Mao Zedong's Former Residence by the Pond

Mao Zedong's Former Residence by the Pond

Mao Zedong's Former Residence by the Pond is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

Mao Zedong's Former Residence by the Pond (including the former site of the 31st Regiment Headquarters of the Fourth Red Army) is located in Tangbian Village, Shashi Town, Yongxin County, Jiangxi Province. It is a two-story brick-and-wood civilian house, a typical example of late Qing and early Republican architecture. It is an important part of the revolutionary heritage sites on Jinggang Mountain. Under Mao Zedong’s leadership, the 31st Regiment of the Fourth Red Army successfully carried out a pilot program for the land revolution in Tangbian, which was quickly promoted across the border region, accelerating the development of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area. This played a significant role in the establishment of the base and the experience gained from the land reform in Tangbian laid the foundation for formulating our Party’s first land law — the Jinggangshan Land Law. In 2000, it was approved as a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province by the provincial government, and in 2005, it was designated as a patriotic education demonstration base in Yongxin County.

In May 1928, Mao Zedong led the First Battalion of the 31st Regiment of the Fourth Red Army to Yongxin County’s Xixiang Tangbian area three times to engage in revolutionary practice and social investigation. He convened meetings of the Yongxin County Committee and Tangbian Party members in Dawu Village, where he personally established the Tangbian Party Branch. The epoch-making Jinggangshan Land Law was personally formulated by Comrade Mao Zedong based on investigations and summaries of land reform experiences in Tangbian, Qiuxi, and Sanwan.

At that time, Mao Zedong stayed at the home of Grandma Zhou Xiangji in Tangbian. Despite his heavy workload, Mao insisted on waking up early to read and study. On the second morning after arriving in Tangbian, he chose to read and study under a hillside about 500 meters west of the village. Next to the steep cliff grew a small evergreen tree, and beneath it lay a square-shaped boulder resembling a small desk and chair — this became Mao’s study desk.

Beside the boulder was a spring pool overgrown with weeds and surrounded by scattered rocks. The spring water was often clogged by dead branches and leaves, turning murky after rain, making it very unhygienic. Mao paid close attention to this issue.

For the health of the people in Tangbian, he personally led officers and soldiers to dig the spring pool into a proper well and built a brick wall around it to prevent dirty water from flowing into the well. In Tangbian, Mao also joined local residents in repairing a stone-paved road from Chashu to the Shangwu Village group near Tangbian.

After reading each day, Mao would carry back a shoulder pole of spring water to his residence. After Mao left, Grandma Zhou preserved the shoulder pole buckets he used until the liberation period and later donated them to the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Museum.

Mao Zedong's Former Residence by the Pond and the former site of the 31st Regiment Headquarters of the Fourth Red Army are important parts of the revolutionary heritage sites on Jinggang Mountain. Under Mao Zedong’s leadership, the 31st Regiment of the Fourth Red Army successfully carried out a pilot program for the land revolution in Tangbian, which was quickly promoted across the border region, accelerating the development of the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base Area. This played a significant role in the establishment of the base, and the experience gained from the land reform in Tangbian laid the foundation for formulating our Party’s first land law — the Jinggangshan Land Law. Therefore, these two historical sites are important places to commemorate the great achievements of Mao Zedong and other proletarian revolutionaries of the older generation. They hold significant value for studying the history of the revolutionary struggle on Jinggang Mountain, especially the history of the land revolution, and they serve an important educational purpose for the public in fostering patriotism and revolutionary traditions.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangxi Province