Former Site of the Establishment of the Xiazhai Village Peasant Association

Former Site of the Establishment of the Xiazhai Village Peasant Association

The former site of the establishment of the Xiazhai Village Peasant Association is a classic red tourism attraction.

The former site of the establishment of the Xiazhai Village Peasant Association is located in Wangxi Natural Village, Xiazhai Village, Xitianwei, Licheng District, Putian City.

In November 1926, when the Northern Expeditionary Army of the National Revolutionary Army’s Eastern Route entered Putian and Xian, Hu Bingduo, a Communist Party member serving as secretary to Commander He Yingqin at the headquarters, met with Chen Guozhu. He proposed that to mobilize the masses against —, it was essential to go deep into the grassroots and engage with the people. As a result, Chen Guozhu immediately convened a party meeting, assigning party members to different areas to go to the countryside to mobilize peasants and organize grassroots peasant associations. Chen Guozhu also returned to his hometown, Xiazhai Village, to mobilize the peasants and established a peasant association at Baiji Linggong. Among the first to join the peasant association in Xiazhai Village were Zhang Maozhuo, Zhang Maokeng, Lin En, Lin Bi, and Zhang Chaisheng. From then on, the Xiazhai Village Peasant Association used Baiji Linggong as a secret base of operations, organizing peasants to carry out struggles such as the “25% Rent Reduction,” tax resistance, and levy resistance. In the summer of 1964, when Chen Guozhu returned to his hometown, he specifically visited Baiji Linggong to recount history to fellow villagers, emphasizing that Baiji Linggong holds dual significant value as both a cultural relic and a revolutionary site, and urged the villagers to protect it well.

The former site of the establishment of the Xiazhai Village Peasant Association is Baiji Linggong, commonly known as Baiji Gong. Originally located by the Baiji Stream, it was relocated and rebuilt in Wangxi Natural Village after a mountain flood. It is a temple dedicated to deities such as Zhang Gong Shengjun and Mazu. The structure faces south, is single-story, and built with earth and wood. Inside the temple are four pairs of stone pillars engraved with relief couplets. A courtyard is situated between the upper and lower halls, and the beams and eaves are exquisitely carved with vivid depictions of birds and beasts. The site covers an area of approximately 368 square meters and is relatively well preserved. Baiji Linggong originally had a stone stele, which was buried in the school playground during the Cultural Revolution — period and has not yet been unearthed.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

Xiazhai Village: Xia Zhai Village

Xiatuzhai Village in Xitianwei Town is located at the foot of Jiuhua Mountain, 16 kilometers from the town center. It currently has 17 villager groups, 418 households, and a total population of 1,982, including 63 Party members. The village has 1,230.2 mu of arable land, 13,372.1 mu of forest land, and 2,013 mu of orchard land. Within its territory are cultural and tourism attractions such as one of the “Twenty-Four Scenic Spots of Putian” – “Jiuhua Layered Greenery,” the Jiuhua Mountain cliff carvings, the former residence of Chen Guozhu, and the Kuzhu Temple. In recent years, Xiatuzhai Village has vigorously developed green agriculture focused on longan and loquat, and has made full use of the tourism resources of Jiuhua Mountain... More details about Xiazhai Village ++