Former Site of the Stone Printing Department of the E-Yu-Wan Provincial Soviet

Former Site of the Stone Printing Department of the E-Yu-Wan Provincial Soviet

The Former Site of the Stone Printing Department of the E-Yu-Wan Provincial Soviet is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province, a classic red tourism attraction, and a base for patriotic education.

The site is located in Mapeng Village, Xinji Town, Xin County, with 19 rooms in total, arranged in two rows of five each, together with three cross-houses on each of the east and west sides, forming a large quadrangle courtyard. The main gate is in the center of the front row, and there are three additional kitchen rooms on the west side. The site faces south and north, backed by hills and fronted by a pond. It has a brick-and-wood structure, with a construction area of 418 square meters and covers a land area of 1,560 square meters. In 1995, the Xin County Cultural Relics Management Committee secured a grant of 250,000 yuan from the Henan Branch of the People's Bank of China to restore the site to its original appearance and establish it as a Revolutionary Tradition Education Base for the financial system of Henan Province. In 2000, it was designated as a Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit of Henan Province.

The Stone Printing Department was established in 1930 when printing technicians Lu Chuqiao and Lu Hanqiao, brothers from Huangpi, Hubei, brought two stone printing presses to do business in the areas of Huangchuan and Xixian, Henan. They were persuaded by the Special Soviet Government to stay and serve the Red Army while passing through the revolutionary base. Consequently, the Special Soviet Government set up the Stone Printing Department in Yangfan Village, Jianchanghe Township, where they were located. In the spring of 1931, it was relocated to Mapeng Village near Xinji.

Initially, the Stone Printing Department had only two stone printing presses and over 20 workers. Later, after the Red Army captured areas such as Shangcheng, several more printing presses were acquired. With more equipment, the number of staff gradually increased to over 60. Its initial tasks were to print Soviet proclamations, leaflets, propaganda materials, and victory bulletins. As the construction of the Soviet area developed, the responsibilities of the Stone Printing Department expanded significantly. In addition to printing newspapers and periodicals such as “Red Flag,” “Lenin Newspaper,” “Soviet,” “Red Soldier,” “Red Army Newspaper,” “Battle Report,” “Pioneer Newspaper,” and “Red Children,” it also printed textbooks for Lenin Primary Schools and literacy materials for workers and peasants. At that time, due to the economic blockade by the enemy, paper was extremely scarce. In 1931, the Red Army captured General Yue Weijun, commander of the 34th Division of the enemy forces, and through his connections, obtained a large quantity of paper. The Stone Printing Department also printed currency for the Soviet government, with denominations including “One Yuan,” “Five Jiao,” and “One Jiao.” The designs were elegant, featuring portraits of Lenin on the front, along with inscriptions such as “E-Yu-Wan Provincial Soviet Bank,” “Exchangeable Upon Presentation, Valid Nationwide,” and on the back, slogans like “Workers of the World, Unite!” The currency was widely supported and welcomed by the populace.

In the autumn of 1932, as the main forces of the Red Army were forced to withdraw from the Soviet area, the Stone Printing Department ceased operations. In just three short years, it made indelible contributions to publicizing the Party’s principles and policies, raising public awareness, invigorating the economic and cultural life of the base areas, serving the monetary policy of the Soviet area, and more.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Henan Province