Former Site of the Zhujiang Column Headquarters (Gu Ancestral Hall)

Former Site of the Zhujiang Column Headquarters (Gu Ancestral Hall)

The former site of the Zhujiang Column Headquarters (Gu Ancestral Hall) is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The former site of the Zhujiang Column Headquarters is located in Binlang Village, Wuguishan Town, Zhongshan City. Originally the Gu Ancestral Hall, it was funded and built by local gentry brothers Gu Tengfang during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty to commemorate the founding ancestor of the village, Gu Qisheng, and was renovated in the ninth year of the Guangxu reign (1883). The ancestral hall features a flush-gable roof and a three-bay, two-courtyard layout, covering an area of 1,602 square meters. The front courtyard is of brick-and-timber construction, with side halls on both sides, corridors flanking the central courtyard, and the rear courtyard featuring a post-and-lintel wooden frame structure.

In July 1943, the Command of the South (Hai), Pan (yu), Zhong (shan), and Shun (de) Guerrilla Zone relocated here from Panyu. On October 1, 1944, the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the Provincial Military and Political Committee held a cadres' meeting here attended by leaders of the Zhujiang Area Command, as well as the Yuexi, Xijiang, and Second Zhujiang Special Committees, to prepare for the establishment of the Zhujiang Column. On January 15, 1945, the Zhujiang Column of the South China People’s Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces was publicly announced and established, using this site as the headquarters office and venue for various meetings. During the Liberation War, the Gu Ancestral Hall continued to serve as the command center for revolutionary struggles led by the people of Zhongshan.

In 1990, the Zhongshan Municipal People’s Government designated it as a cultural relic protection unit. In 2008, the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government listed it as a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Guangdong Province