Former Site of the Founding of the Longmen Branch of the Communist Party of China

Former Site of the Founding of the Longmen Branch of the Communist Party of China

The former site of the founding of the Longmen Branch of the Communist Party of China is located at Longmen Primary School in Longmen Village, Longmen Town, Anxi County.

In the autumn of 1934, progressive intellectual Lin Shichai returned to his hometown of Longmen and served as the principal of Longmen Primary School. He organized evening schools and farmers' associations in the Longmen and Guanqiao areas, developed party and league organizations, and under the leadership of the Xiamen Central Municipal Committee and the Anxi Central County Committee, established the Longmen Branch of the Communist Party of China in January 1935 at Longmen Primary School, with Lin Shichai as the branch secretary. In March, it was renamed the Annan-Tong Special Branch. At the same time, the Fifth Battalion of the Second Detachment of the Minnan Guerrilla Unit of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army was formed, leading the people of the Annan-Tong border region to establish farmers' associations, the Communist Youth League, women's associations, children's groups, and the Red Guards. They carried out vigorous “Five Resistances” struggles against rent, taxes, levies, grain requisition, and debt. This led to the formation of the Annan-Tong guerrilla zone, making a significant contribution to the resistance against the Nationalist army’s “encirclement and suppression” during the three-year guerrilla warfare period for the Central County Committee and the Second Red Detachment. In October 1935, Lin Shichai was lured and killed by the 26th Brigade of the Nationalist 9th Division.

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, progressive intellectuals such as Lin Jiangxiang and Lin Huozhi, who were outside the area, returned to Longmen to carry out anti-Japanese salvation activities. They organized a “Party Sympathizers Group,” continued to organize farmers' associations, and trained key members. In February 1938, the Xiamen Working Committee of the Communist Party of China sent Li Yiran to teach at Longmen Primary School, where he re-established the Longmen Branch of the Communist Party of China. He developed the party organization, trained revolutionary cadres, and led the establishment of a “white skin, red heart” dual-purpose regime, turning the Longmen area into an important base of operations in the white areas of southwestern Fujian. This laid an important foundation for opening up the Anxi–Yongchun–Dehua–Datian–Zhangping base area during the Liberation War period and for liberating six counties in southern Fujian. Many cadres of the Minnan-Xijiang party organization either studied or taught at Longmen Primary School.

The site of Longmen Primary School was originally the ancestral hall of the Lin family of Longmen, built by the Lin family of Longmen in the late Ming Dynasty. It is a traditional Minnan-style 10-bay main house with double wing rooms, covering a construction area of 360 square meters and a protected area of 600 square meters.

Source: Yongchun County Party History Research Office