Wuhan Revolutionary Museum

Wuhan Revolutionary Museum

The Wuhan Revolutionary Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a classic red tourism destination.

The Wuhan Revolutionary Museum is located at No. 13 Hongxiang, Wuchang. In November 2000, it was formed by merging the Former Site Memorial of the Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute, the Former Residence Memorial of Mao Zedong, the Memorial of Martyr Chen Tanqiu, and the Management Office of the Wuchang Uprising Gate. Its administrative office is based in the former site of the Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute. It is responsible for the management, preservation, and public opening of the former sites of the Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute, Mao Zedong’s Former Residence in Wuchang, the early activity site of Martyr Chen Tanqiu, and the Wuchang Uprising Gate. It also handles the collection, preservation, exhibition, research of modern cultural relics in the Wuhan area, as well as research on Wuhan’s modern history. Additionally, it organizes special exhibitions reflecting major revolutionary historical events and figures.

The Former Site of the Central Peasant Movement Institute, presided over by Comrade Mao Zedong, is located at No. 13 Hongxiang, Wuchang, Wuhan. It was a school initiated and directed by Comrade Mao Zedong during the First United Front period to train national peasant movement cadres. The school buildings were constructed in 1904, consisting of four brick-and-wood structures that made up Mao Zedong’s Former Residence, with a large drill ground in the center. The former site of the Peasant Movement Institute is the only well-preserved late Qing dynasty-style educational building in Wuhan, covering an area of 12,850 square meters. It was originally the Beilu Primary School founded by Zhang Zhidong. In 1927, it became the site of the Central Peasant Movement Institute.

Preparations for the Peasant Movement Institute began in late 1926. Classes officially started on March 7, 1927, with the opening ceremony held on April 4. Students came from 17 provinces across the country, totaling more than 800. The Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute aimed to train leaders for rural revolution, governed by a standing committee. Mao Zedong effectively oversaw operations, and many notable figures such as Qu Qiubai, Li Lisan, Yun Daiying, Peng Pai, Fang Zhimin, Chen Yinlin, Yu Shude, Li Hanjun, He Yiren, and Li Da taught at the institute.

On June 18, 1927, the Peasant Movement Institute held its graduation ceremony. Most students were appointed as special commissioners of the Peasant Association, deeply engaging in the peasant movement, sparking a prairie fire across the nation. After the failure of the Great Revolution, they actively participated in various worker and peasant armed uprisings, such as the famous Nanchang Uprising on August 1, the Autumn Harvest Uprising in the Hunan-Jiangxi border region, the Huangma Uprising, and the struggle to establish revolutionary bases in the Hunan-Hubei-Western Hubei region, making tremendous contributions to the Chinese revolution.

Just 200 meters from the Peasant Movement Institute, at No. 41 Dufu Di, is the former residence of Mao Zedong where he presided over the institute in 1927 and conducted revolutionary activities in Wuhan.

It was also the last place where Mao Zedong, Yang Kaihui, and their family were reunited. The residence covers an area of 909 square meters. Here, Mao completed his brilliant work—“Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan.” Living here with him at the time were his wife Yang Kaihui and their sons Mao Anying, Mao Anqing, and Mao Anlong. Other notable figures such as Cai Hesen, Peng Pai, Guo Liang, Xia Minghan, Mao Zemin, Mao Zetan, and Luo Zhe also resided here at various times.

In 1958, the Hubei Provincial Committee decided to restore the former site memorial. In December of the same year, [Mao Zedong] inscribed the plaque “Former Site of the Central Peasant Movement Institute Presided Over by Comrade Mao Zedong.” The memorial officially opened to the public in 1963. It currently has 35 staff members and includes departments such as the office, exhibition and education department, archives and conservation department, general affairs office, and security office. In 1982, the Peasant Movement Institute was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Hubei Province. In 2001, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council. In 1997, the National Cultural Relics Bureau and the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee respectively awarded the Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute Memorial the titles of National Excellent Patriotic Education Base and National Top 100 Patriotic Education Demonstration Base. In 2004, seven ministries including the Publicity Department jointly designated the Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute as one of the National Top 100 Red Tourism Classic Scenic Areas.

Over the past 30 years, the Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute and Mao Zedong’s Former Residence in Wuchang have received over 20 million visitors from home and abroad, becoming a popular destination for sightseeing and tribute, as well as a classroom for studying the history of the Chinese revolution, the Great Revolution, especially the peasant movement, and a base for patriotic and revolutionary tradition education.

The Former Site Memorial of the Peasant Movement Institute currently houses a collection of over 500 cultural relics, including Mao Zedong’s 1927 work “Examples of the Life of Chinese Tenant Farmers,” the “Regulations” published by the Peasant Movement Institute, the “Badge” worn by students, inscriptions and calligraphy by leaders such as Zhang Pinghua and Wu Xiuquan, as well as artifacts used by figures like Huang Xing, Deng Yanda, Chen Tanqiu, Xia Minghan, and Bao Huiseng—all valuable revolutionary relics.

The museum features restored exhibits such as the Former Site of the Central Peasant Movement Institute Presided Over by Comrade Mao Zedong and the permanent exhibition “The Great Bastion of the Peasant Revolution.” Open to the public are restored spaces including the Standing Committee Office, Corps Headquarters, Academic Affairs Office, General Affairs Office, Medical Office, Finance Department, Main Lecture Hall, Student Dormitories, and the restored Mao Zedong Former Residence. Additionally, the museum has a 1,000-square-meter temporary exhibition hall that hosts thematic exhibitions aligned with current themes.

The Former Site of the Opening Ceremony of the 5th National Congress of the CPC and the Memorial of Chen Tanqiu’s Revolutionary Activities is located at No. 20 Dufu Di Street, Wuchang. It opened to the public in 1985. The site was originally Wuchang No. 1 Primary School. On April 27, 1927, the opening ceremony of the 5th National Congress of the CPC was held in the school’s auditorium, and on May 10 of the same year, the 4th National Congress of the Communist Youth League was also convened here. This school also served as an early revolutionary stronghold of the CPC in Wuhan. Chen Tanqiu, one of the founders of the Party, and his wife Xu Quanzhi lived and worked here. Chen Tanqiu used teaching as a cover for his revolutionary activities, leading the revolutionary struggle in the Wuhan area of Hubei. Four original buildings are preserved, though most of the site is now used by the Wuchang District Education Bureau. Open to the public are the living quarters of Chen Tanqiu and his wife, as well as the exhibition rooms for the 5th National Congress site and Chen Tanqiu’s early revolutionary activities.

The Former Site Museum of the Wuchang Uprising Gate is located on Shouyi South Road in Wuchang. The Uprising Gate was originally named “Zhonghe Gate” and was one of the ten ancient city gates of Wuchang.

On October 10, 1911, after the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, revolutionaries captured and opened Zhonghe Gate to allow troops from outside the city to enter, positioning cannons on the gate tower to bombard the Governor’s Office. After the victory of the Wuchang Uprising, Zhonghe Gate was hailed as “the beginning of the uprising’s success.” In 1912, it was renamed “Uprising Gate.” However, in 1913, when Duan Qirui served as the Governor-General of Huguang, the original name “Zhonghe Gate” was restored. On October 10, 1926, after the Northern Expeditionary Army captured Wuchang, the city wall and gate tower were slated for demolition to expand the urban area. “Zhonghe Gate” was preserved due to its critical role in the Xinhai Uprising, but its gate tower was destroyed during the rule of the Beiyang warlords, and the gate itself was on the verge of collapse by the time of liberation, leaving only the gate opening. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the name “Uprising Gate” was restored. In 1956, the provincial government designated Uprising Gate as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit.

The current Uprising Gate stands 7.1 meters high and 5 meters wide. The gate tower has two stories, with a construction area of about 280 square meters. It features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof in imitation wood structure. The plaque above the gate bears the inscription “Uprising Gate,” written by Marshal [Name] in 1981 at over 80 years of age.

The Wuhan Revolutionary Museum currently houses a collection of over 3,000 books, more than 10,000 photographic negatives, over 3,000 textual documents, more than 1,300 reproductions (prints), and 594 original cultural relics. Among these, there are 10 first-class relics, 48 second-class relics, and 266 third-class relics, along with 273 reference items. These include Mao Zedong’s 1927 work “Examples of the Life of Chinese Tenant Farmers,” the “Regulations” published by the Peasant Movement Institute, the “Badge” worn by students, inscriptions and calligraphy by leaders such as [Names], as well as artifacts used by figures like Huang Xing, Deng Yanda, Chen Tanqiu, Xia Minghan, and Bao Huiseng—all precious revolutionary relics.

The Wuhan Revolutionary Museum has organized and hosted various historical, cultural, and artistic thematic exhibitions, including “Exhibition on China’s Modern History of the Past Century,” “Mao Zedong and Wuhan,” “Role Model of Grassroots Cadres—The Advanced Deeds Exhibition of Wu Tianxiang,” “Victory Belongs to the People,” “The Iron Flow of Twenty-Five Thousand Miles,” “The Great Anti-Drug Storm,” “The National Flag in My Heart,” “The Soul of Red Rock,” “Hong Kong’s Return Exhibition,” “Commemorating the Centenary of [Name]’s Birth,” “Resisting U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea to Defend the Homeland,” “Macau’s Return Exhibition,” “Exhibition of Mao Zedong’s Relics from Zhongnanhai,” “Exhibition on the Founding History of the CPC,” “Eighty Years of CPC History in Wuhan,” “Exhibition on Traditional Chinese Virtues,” and “The People’s Leader Mao Zedong,” among over 30 other exhibitions. The Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute Former Site Memorial, where the museum is located, has welcomed 20 million visitors since its opening.

The Former Site of the Central Peasant Movement Institute—located at No. 13 Hongxiang (formerly Hongxiang) in Wuchang, was the site of a school established during the Great Revolution period to train peasant cadres, initiated by Mao Zedong and jointly founded by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. The former site of the Peasant Movement Institute is the only well-preserved late Qing dynasty-style educational building in Wuhan. It consists of four brick-and-wood structures built in 1904, facing south. The site covers an area of 12,000 square meters, with a construction area of over 4,000 square meters. Originally, it was the Beilu School founded by Zhang Zhidong. In 1927, it became the site of the Peasant Movement Institute. Students came from 17 provinces, totaling over 800. The standing committee was the highest leadership body within the school, composed of Deng Yanda, Mao Zedong, and Chen Kewen, with Mao Zedong handling the actual work. Many prominent Communists, left-wing KMT members, and notable figures such as Qu Qiubai, Li Lisan, Yun Daiying, Peng Pai, Fang Zhimin, Li Hanjun, and Li Da taught at the institute. Classes began in March 1927, and after three months of theoretical study and rigorous military training, students graduated on June 18 of the same year. Most were appointed as special commissioners of the Peasant Association, going deep into rural areas to promote the peasant movement, igniting a revolutionary spark that spread across the nation. After the failure of the Great Revolution, they actively joined the worker and peasant armed uprisings led by the Party, such as the famous Nanchang Uprising on August 1, the Autumn Harvest Uprising in the Hunan-Jiangxi border region, and the Huangma Uprising. The faculty and students of the Peasant Movement Institute made great contributions to the Chinese revolution. In 1958, the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC decided to prepare a memorial, and [Mao Zedong] inscribed the name “Former Site of the Central Peasant Movement Institute Presided Over by Comrade Mao Zedong.” It officially opened to the public in 1963. The currently open restored exhibits include the Standing Committee Office, Corps Headquarters, Academic Affairs Office, General Affairs Office, Medical Office, and Main Lecture Hall, with supplementary exhibits titled “The Great Bastion of the Peasant Revolution.” In 1982, the former site of the Peasant Movement Institute was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Hubei Province, and in 1997, the National Cultural Relics Bureau and the Publicity Department respectively awarded it the titles of National Excellent Patriotic Education Base and “National Top 100 Patriotic Education Demonstration Base.” In 2001, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council.

Mao Zedong’s Former Residence—located at No. 41 Dufu Di, Wuchang, 200 meters from the former site of the Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute, was originally an ordinary civilian house covering an area of 4,600 square meters with a construction area of 2,050 square meters. Rented in the name of the Peasant Movement Institute in 1927, it served as Mao Zedong’s residence during his revolutionary activities in Wuhan in the first half of that year. Here, Mao completed his famous work “Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan.” Other revolutionaries such as Cai Hesen, Guo Liang, Peng Pai, Xia Minghan, Mao Zetan, Mao Zemin, and Luo Zhe also lived here. At the time, Mao’s wife Yang Kaihui and their sons Mao Anying, Mao Anqing, and Mao Anlong resided with him. Mao Zedong’s Former Residence in Wuchang was also the last place where Mao, Yang Kaihui, and their family were reunited. Mao Anying was born here on April 4, 1927. The original building was demolished in 1956 and rebuilt in 1967 under the decision of the Hubei Provincial Committee and the Wuhan Municipal Committee. The currently restored exhibits include the bedrooms of Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui, Cai Hesen, Peng Pai, Mao Zetan, Xia Minghan, Yang Kaihui’s mother, and the young Mao Anying and Mao Anqing, as well as the front hall and rear room. In 2001, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit together with the former site of the Wuchang Peasant Movement Institute by the State Council.

The Former Site of the Opening Ceremony of the 5th National Congress of the CPC and the Memorial of Chen Tanqiu’s Revolutionary Activities (Chen Tanqiu Martyr Memorial)—located at No. 20 Dufu Di Street, Wuchang, opened to the public in 1985. The site was originally Wuchang No. 1 Primary School. On April 27, 1927, the opening ceremony of the 5th National Congress of the CPC was held in the school’s auditorium, and on May 10 of the same year, the 4th National Congress of the Communist Youth League was also convened here. This school also served as an early revolutionary stronghold of the CPC in Wuhan. Chen Tanqiu, one of the founders of the Party, and his wife Xu Quanzhi lived and worked here. Chen Tanqiu used teaching as a cover for his revolutionary activities, leading the revolutionary struggle in the Wuhan area of Hubei. Four original buildings are preserved, though most of the site is now used by Tanqiu Middle School. Open to the public are the living quarters of Chen Tanqiu and his wife, as well as the exhibition rooms for the 5th National Congress site and Chen Tanqiu’s early revolutionary activities.

Address: No. 13 Hongxiang, Wuchang

Public Transport: All the above attractions can be reached by taking a bus to Simenkou in the city. Ticket: 8 RMB. Free admission for visitors with senior or military ID cards; free group visits for primary and secondary school students. Student tickets are half price.

Uprising Gate—originally named “Zhonghe Gate,” it was one of the ten ancient city gates of Wuchang. In the early 20th century, Wuchang still had intact city walls spanning dozens of miles, with walls over three zhang high and moats two to three meters deep outside the walls. On October 10, 1911, after the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, revolutionaries captured and opened Zhonghe Gate to allow troops from outside the city to enter, positioning cannons on the gate tower to bombard the Governor’s Office. After the victory of the Wuchang Uprising, Zhonghe Gate was hailed as “the beginning of the uprising’s success.” In 1912, it was renamed “Uprising Gate.” However, in 1913, when Duan Qirui served as the Governor-General of Huguang, the original name “Zhonghe Gate” was restored. On October 10, 1926, after the Northern Expeditionary Army captured Wuchang, the city wall and gate tower were slated for demolition to expand the urban area. “Zhonghe Gate” was preserved due to its critical role in the Xinhai Uprising, but its gate tower was destroyed during the rule of the Beiyang warlords, and the gate itself was on the verge of collapse by the time of liberation, leaving only the gate opening. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the name “Uprising Gate” was restored. In 1956, the provincial government designated Uprising Gate as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit. In 1981, 1991, and 2001, the Wuhan Municipal Government allocated special funds for its reconstruction and maintenance. The current Uprising Gate stands 7.1 meters high and 5 meters wide. The gate tower has two stories, with a construction area of about 280 square meters. It features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof in imitation wood structure. The plaque above the gate bears the inscription “Uprising Gate,” written by Marshal [Name] in 1981 at over 80 years of age.

Address: No. 13 Hongxiang, Wuchang District, Wuhan

Type: Museum

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visiting Time: 2–3 hours

Phone: 027-88850322

Official Website: http://www.whgmbwg.com/

Social Media Accounts:

Opening Hours:

Tuesday–Sunday: 9:00–17:00, last entry at 16:30; closed all day on Mondays.

Ticket Information:

Free admission.

Source: Official Website of the People's Government of Hubei Province

Further Reading:

· National First-Class Museum of China