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Former Residence of Comrade Mao Zedong

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The former residence of Mao Zedong is located at Shangwuchang, Tudi Chong, Shaoshancun, Shaoshan Township, Shaoshan City, Xiangtan. The house faces south and is built with earth and wood in a concave shape, covering a land area of 566.39 square meters and a construction area of 472.92 square meters. It consists of 18 rooms: 13 small blue-tiled rooms on the east side belonged to Mao Zedong’s family, while 4 thatched cottages on the west side were…

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

The former residence of Mao Zedong is located at Shangwuchang, Tudi Chong, Shaoshancun, Shaoshan Township, Shaoshan City, Xiangtan.

The residence faces south and is built with earth and wood in a concave shape, covering a land area of 566.39 square meters and a construction area of 472.92 square meters. It has 18 rooms: 13 small blue-tiled houses on the east side belonged to Mao Zedong’s family, while 4 thatched cottages on the west side were collectively owned by the Mao clan and shared the central main hall (tiled). In front of Shangwuchang there is a small courtyard, in front of which lie two adjacent ponds — the smaller one filled with lotus roots, and the larger one with a wider water surface. Behind the house are lush green hills covered with pines and bamboos; to the east are vegetable plots, rice fields, fish ponds, and a grain-drying terrace; not far northwest lies the site of the old-style private school (Nan’an) where Mao Zedong studied in his youth.

The eastern part of Shangwuchang was purchased in 1878 by Mao Zedong’s great-grandfather, Mao Siduan, and originally consisted of only five and a half thatched cottages. In 1917, Mao Zedong’s father, Mao Shunsheng, expanded the house to 13 rooms.

On December 26, 1893, Mao Zedong was born here and spent his childhood and adolescence. He began helping with farm work from the age of six, started school at eight, and attended several local private schools including Nan’an, Qiaotouwan, Zhongjiawan, and Jingwanli. At the age of 14, he dropped out of school and worked on the family farm for two years. At 16, he attended another private school in Wuguijing and Dongmaotang for one year. In the autumn of 1910, Mao left Shaoshan to study at Dongshan Higher Primary School in Xiangxiang County. In 1911, he went to Changsha to attend Xiangxiang Provincial Middle School, and later enrolled in the First Provincial Normal School, returning home occasionally during holidays.

In October 1919, Mao Zedong’s mother passed away due to illness. Mao returned home for the funeral and tearfully composed a memorial couplet and the “Eulogy to Mother.”

In February 1925, Mao Zedong, together with his wife Yang Kaihui and their sons Anying and Anqing, returned to Shaoshan and lived in Shangwuchang for half a year. He often talked with villagers here, held various small meetings, learned about rural political and economic conditions, promoted revolutionary ideas to farmers, and secretly established a peasant association and an open anti-imperialist patriotic organization — the Association for National Humiliation. In June, he held a secret oath-taking ceremony for the Communist Party membership of Mao Xinmei, Li Genghou, Pang Shukan, Zhong Zhishen, and others in his bedroom, and secretly formed the Special Branch of the Chinese Communist Party in Shaoshan, directly under the leadership of the CCP Xiang District Committee.

In 1927, Mao Zedong returned to Shaoshan to investigate the peasant movement. He convened investigation meetings with peasant movement cadres and activists to understand the situation of the peasant movement in Shaoshan, proposing that peasants should establish their own armed forces and improve the peasant associations.

In January 1929, Mao Zedong’s former residence was confiscated by the Kuomintang authorities, and some furniture and farming tools inside were lost. In 1937, following the second KMT-CPC cooperation, the house was returned and occupied by Zhou Wenlan (wife of Mao Zetan), her mother Zhou Chenxuan, brother Zhou Ziyu, and son Mao Chuxiong.

In August 1949, Shaoshan was liberated. The former residence was managed by Mao Yueqiu, Wang Shulan, and others dispatched by the Xiangtan County People’s Government, who also began collecting the scattered furniture and farming tools. In the winter of 1950, Mao Yueqiu and others restored and displayed 44 pieces of furniture and farming tools, along with 6 revolutionary relics collected. In February 1951, the residence was officially opened to the public, with a plaque hanging above the main door of the central hall inscribed “Home of the Great Leader of the Chinese People, Chairman Mao,” which was later changed to “Former Residence of Comrade Mao Zedong.”

On June 25, 1959, Mao Zedong returned to his hometown of Shaoshan after 32 years. On June 26, accompanied by Luo Ruiqing and others, he visited the former residence and took a group photo with the welcoming crowd in the front courtyard.

In May 1961, upon the suggestion of Liu Shaoqi, the plaque above the gate was changed to read “Former Residence of Comrade Mao Zedong.” On September 28, 1965, the plaque was replaced with one inscribed by Guo Moruo reading “Former Residence of Comrade Mao Zedong.” On June 27, 1983, the current plaque inscribed by Deng Xiaoping reading “Former Residence of Comrade Mao Zedong” was installed.

The Former Residence of Comrade Mao Zedong was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council in March 1961, and as a National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee in June 1997.

Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976), courtesy name Runzhi (originally Yongzhi, later changed to Runzhi), pen name Ziren. A native of Xiangtan, Hunan. He was the leader of the Chinese people, a Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist, and theorist, as well as a principal founder and leader of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the People's Republic of China. He was also a poet and calligrapher. From 1949 to 1976, Mao served as the paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China. His contributions to the development of Marxism-Leninism, military theory, and... More details about Mao Zedong++