Former Site of the Struggle Against Local Tyrants on Zhongyue Street

Former Site of the Struggle Against Local Tyrants on Zhongyue Street

The Former Site of the Struggle Against Local Tyrants on Zhongyue Street is a classic red tourism attraction.

The Former Site of the Struggle Against Local Tyrants on Zhongyue Street is located at No. 55, Zhongyue Top Street, Zhongyue Village, Duwei Town, Xianyou County, Putian City.

After the Fourth Red Army entered Fujian, the revolutionary situation in Fujian changed rapidly, which also served to inspire the revolutionary struggle of the people of Xianyou. The Provisional County Committee of the CPC in Xianyou learned from past experiences in anti-tax resistance struggles, emphasizing the organization of armed forces to support these efforts, with a focus on suppressing particularly egregious tax bullies. In the spring of 1929, Lin Zhi, a member of the Provisional County Committee of the CPC in Xianyou, initiated anti-tax resistance among farmers in the western district. Farmers oppressed by heavy taxes reported to Lin Zhi the exploitative and abusive actions of Li Yiqin, a local tyrant and leader of the road protection squad at Bai'gelin in Duwei, who was also a notorious figure in Zhongyue. They pleaded for action against him. After seeking instructions from the county committee, Lin Zhi discussed a plan to eliminate the tyrant with local progressive youth such as Lin Guanguang. One day, when Li Yiqin returned from Bai'gelin and was chatting at the Yangqing Western Medicine Clinic on Zhongyue Street, Lin Zhi learned of his presence and sent Lin Guanguang to lead a group of locals to lie in ambush around the clinic. Lin Zhi, along with Yi Yupai, a guerrilla fighter from Xingtai Mountain area, pretended to buy medicine and went directly to the clinic. As Dr. Chen Mingqi reached for medicine on the shelf, Lin Zhi and Yi Yupai swiftly seized the moment, dragged Li Yiqin outside, and executed him on the spot. Hearing the gunshot, Lin Guanguang led the crowd to the scene in support, where the public morale was high. Lin Zhi then publicly announced Li Yiqin’s crimes to the crowd and demonstrated the determination to punish tax bullies. The action against Li Yiqin on Zhongyue Street further propelled the anti-tax resistance movement. However, the struggle suffered a setback when the local Kuomintang authorities dispatched troops to suppress the protesting masses.

In January 1933, following instructions from the Fuzhou Central Municipal Committee of the CPC, the Xianyou County Committee once again mobilized the masses in the western district to resist taxes. At that time, the western district was an area with extensive poppy cultivation, and the exorbitant tax levies had become unbearable for farmers, who harbored deep resentment toward the tax bullies. After the guerrillas entered the western district, the public eagerly sought their help in eliminating these oppressors. Consequently, the guerrillas led the masses in raiding the largest tax office in the western district—the Zhongyue Street Tax Collection Office. They confiscated weapons and immediately executed the tax officer who had incurred the greatest public outrage. The other tax bosses, both major and minor, were ordered by the guerrillas to leave the western district. This victory in the anti-tax struggle boosted the morale of the Xianyou people and encouraged further resistance against unfair taxation.

The Former Site of the Struggle Against Local Tyrants on Zhongyue Street was originally the Yangqing Western Medicine Clinic, a two-story single-unit brick-concrete residential building with two rooms and one living room on each floor, covering a construction area of 100 square meters.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

Duwei Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Xianyou County. Established as the Duwei Commune in 1958, reorganized as a township in 1984, and upgraded to a town in 1987. Located in the western part of the county, 15 kilometers from the county seat, it lies along the upper reaches of the Mulan River. Covering an area of 110 square kilometers with a population of 77,000, it is traversed by the Xianyong Highway. The town administers two neighborhood committees—Dufeng and Tanbian—and 17 village committees: Dongfeng, Lishan, Shenshan, Xiazhou, Zhongfeng, Houpu, Xiangxi, Yangban, Zhongyue, Maoshan, Yunshui, Pingshan, Jianshan, Xiaxi, Puwei, Yunju, and Kuzhu. The main agricultural products include honey pomelo, rice, and sugarcane. ... Detailed information about Duwei Town++