Former Residence of Lin Boqu

Former Residence of Lin Boqu

The former residence of Lin Boqu is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a classic red tourism attraction, and a base for patriotic education.

The former residence of Lin Boqu is located in Liangshuijing Village, Xiumei Town, Linli County, Changde City.

The residence was originally constructed during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty by Lin Boqu’s great-grandfather, Lin Changhuai, while he was serving as county magistrate in Yibin and Linshui, Sichuan. It faces west and is built along a hillside, with its entrance opening to a pond. It adopts a classic Jiangnan quadrangle layout, featuring upper, middle, and lower courtyards, totaling… The structure includes 21 rooms of various sizes, 6 courtyards, and is laid out in a “品” (tripod) shape. It spans 26.5 meters from north to south and 28.6 meters from east to west, covering a total area of approximately 870 square meters.

On March 20, 1886, Lin Boqu was born here and spent his childhood and youth in this residence. In 1902, he was admitted to the Hunan Western Road Normal School (now the First High School of Changde). Two years later, he was selected for a government-sponsored study program in Japan. In 1905, he joined the Tongmenghui (Chinese Revolutionary Alliance), dedicating himself to revolutionary activities aimed at overthrowing the Qing government, thereby becoming a democrat. However, after the Japanese government prohibited his involvement, he returned to China. Back in China, he continued his revolutionary work for the Tongmenghui in regions such as Hunan, the Northeast, Shanghai, and Nanjing. Following the failure of the “Second Revolution,” he was wanted by Yuan Shikai and went back to Japan for studies in 1914. That same year, he joined the Chinese Revolutionary Party founded by Sun Yat-sen in Tokyo, thereby embarking on a lifelong revolutionary path and becoming a professional revolutionary. In 1921, he joined the early Communist Party organization in Shanghai. In the early days of the Party, he remained active within the Kuomintang (KMT), successively being elected as an alternate member, full member, and standing committee member of the KMT Central Executive Committee, and served as head of the Peasant Department. In May 1926, he was ousted from the KMT Central Committee. In 1927, he participated in the Nanchang Uprising, then went on to study and teach in Moscow and Vladivostok. In March 1933, he traveled to the Central Soviet Area, where he served successively as Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic. After the Long March reached northern Shaanxi, he became Minister of Finance and acting chairman of the Northwest Office of the Central Government. During the War of Resistance Against Japan and the Liberation War, he served as Chairman of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region Government, standing committee member of the Central Bureau of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region, and standing committee member of the Northwest Bureau. In June 1945, he was elected as a member of the Seventh Central Politburo and was honored as one of the “Five Elders of Yan’an.” Upon the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he was elected Secretary-General of the Central People’s Government and presided over the founding ceremony. He was a member of the Sixth Central Committee, a member of the Seventh and Eighth Central Politburos, and Vice Chairman of the First and Second National People’s Congress Standing Committees. He passed away in Beijing on May 29, 1960.

The residence has been well preserved and currently houses the living quarters of Lin Boqu’s parents, his wife Madam Wu Chongxian, his paternal aunt and uncle, his sister-in-law, as well as the former study room of his father, the private school, upper hall, middle hall, lower hall, side rooms, kitchen, dining room, and storage rooms. It houses over 50 national-level cultural relics, more than 1,000 general cultural relics, and daily utensils used by him and his family. On the centennial of Lin Boqu’s birth in 1986, Deng Xiaoping personally inscribed the plaque reading “Former Residence of Comrade Lin Boqu,” and it was officially opened to the public. In 2006, on the 120th anniversary of his birth, a bronze statue of Lin Boqu was erected, and the Lin Boqu Bronze Statue Square was constructed. In 2009, a visitor center was built, a scenic spot for the Five Elders of Lin was created, and a walking trail in the Poetry Stele Forest Park was established.

In January 1996, the former residence of Lin Boqu was designated as a Cultural Relics Protection Unit of Hunan Province by the People’s Government of Hunan Province. In January 1995, it was designated as a Patriotic Education Base of Hunan Province by the Publicity Department of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) listed the former residence of Lin Boqu as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Address: Liangshuijing Village, Xiumei Township, Linli County, Changde City, Hunan Province

Transportation: Take a bus from Changde City to Linli County, then transfer to a minibus to reach the site.

Lin Boqu (March 20, 1886 – May 29, 1960), originally named Lin Zuhang, courtesy name Suiyuan, also known as Boqu, was a native of Anfu (now Linli County), Changde, Hunan. He joined the Tongmenghui in his early years. In 1921, he joined the Communist Party of China.

He participated in major revolutionary events such as the Nanchang Uprising and the Long March, and served as Chairman of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region Government. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Lin Boqu served as Secretary-General of the Central People’s Government Council and Vice Chairman of the First and Second National People’s Congress Standing Committees.

Comrade Lin Boqu was a renowned proletarian revolutionary and educator... More information on Lin Boqu++

Xiumei Town: Xiumei Town is located in the central part of Linli County, Hunan Province, south of the Li River and north of the Dao River. The terrain is mainly composed of gentle hills and plains. Adjacent to Anfu Town, it lies in the central area of the county, stretching 12.5 kilometers from east to west and 7 kilometers from north to south. National Highway 207 runs through four villages for a distance of 7 kilometers, and the town government is situated on the side of National Highway 207, 9 kilometers north of the county seat.

　 The village of Liangshuijing within the town is the birthplace of Lin Xiumei, a democratic revolutionary general, and Lin Boqu, a leader of the Party and the country. In 1941, in honor of Lin Xiumei, Zhaojia Township was renamed Xiumei Township. It was upgraded to a formal town in 1992... More information on Xiumei Town++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units