The former site of the first CCP branch in central Fujian — the founding site of the Putian CCP-League Mixed Branch

The former site of the first CCP branch in central Fujian — the founding site of the Putian CCP-League Mixed Branch

The former site of the first CCP branch in central Fujian — the founding site of the Putian CCP-League Mixed Branch — is a cultural relic protection unit of Putian City and a classic red tourism destination.

The former site of the first CCP branch in central Fujian, the Zheli Bell Tower, is located at No. 7 Canghou Road, Zhenhai Subdistrict, Licheng District, Putian City.

In late 1925, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent Chen Guozhu, a native of Putian and a CCP member, back to his hometown to establish an underground party. The Zheli Bell Tower became a revolutionary base for underground activities, the birthplace of the CCP’s local organization in Putian, and the cradle of the revolution in central Fujian.

After receiving instructions from the Central Committee, Chen Guozhu returned to Putian and took a teaching position at Zheli Middle School, his alma mater with a proud history of struggle. He lived on the second floor of the school’s bell tower. In February 1926, Chen convened a meeting in his dormitory with progressive students he had cultivated and assessed, announcing their acceptance into the Youth League on behalf of the Party organization. At the same time, he established the Putian CCP-League Mixed Branch, with Chen Guozhu as secretary, Chen Tianzhang as organizational committee member, and Chen Delai as propaganda committee member. The branch reported directly to the Central Committee, making central Fujian one of the first three regions in Fujian Province to establish a local CCP organization. In June of the same year, Chen converted all previously developed Youth League members into CCP members, forming the CCP Putian Branch. After the reorganization, the branch actively recruited Party members in rural areas, identifying potential candidates through struggles and admitting key activists. Rural Party branches were subsequently established. In December of that year, after discussions with the Fuzhou Municipal Committee of the CCP, it was decided to upgrade the CCP Putian Branch to the CCP Putian Special District Committee, which would then be under the leadership of the Fuzhou Municipal Committee. Its headquarters remained in the Zheli Bell Tower. In April 1927, the “April 8th Incident” occurred in Putian, during which the special district committee’s headquarters were raided by Kuomintang loyalists. Chen Guozhu and others were forced to move to rural areas to continue underground activities, and the committee’s headquarters were relocated to suburban areas such as those outside the city.

The first CCP organization established in central Fujian within the Zheli Bell Tower became the spark that ignited the revolution in Putian and throughout the region. The CCP organization in Putian endured various risks and tests during the long years of revolutionary struggle, gradually evolving into the core leadership of the revolutionary movement in central Fujian, earning the region the reputation of “the Red Flag Never Falls.”

The Zheli Bell Tower was originally one of the school buildings of Zheli Middle School, run by the American church. It is a four-story old-style Western building made of red bricks. The ground floor features a 4-meter square arcade-style entrance, which served as the faculty dormitory at the time and was called “Yingxue Building.” It has a flat-roofed balcony with a small pavilion in the center, from which a copper bell hung to mark the time. The entire building covers a floor area of 394 square meters and a construction area of 1,182 square meters, and it remains well-preserved today.

The Zheli Bell Tower, the former site of the first CCP branch in central Fujian, was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Putian City by the Putian Municipal People’s Government in April 1986. In June 2010, it was announced as a Putian Municipal Party History Education Base by the Putian Municipal Party Committee’s Party History Research Office, and in September of the same year, it was designated as a Fujian Provincial Party History Education Base by the Fujian Provincial Party Committee’s Party History Research Office.

Source: Putian Municipal Party Committee’s Party History Research Office

Zhenhai Subdistrict: Located in the eastern part of Putian urban area in Fujian Province, Zhenhai Subdistrict belongs to Licheng District. It borders Xindu Town to the east, Fenghuangshan Subdistrict to the south, faces Longqiao Subdistrict across the street to the west, and neighbors Gongchen Subdistrict to the north. Covering an area of approximately 7.5 square kilometers, it has a total population of over 24,000. It governs 7 neighborhood committees and 4 administrative villages. It serves as the central urban area and the political, economic, and cultural hub of Licheng District. The area spans about 7.5 square kilometers and has a population of more than 24,000. The dining and service scene is vibrant.

　350304001: ~001 Wenxian Neighborhood Committee ~002 Changshou Neighborhood Committee ~... Detailed information for Zhenhai Subdistrict++