Former Site of the An Yuan Party Organization Meeting Deciding on the Major Strike

Former Site of the An Yuan Party Organization Meeting Deciding on the Major Strike

In early September 1922, Mao Zedong came to Anyuan, thoroughly investigated the actual situation, and objectively assessed the balance of class forces. He concluded that the conditions for organizing a workers' struggle were gradually maturing and gave deep thought to the strategy of the struggle. Here, he presided over the meeting of the An Yuan Party organization that decided on the major workers' strike. This former site faces south, is a single-story brick-and-wood structure, and has a construction area of 120 square meters.

This house belonged to Zhou Jingquan, a Communist Party member and worker on the Zhuping Railway. Because the house was situated halfway up Niuxing Ridge and was relatively remote at the time, with only a small path leading to it and surrounded by tall trees, it offered a concealed and safe location for holding the meeting.

More than ten people attended the meeting, including Zhu Shaolian, Jiang Xianyun, Cai Zengzhun, Li Disheng, Zhou Jingquan, and Zhu Jintang. Li Lisan, head of the Club and Party branch secretary, was not in Anyuan at the time because he was attending the founding conference of the Changsha Masons and Laborers’ Union. Therefore, Mao Zedong directly presided over the Party branch meeting. After discussion, the meeting concluded that the time was ripe for a strike and decided to immediately begin organizing a strike of all workers from both the railway and the mine. Mao Zedong instructed the An Yuan Party organization that, in the struggle, they must rely on the solid unity and tenacious fighting spirit of the workers. The Party branch needed to lead the workers courageously and skillfully to persevere in the struggle and achieve victory. Based on the specific conditions of the Anyuan Railway and Mine, he proposed a “moving and sympathetic” strike strategy. Mao called on the broad masses of Communist Party members to stand at the forefront of the struggle and lead the people in resolute action. After the meeting, the Party branch, following the “moving and sympathetic” strategy, put forward the basic battle slogan “We were beasts of burden in the past, but now we want to be human,” which ensured the successful execution of the Anyuan major strike. At the time in Anyuan, only such a strategy could greatly inspire the enthusiasm of all workers to unite and strive, win widespread sympathy and support from all sectors of society, and make the most of the contradictions within the ruling class.

In October 1984, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Pingxiang City; on March 9, 2018, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province in the sixth batch.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units