Mao Zedong and Li Lisan visited their former residence in Anyuan in the winter of 1921

Mao Zedong and Li Lisan's former residence in Anyuan in the winter of 1921

Mao Zedong and Li Lisan's former residence in Anyuan in the winter of 1921 is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

The Liu Hesheng Restaurant in Anyuan, located on Old Back Street in Anyuan Town, is where Mao Zedong, Li Lisan, and others stayed during their inspection visit to Anyuan in the winter of 1921. Built between the fifth and sixth years of the Republic of China (1916–1917), it is a single-story brick-and-wood structure facing east and covering a construction area of 85 square meters.

Old Back Street in Anyuan Town was a relatively bustling street at the time, with several large restaurants in the area. However, Liu Hesheng Restaurant had simple facilities and affordable prices, so it was often frequented by workers and farmers for meals and lodging. In order to connect more easily with the public, Mao Zedong and Li Lisan chose to stay at this small restaurant. Accompanying them were Song Yousheng and Zhang Liquan, teachers from Changsha’s First Industrial School, who had students working as machinists in Anyuan. Mao and Li leveraged these teacher-student relationships to extensively engage with, mobilize, and organize the workers.

The next day, Zhang Liquan and Song Yousheng successfully located several railway workers—such as Zhou Jingquan and Li Disheng—who had studied at Changsha’s First Industrial School. Guided by them, they visited various work sites including Bafangjing, the coking facility, and the coal washing platform. They met many coal miners and railway workers and invited them to come to Liu Hesheng Restaurant in the evening for informal discussions. During these conversations, Mao called on the workers to unite and struggle against the capitalists. To illustrate the importance of unity, Mao picked up a pair of chopsticks from the dining table and said, “One chopstick snaps easily, but a bundle of chopsticks does not; an individual’s strength is limited, but united, we have power.” Inspired by his words, the workers expressed their desire to organize. Mao proposed forming a group with the aim of freeing workers from oppression and hardship, uniting all laborers from the railway and mining bureaus under the name “Anyuan Railway and Mining Workers’ Club.” He also shared news about the Russian October Revolution, China’s May Fourth Movement, and labor movements across the country. The workers spent many unforgettable evenings at Liu Hesheng Restaurant and came to understand the principle of saving themselves through solidarity.

Originally, this house belonged to Chen Kangli’s uncle, a worker from Anyuan. It was later sold to the shop owner Liu Shanshan. The Liu family first operated a tofu shop, but due to poor business, switched to running a small restaurant, hanging a signboard that read “Liu Hesheng.”

After the Pingxiang Mines closed in 1939, the restaurant ceased operations, and the owner moved away. Due to years of neglect, the building fell into disrepair and eventually collapsed from lack of maintenance. In 1968, based on the recollections of Zhang Liquan—who had accompanied Mao to Anyuan—and other veteran Anyuan workers, the house was restored to its original appearance and opened to the public as an exhibition site for visitors.

In October 1984, it was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Pingxiang City; on March 9, 2018, it was listed as part of the sixth batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.