Former Site of Xianyou Student Revolutionary Activity Base

Former Site of Xianyou Student Revolutionary Activity Base

The former site of the Xianyou student revolutionary activity base is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Fujian Province and a classic red tourism destination.

The former site of the Xianyou student revolutionary activity base is located at No. 1 Shifan Road, Licheng Subdistrict, Xianyou County, Putian City.

After the spring semester began in 1929, a group of progressive students from Xianyou Modern Middle School, under the guidance of the CPC and Communist Youth League organizations in Xianyou, successively participated in revolutionary activities such as resisting taxes and levies—these efforts continued unabated. The Modern Middle School was… a banner of the Xianyou… since the May Fourth Movement. Early leaders of the CPC and Communist Youth League organizations in Xianyou County, such as Zhang Zhaohan, Luo Yingxiang, Huang Ming, and Zhang Qiji (female), were all progressive students who joined the revolutionary movement while studying at Modern Middle School. Teachers such as Huang Qi and Zhang Xia were also members of the underground party organization. They secured the support of Principal Huang Liangjun and, under the cover of teaching, promoted the… at Modern Middle School.

In 1932, when the CPC and Communist Youth League organizations in Xianyou County lacked funds to purchase a mimeograph machine, several progressive students from Modern Middle School cleverly “donated” two mimeograph machines from the school to support revolutionary propaganda work—one of which was hidden at the home of second-year student He Qinglie. The students used their evenings to typeset and print revolutionary leaflets, which were then distributed or posted in both urban and suburban areas, effectively supporting the farmers’ resistance against taxes and levies.

Xu Rongzong, a student at the affiliated primary school of Modern Middle School, had a father who worked as a coroner for the Kuomintang Xianyou County government. Xu Rongzong lived with his father in the compound of the Kuomintang county government. He brought revolutionary leaflets into the government offices and secretly distributed them, leaving some corrupt officials so frightened they didn’t know what to do. Who could have guessed that revolutionary leaflets would appear in the very heart of the puppet government?

In 1933, Lin Buyun, an underground member of the CPC, asked Teacher Zhang Xia to help resolve the urgent need for funds for revolutionary activities. Teacher Zhang Xia ingeniously took advantage of a field trip for students to sketch outdoors and, using the clever ruse of “kidnapping a hostage,” managed to “earn” several hundred yuan from the home of a landlord’s child, which she then handed over to Lin Buyun.

In April 1934, due to betrayal by a traitor, the CPC and Communist Youth League organizations in both Putian and Xianyou counties were successively dismantled by the enemy, and the revolutionary struggle entered its most difficult period. In the spring of 1935, the traitor Jiang Jiamao, accompanied by puppet military police, prepared to arrest two progressive middle school students, Chen Junju and Chen Hongju (later renamed Chen Xianlu), who were studying at Modern Middle School. Thanks to prior intelligence, the principal and teachers promptly and cleverly hid them, helping them evade the search by the traitor and the military police. In May of the same year, the traitor Jiang Jiamao again led puppet military police to Modern Middle School in an attempt to arrest Zhang Xia, who was teaching there. Upon hearing the news, Zhang Xia immediately left the school and later went to Malaysia, where she reconnected with fellow revolutionaries such as Zhang Yuanbao, Zhang Zhaohan, and Xu Yuqing. In July of the same year, Modern Middle School was shut down by the Xianyou County government of the Kuomintang.

The former site of the Xianyou student revolutionary activity base is the Xianyou Confucius Temple, which faces south and was first built in the fifth year of the Xianping era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1002 AD). After undergoing more than 60 renovations, it now features structures such as the Lingxing Gate, Pan Pond, Jimen, Dacheng Hall, Chongxun Shrine, Minglun Hall, Minghuan Shrine, and Xiuxian Shrine. The site covers a total area of about 10 acres and is one of the four extant major Confucius temples in Fujian.

The former site of the Xianyou student revolutionary activity base was designated as a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Fujian Province by the People’s Government of Fujian Province in September 1996.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

Licheng Subdistrict: Located in the central area of Xianyou County, Licheng Subdistrict borders the provincial-level Dafei Mountain Forest Park to the north and the Sanjiao Provincial Highway to the south. It is a historic, culturally rich, picturesque, and beautifully scenic ancient town, as well as the economic, political, cultural, and transportation hub of Xianyou County. Approved by the provincial government, the Licheng area has been adjusted, forming the new Licheng Subdistrict Office from the former Licheng Town, former Chengdong Town, and parts of villages (communities) from Daji Town. The jurisdiction covers an area of 38 square kilometers, comprising 10 community neighborhood committees, 7 village committees, and a total population of 78,000.

Licheng Subdistrict, Xianyou County, Fujian Province… Detailed information on Licheng Subdistrict++