Building No. 1, Dishuidong (Dripping Water Cave)

Building No. 1, Dishuidong (Dripping Water Cave)

Building No. 1, Dishuidong (Dripping Water Cave) is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

Building No. 1, Dishuidong (Dripping Water Cave)

Constructed in 1962, it is located in the northwest corner of Shaoshan City, Hunan Province. This commemorative structure was once used as accommodation and workplace by senior proletarian revolutionaries and some Party and state leaders.

The total construction area of Building No. 1, Dishuidong, is 1,804.74 square meters, featuring a mixed brick-and-wood structure. Construction began in 1960 and was completed in 1962. It served as a workspace and resting place for Mao Zedong and other leaders. The building includes a main room, auxiliary rooms, a multipurpose meeting room, an entertainment room, along with a kitchen and dining area, and is surrounded by double corridors. For security reasons, an earthquake-proof room and an air-raid shelter were added in 1970. On the afternoon of June 17, 1966, Mao Zedong arrived at Dishuidong and stayed in Building No. 1, accompanied by Zhang Yaosi, Deputy Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yanchun, Secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee. He worked and rested there for 12 days. On June 26, he met with key officials from the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, Xiangtan Prefectural Committee, Xiangtan County Committee, Shaoshan Administration Bureau, and Shaoshan Commune in the meeting room to hear work reports. On June 28, Mao left for Wuhan. In a letter dated July 8, he wrote: “Since leaving Wulin on June 15, I have stayed in a mountain cave in the West for over ten days with limited access to news. On the 28th, I arrived at the place of white clouds and yellow cranes, and it has been 10 days already. Reading materials every day has been quite interesting.” Since then, Dishuidong has been referred to as the “mountain cave in the West.” In October 1986, it was approved for public opening by the provincial Party committee and government. On the evening of March 11, 1991, General Secretary Jiang Zemin visited the site.

On May 19, 2002, the People's Government of Hunan Province designated it as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit, with the designation number 23-23.

Source: Overview of Cultural Relics in Hunan