Former Site of Peking University’s Jiangxi Branch

Former Site of Peking University’s Jiangxi Branch

The Former Site of Peking University’s Jiangxi Branch is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Jiangxi Province.

The “Former Site of Peking University’s Jiangxi Branch” is located in Meichi Village, Wuxing Reclamation Farm, Nanchang County.

From June 1969 to October 1971, during the Cultural Revolution, approximately 2,400 professors, teachers, and some family members of Peking University were relocated thousands of miles from Beijing to this site to undergo so-called “re-education.” They endured the threat of schistosomiasis while working in the paddy fields and performing heavy, repetitive manual labor.

In Meichi Village, Wuxing Reclamation Farm, Nanchang County, there still remain around 30 brick-and-wood structures built by Peking University’s Jiangxi Branch, including warehouses, canteens, water towers, and single-story bungalows. Most are in relatively good condition and can still be inhabited normally.

The “Former Site of Peking University’s Jiangxi Branch” is mainly concentrated in a small area on the east side of Group 567, Meichi Village, Wuxing Reclamation Farm, Nanchang County, forming its own distinct layout. Excluding those that have collapsed or been renovated, over 30 such buildings constructed at that time still remain, and are in fair condition.

Group 567 of Meichi Village also retains two large warehouses built at that time, one water tower, and an original water transport dock (named: Peking University Dock).

Additionally, about 250 meters west of Meichi Village, within another village group, there are also around 10 former site buildings where a production company of Peking University’s Jiangxi Branch once resided.

All the former site buildings face south (slightly east), most having between 5 to 12 bays (a few have 3 or 4 bays). The structures are single-story, combining brick and wood, with red brick exteriors, wooden gabled roof trusses, double-sloped gray tile hip-and-gable roofs, wooden front and back doors and windows, and earthen floors inside.

The “Former Site of Peking University’s Jiangxi Branch” is situated on the southern side of Wuxing Reclamation Farm, now called Meichi Village (locals still commonly refer to it as “Beida”). To the south of Meichi Village is a dike, beyond which lies the mouth of the Fu River where it flows into Poyang Lake; the other three sides are surrounded by rice paddies.

On May 7, 2010, the People’s Government of Nanchang County designated it as a Cultural Heritage Site under the fifth batch of Nanchang County protections.

Source: Nanchang County Museum

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites