Former Site of the Anti-Tax Resistance Struggle in Baxia

Former Site of the Anti-Tax Resistance Struggle in Baxia

The Former Site of the Anti-Tax Resistance Struggle in Baxia is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Former Site of the Anti-Tax Resistance Struggle in Baxia is located in Baxia Natural Village, Baxia Village, Bangtou Town, Xianyou County, Putian City.

On January 2, 1933, the Fuzhou Central Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China held its year-end working conference, during which the "Resolution on Struggles at Year’s End" was passed. It stated that the central slogans for peasant struggles in all counties of Putian should be: resisting debts, distributing grain, and opposing taxes and levies. Since then, the Putian Central County Committee of the CPC decided to reignite the anti-tax resistance struggle in both Putian and Xianyou counties. At the end of January, Lin Zhi, deputy captain of the Putian Workers' and Peasants' Red Army guerrilla unit, and Zhang Zhaohan, the political commissar, were dispatched with a portion of the guerrilla members to Xianyou to assist the county committee in mobilizing the masses against taxation. As the anti-tax resistance movement grew, the Putian Central County Committee urged the Xianyou County Committee to find ways to secure part of the operational funds through the struggle. After deliberation, the Xianyou County Committee decided that Lin Zhi, a member of the county committee, would lead an attack on the Baxia Tax Collection Office in the eastern part of Xianyou to resolve the funding issue. The eastern region had a dense population, fertile land, and extensive poppy cultivation. With dozens of villages in the vicinity, there was only one tax collection office in Baxia, which extorted thousands of yuan in taxes daily. However, the Baxia Tax Collection Office was adjacent to the Kuomintang-run Lanxi Township government and was guarded by local militia and a standing force, increasing the danger for the guerrillas planning to raid the tax office. Therefore, the county committee instructed Lin Zhi and his comrades to use strategy, achieve swift success, and avoid prolonged engagement. In May 1933, Lin Zhi led five guerrilla members disguised as Kuomintang tax collectors to enter the Baxia Tax Collection Office and demanded that the tax officers hand over the collected taxes, but they were unsuccessful. They were subsequently surrounded by some misinformed locals who mistook them for “bandits,” and the Lanxi Township standing force quickly arrived to lay siege. Due to the small number of participating guerrillas and the concern of harming civilians, Lin Zhi and his team refrained from firing excessively, engaging in combat while retreating. When they retreated to the stream, team member He Suiliang was shot and killed, while Lin Zhi and the other five were seriously wounded and captured. The captured guerrillas endured severe torture in prison but remained steadfast and unyielding. On May 25 of the same year, they were executed outside the north gate of Xianyou County. This tragic outcome dealt a significant blow to the Xianyou Party organization and the guerrilla forces.

The Former Site of the Anti-Tax Resistance Struggle in Baxia is a two-story wooden house with four rooms, covering a construction area of 110 square meters.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

Bangtou Town: Covering an area of 138 square kilometers, Bangtou Town has a population of 130,000 and 39 village (residential) committees. The town features flat terrain, convenient transportation, with the Xianbang and Lai Bang highways running through it, and the Mulan River and Xianshui River flowing across the area. The arable land area is nearly 30,000 mu. In 1984, it became one of the first towns in the province to reach a billion yuan in output value and was honored by the provincial government as the “Flower of Township Enterprises.” In 1991, it was awarded the title of one of the first “Star Townships” in the province by the provincial Party committee and government. In 1993, it entered the ranks of the province’s “Top 100 Townships.” In 1995, it was designated as a pilot site for small-town construction by the National Ministry of Construction, and in 1996, it was recognized by the province… More details about Bangtou Town++