Former Residence of Zou Taofen

Former Residence of Zou Taofen

The Former Residence of Zou Taofen is a two-story antique-style Huizhou-style building covering an area of nearly 3,000 square meters, with a construction area of 310 square meters. It faces south with its back to the north, bordered to the north by bamboo forests and camphor seas, lush with greenery, and to the south by a three-acre pond with crystal-clear water. The plaque inscribed with "Former Residence of Zou Taofen" hanging in the center of the second floor was handwritten by —, and the couplet on the two pillars at the main entrance of the first floor, “Strategies must ultimately build a new nation, soaring requires reading good books,” was personally inscribed by Mr. Guo Moruo in memory of Mr. Zou Taofen.

I. General Overview

The Former Residence of Zou Taofen is located on the banks of the Xin River, under the jurisdiction of Shatang Village Group, Dunkou Village Committee, Huangxi Town, Yujiang County. The village has a population of over 550. The Zhonghuang Weir, built in 1965, ensures bumper harvests and abundant produce from the 600 acres of farmland every year, making it one of the primary grain production bases of Poyang Lake. Shatang Village enjoys a prominent geographical location, bordering Yingtan to the east, the Xin River to the north, and National Highway 206 passing by to the west, offering convenient land and water transportation. Behind the village along the Xin Riverbank lies about five acres of pristine camphor woods, creating a beautiful environment. Across the river is the millennia-old ancient town of Jinjiang, which offers breathtaking views on clear days. In the center of the village stands a thousand-year-old camphor tree that has weathered many storms, like a silent elder guarding the generations of the Zou family who have lived here.

Shatang Village was established in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Scholar Zou Shiman, while traveling from Nancha Village in Fengcheng to visit the Xiangshan Academy of Lu Jiuyuan and the Xinjiang Academy of Zhu Xi, encountered a storm at Shigangpu and docked his boat onshore. When he climbed up the mountain and looked out toward the plains embraced by the Xin River and Baita River, he was delighted by the lush, fragrant, and elegant scenery across the river. Upon closer inspection, he found five camphor trees in the plains forming the shape of a “five-clawed golden dragon,” with square bamboo, purple bamboo, gold bamboo, and mottled bamboo surrounding a four-acre pond with a sandy bottom that shimmered golden, and sweet, refreshing spring water in the center. After careful investigation, Zou Shiman relocated his entire family to this spiritually rich and unique land and established the generational order: “Man, Yu, Long, You, Wen, Si, Lv, Yu, Guo, En, Jia, Qing, Ren, Shou, Nian, Feng.” Since then, the Zou family has produced numerous talented individuals, becoming a widely known “village of scholars.” The eighth-generation descendant, Zou Shuyu (Zou Taofen’s grandfather), once served as the magistrate of Yanping Prefecture in Fujian. The tenth-generation descendant, Zou Taofen (original name Zou Enrun), resisted Japanese aggression and contributed to national salvation, earning the title of “One of the Top 100 Heroes and Model Figures of New China.” The eleventh-generation descendant — once served as a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council...

Before liberation, the people of Shatang mainly engaged in farming. The village had only earthen houses, frequent natural disasters, nine droughts out of ten years, infertile land, and widespread poverty, making survival difficult. After liberation, the villagers followed the guidance of the Party, working together to develop water conservancy, standardizing farmland planning at three acres per plot to ensure stable yields despite drought or flood, thereby securing food and clothing for the villagers. In the 1980s, Shatang Village adapted to the national agricultural policy reforms by implementing the household responsibility system, benefiting every villager and gradually improving their lives. After the reform and opening-up, driven by the wave of the market economy, more than a hundred villagers left their homes to work or do business across the country. By the new century, the per capita income of the villagers had reached over 8,500 yuan. In recent years, the increasingly prosperous Shatang Village has renovated water and sanitation systems, built and repaired houses and roads, and beautified the environment during the new rural construction, giving the village a completely renewed look. In August 2013, the reconstructed Former Residence of Zou Taofen, led by the Propaganda Department of the Yujiang County Committee, was fully completed, becoming a patriotic education base for inheriting outstanding culture and promoting the spirit of Zou Taofen.

II. Exhibition Content Development

The Former Residence of Zou Taofen has two floors. The first floor features exhibitions on Zou Taofen’s deeds, the Zou family genealogy, and displays of the real-life production and living items of Zou Taofen’s ancestors. The second floor includes the Zou Taofen Library, the Village History Hall, and the Village Cultural Activity Room. The Propaganda Department organized personnel to collect and write the exhibition content, thoroughly researching historical materials and cultural relics, conducting extensive investigations and verifications, and finally having the content strictly reviewed by leaders and relevant experts. The exhibitions introduce Zou Taofen’s life and achievements, including a brief biography, the Life Weekly magazine he founded, his major works and translations, the newspapers he edited, and collections of inscriptions by national leaders commemorating Zou Taofen. There are also displays promoting the spirit of Zou Taofen, the Zou family genealogy, and the organizational structure of Shatang Village. Most of the content is presented in panel form, concise and easy to understand.

III. Introduction to Zou Taofen

Zou Taofen (November 1895 – July 1944), originally named Zou Enrun, courtesy name Yinshu, was from Shatang Village, Huangxi Town, Yujiang County, Jiangxi Province. He was a member of the CPC, an outstanding Chinese journalist, political commentator, and publisher in modern times. He was the editor-in-chief of Life Weekly, a key founder of the SDX Joint Publishing Company, a pioneer in journalism and publishing, a cultural standard-bearer after Lu Xun, and one of the “100 Heroes and Model Figures Who Made Outstanding Contributions to the Founding of New China.” Mr. Zou Taofen was an outstanding son of the people of Yujiang, dedicating his life to the cause of national salvation through resistance against Japan, striving unceasingly for national liberation, democratic politics, and progressive cultural endeavors. He firmly opposed the non-resistance policy of “pacifying the domestic front before resisting foreign aggression.” The Life Weekly, which he edited, aimed fundamentally at uniting to resist Japan and fight aggression, becoming a banner of the domestic media in the fight for national salvation. He was imprisoned seven times — once incarcerated — yet remained undeterred and grew stronger through struggle, consciously breaking away from bourgeois influence and establishing a proletarian worldview. On November 22, 1936, he was arrested by the authorities for actively promoting resistance against Japan, along with Shen Junru and six others, becoming one of the renowned Seven Gentlemen of the Salvation Association. He passed away on July 24, 1944, due to ineffective treatment for ear cancer. Upon hearing the news, Mao Zedong inscribed in his honor: “Loving the people, sincerely serving the people, devoting oneself entirely until the end of one’s life—this is the spirit of Mr. Zou Taofen, and this is what moves people.” Over the years, leaders of the Party and the state, including —, —, Soong Ching-ling, and —, have inscribed words in praise of the spirit of Zou Taofen.

IV. Practices in Carrying Out Patriotic Education

The establishment of the “Former Residence of Zou Taofen” is of extraordinary significance. It serves not only as another educational base for promoting the spirit of Zou Taofen in our county but also adds a red tourism resource. It connects the Zou Taofen statue, Zou Taofen Bookstore, Zou Taofen Research Institute, Zou Taofen School, Zou Taofen Bridge, and Zou Taofen Library in the county town with the “Former Residence of Zou Taofen” in the old county town of Jinjiang, forming a distinctive red tourism route in our county. This is also an important part of Yujiang County’s strategy to continuously strengthen the cultural brand of Zou Taofen’s hometown by integrating culture with tourism, industry, and bases.

Since its completion, the “Former Residence of Zou Taofen” has secured special funding through multi-party coordination, ensuring dedicated personnel for management and guided tours, and will be open to the public free of charge. It has become an important venue for mainstream news media across the country to promote patriotism, a key base for patriotic education by Beijing’s SDX Bookstore, Shanghai’s Zou Taofen Memorial Hall, and the Zou Taofen Foundation, and an important platform for the youth and students in our county to carry out various commemorative activities. This ensures that the spirit of Zou Taofen will be passed down through generations, shining forever.