang Clan Ancestral Residence, where Regiment Commander Li Shixing, Political Commissar Wu Gaizhi, and the guard squad resided. The regiment's wireless radio station was located in the adjacent Tang Clan Ancestral Hall, while Red Army soldiers were billeted in nearby civilian homes such as the Zhenwu Temple, the Xie Residence, and the Xiafang Residence. The Red Army also established sentry posts at the Hulumen entrance of the village, the Chihu Bridge over the Chi Lake Creek, and the hills behind the village. The Red Army organized the local populace to establish the Wenfang Township Soviet Government, with Tang Junlu, Tang Bangsheng, and Tang Shaoqi serving as finance commissioner, land commissioner, and clerk, respectively. A guerrilla unit was also formed, with Xiao Yinglong as captain. During this time, local youths such as Yu Panxiang and Xiao Shizi joined the Red Army. When the Red Army withdrew from Wenfang, the Tang Clan Ancestral Residence became the office of the Wenfang Township Soviet Government. Stone door frames, the entrance hall, and walls on both sides of the main hall of this historic site still bear multiple slogans from the Red Army.

The surviving revolutionary sites of the Red Army Village in Wenfang include: the former site of the headquarters of the 1st Regiment, 1st Army of the Red Army and the Wenfang Township Soviet Government, the former site of the wireless radio station of the 1st Regiment, 1st Army of the Red Army, former Red Army barracks, and former Red Army sentry posts.

The former site of the wireless radio station of the 1st Regiment, 1st Army of the Red Army — the Tang Clan Ancestral Hall — is located in Shangfang, Wenfang Village, Nankou Township, Jiangle County.

The former site of the wireless radio station of the 1st Regiment, 1st Army of the Red Army was originally the Tang Clan Ancestral Hall of Wenfang Village. Built in the first year of the Xuanhe era of the Song Dynasty (1118), it is a Qing-era temple and ancestral hall structure. Facing northwest and situated southeast, it has a rectangular floor plan with a total area of 270 square meters, consisting of a memorial archway-style gate tower, entrance hall, courtyard, corridors, and main hall. The main hall has five bays in width and six pillars in depth, using a combination of post-and-lintel and through-tenon construction. The memorial archway has four pillars and three stories, the entrance hall has five raised beams, the courtyard is paved with flagstones, and a side door with an arched top connects to the right side leading to the Zhenwu Temple.

The Tang Clan Ancestral Hall, the former site of the wireless radio station of the 1st Regiment, 1st Army of the Red Army, was designated as a cultural heritage site protected by Fujian Province in November 2009 by the Fujian Provincial People’s Government.

Wenfang Village: Wenfang Village…… More details about Wenfang Village++

Further reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected by Fujian Province