Former Site of the Putian Current Affairs Research Association

Former Site of the Putian Current Affairs Research Association

The former site of the Putian Current Affairs Research Association is a cultural heritage site protected by Fujian Province and a classic red tourism destination.

The former site of the Putian Current Affairs Research Association is located at No. 14, Xingongli, Xiaxu Community, Handong Subdistrict, Hanjiang District, Putian City.

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in Fujian reached an agreement to cooperate in resisting Japan, and public discourse on the war gradually became more open. In December 1937, the Fujian Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party mobilized patriotic intellectuals to establish the Current Affairs Research Association in Xinxingong, Xiaxu, Hanjiang, Putian. The association aimed “to collectively study current affairs issues and explore the theories and practices of national salvation.” Members raised funds themselves to publish the Current Affairs Review, a ten-day periodical. On December 15 of the same year, the first anti-Japanese salvation newspaper in Putian, the Current Affairs Review, was officially published. The publisher was Cai Gongbei (also known as Cai Bowen). The publication was in 16mo format, with six pages per issue totaling 12 pages, and was regularly issued up to the fifth issue before switching to irregular publication. The selection criteria were “aside from special contributions from the association, records of symposiums, and research outlines, priority was given to selecting fair and representative opinions from outstanding articles in domestic and international publications,” often featuring excellent anti-Japanese salvation articles from publications such as Resistance, Save China, Anti-Enemy Guide, The Nation, China’s Countryside, and Wartime Life. Because the Current Affairs Review criticized current malpractices, attacked one-sided resistance efforts, advocated for total war against Japan, and upheld the united front, it faced various obstacles from the Putian authorities. It was discontinued after only nine issues when the Kuomintang authorities used the excuse that it had not completed registration procedures and submitted manuscripts for review. At the time of discontinuation, Cai Wenhuan, a member of the Chinese Communist Party who had just returned to Putian from Shanghai, suggested renaming the publication to Anti-Enemy Knowledge and formally applying for registration with the authorities. It was thus republished on April 10, 1938. The funding for Anti-Enemy Knowledge was very difficult, and it survived only with the help of many dedicated members of the Current Affairs Research Association. However, after the sixth issue, it was again discontinued due to frequent censorship and withholding of submitted manuscripts. The Current Affairs Research Association did not lose heart and secretly reissued the publication under the new name Eternal Life. Later, due to the lack of a legal distribution channel, it ceased publication after two issues. By the end of June of the same year, the editorial team was replaced, and the publication was renamed Mobilization, a tri-weekly, and reregistered for publication. Cai Jinyao, a university graduate who had just returned to Fujian from Shanghai, served as the editor-in-chief. The publication's purpose remained “unity in resisting Japan,” although the format changed from a 16mo ten-day periodical to an 8vo tabloid. The publication was again forced to cease after just over ten issues due to its political stance clashing with the Kuomintang authorities' views. Although the publications run by the Putian Current Affairs Research Association underwent numerous twists and turns and several name changes, they were essentially the same publication, reflecting its unwavering spirit in rallying the public to rise up for national salvation and resist Japan for the sake of national interest and the country’s future. These publications were mainly distributed in Putian, Xianyou, Quanzhou, and Fuzhou. Regular contributors included patriotic intellectuals from the province such as Huang Lüping, Zhu Weigan, Cheng Yongyan, Chen Changcheng, Cai Gongbei, Yang Cai Zhao, Deng Jiemin, and Chen Qiuchuan, while the party appointed Cai Wenhuan as the chief writer. The publication had a significant impact in the central Fujian region.

In the early years after liberation, the former site of the Putian Current Affairs Research Association was taken over and used by the local government. In 1958, it was converted into the Hanjiang Textile Factory, resulting in major changes to its internal architectural structure. After the textile factory closed in 2003, the site was left unused, though ancient beams, stone pillars, couplets, and other historic relics within the building remain relatively well preserved. It is now designated as a dangerous building.

In June 1993, the former site of the Putian Current Affairs Research Association was designated as a cultural heritage site of Putian County by the Putian County People’s Government. In November 2009, it was designated as a cultural heritage site of Fujian Province by the Fujian Provincial People’s Government.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee

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