Independence Hall

Independence Hall

Independence Hall is a cultural heritage conservation unit of Fuzhou City.

Independence Hall is located at No. 9 Meiwu Road, Cangshan District. It served as the former site of the Qiaonan Public Welfare Society and the Fujian Branch Headquarters of the Tongmenghui, also known as "Independence Hall," and is an important witness to the Xinhai Revolution in Fuzhou. In April 1907 during the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Liu Jie, Lin Yushi, Chen Yuxin, Wang Hongzi, and others registered the Qiaonan Public Welfare Society with the Qing government, appointing Zheng Zuyin as its president. Ostensibly engaged in public welfare activities such as promoting burial reform, tobacco cessation, medical aid, and firefighting, the society covertly organized and promoted revolutionary efforts. Initially established in the Ancient Banyan Academy on Fengxiangpu (now Xiangxia Road) on Cangqian Mountain, the society later relocated to this building on Meiwu Road due to an increase in membership. It was publicly known as the "Bingwu Club" but actually functioned as the Fujian Branch Headquarters of the Tongmenghui and published the Jianyan Newspaper to advocate for revolution. On April 20, 1912, the first year of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen visited Fujian, arriving by boat at Fuzhou Port from Mawei. He first came here to receive the welcome of the Fujian Tongmenghui. After delivering a speech, he personally inscribed the three characters “独立厅” (“Independence Hall”), which were later made into a plaque and hung inside the society. The building covers an area of approximately 100 square meters and is a modest two-story Western-style brick-and-wood structure. In November 1992, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage conservation unit. It now serves as an exhibition hall, featuring a permanent exhibition on the Xinhai Revolution.

The exact date of the building's construction is unknown.

In 1902, during the 28th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Quan, Zheng Zuyin, and others organized the Yiwen Society at the Ancient Banyan Academy on Fengxiangpu (now Xiangxia Road).

In the spring of 1905, during the 31st year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Feng Chaoxiang and other key members of the "Republic Mountain Hall," including Zheng Quan, Zheng Zuyin, Lin Sichen, Lin Juemin, Chen Gengxin, Chen Yushen, secretly formed the "Han Independence Society" at the Ancient Banyan Academy in Fuzhou. Huang Zhanyun served as the president. The society’s mission was to launch an armed uprising to liberate Fujian from Qing rule, establish an independent state, and set an example for the national revolution. Later, it established the Yiwen Two-Level Primary School and a reading room to carry out anti-Qing propaganda activities. This society was also the predecessor of the later well-known Qiaonan Public Welfare Society.

In April 1907, during the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Liu Jie, Lin Yushi, Chen Yuxin, and Wang Hongzi established the Qiaonan Public Welfare Society and officially registered it with the Qing government. The society appointed Zheng Zuyin as its president. Ostensibly engaged in public welfare activities such as promoting burial reform, tobacco cessation, medical aid, and firefighting, it covertly organized and promoted revolutionary efforts. Initially established in the Ancient Banyan Academy on Fengxiangpu (now Xiangxia Road) on Cangqian Mountain, the society later relocated to this building on Meiwu Road due to an increase in membership. Publicly known as the "Bingwu Club," the society actually functioned as the headquarters of the Fujian Branch of the Tongmenghui, publishing revolutionary materials such as the Jianyan Newspaper. The Qiaonan Public Welfare Society also set up a sports association, organizing young students from Yinghua, Fuyin, and Peiyuan academies to participate in military drills.

On November 9, 1911, during the battle to reclaim Fuzhou, members of the Qiaonan Public Welfare Society and student-formed foreign-style and local-style squads became a vital force against the Qing. Following the victory of the Fuzhou Uprising, the Qiaonan Public Welfare Society was disbanded.

In April 1912, the first year of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen delivered a speech here and inscribed the plaque “Independence Hall.”

After 1949, the building was successively used as the Lu Jingming Eye Hospital and a cultural center in Fuzhou.

In 1983, it was listed as a municipal-level cultural heritage conservation unit under the name “Former Site of the Fujian Branch of the Chinese Tongmenghui.”

In 2011, it was restored along with the nearby HSBC Fuzhou Branch. The restoration of Independence Hall cost a total of 2 million yuan, serving as a significant tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution. These two buildings were also the last remaining structures in the northern section of Tating Road, with all other buildings demolished to make way for the residential complex “Julong Shangshuyuan.”

It now serves as an exhibition hall, featuring a permanent exhibition on the history of the Xinhai Revolution.

Cangqian Subdistrict: Located in the central part of Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, Cangqian Subdistrict borders Puding of Xiadu Subdistrict to the east, the Min River and Guanjin Road of Linjiang Subdistrict to the north, Longtanjiao of Shangdu Subdistrict to the west, and Jinxing Village of Cangshan Township in the suburbs to the south. It covers an area of 0.991 square kilometers, with over 12,000 households and a population of nearly 30,000. The subdistrict office is located at Building G, Xinlong Shengshi, No. 3 Juhe Road, overseeing ten neighborhood committees: Longfeng, Meiwu, Maoyuan, Zhenxing, Gongyuan, Wanchun, Laogong, Xingyuan, Limin, and Hangxing.

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Geographic Location

The terrain of Cangqian Subdistrict is high in the middle and low on both sides, with Tengshan Mountain as the main… Detailed information about Cangqian Subdistrict++