Former Residence of Martyr Li Chuntao

Former Residence of Martyr Li Chuntao

The former residence of Martyr Li Chuntao is a cultural relic protection unit of Chaozhou City.

The former residence of Martyr Li Chuntao is situated in Liuchajie, Shangxiping Road, downtown, built in 1927. It is located at No. 15, Liuchajie, Taiping Subdistrict, Xiangqiao District, constructed during the Republican era. The overall layout features a two-courtyard structure with a rear wing, and the floor plan takes a rectangular shape. This residence is not only the home of the revolutionary martyr Li Chuntao, hailed by Zhou Enlai as a “Bolshevik outside the Party,” but also produced other notable revolutionaries such as Ke Bai’nian (original name Li Chunfan), Li Chuntai, Li Chunsu, and Li Chunting, who all contributed significantly to China’s revolution.

　This residence was originally built by Li Jiaxianzu Xingzhen (Jinhua), the grandfather of Li Chuntao, during the late Qing Dynasty. It is a traditional-style “Four-Point Gold” building characteristic of the Chaozhou region, featuring three bays, two courtyards with a rear wing (sometimes referred to as a three-courtyard layout), two skywells, and additional wings including left auxiliary rooms, a backyard, and rear courtyard, covering an area of 612.25 square meters.

　　It is particularly worth mentioning that this residence also gave birth to well-known revolutionaries such as Ke Bai’nian (original name Li Chunfan), Li Chunting, and Li Chunsu. “It is almost unheard of in Guangdong Province for one family to produce so many renowned revolutionaries,” said Li Kebin in an interview. As the second eldest brother, Li Chuntao played a leading role in encouraging his siblings to join the revolution.

　　In September 1918, driven by a lofty ambition to seek truth and revitalize the Chinese nation, Li Chuntao entered Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. It was during this time that he became close friends with Peng Pai. That same year, they both joined the progressive student organization at Waseda University — the “Constructors’ Alliance,” which focused on studying peasant issues, engaging in practical struggles, and attempting to integrate socialist ideals with peasant concerns. These experiences had a profound impact on their thinking.

　　In 1920, inspired by the October Revolution in Russia, the two initiated the progressive group “Red Heart Society” among Chinese students in Japan and published the journal Red Heart to promote Marxism. Their shared ideology made them close friends.

　　Founding Advanced Publications  Pioneering Coeducation in Secondary Schools

　　In 1921, after returning from Japan, Li Chuntao served as the academic dean and acting principal of Jinshan Middle School. Committed to saving the country through education, he founded and edited the Jinshan Monthly: Evolution, where he regularly lectured students on socialist theories. In his article Reading Notes written in Japan, he advocated gender equality. As a result, upon arriving at Jinshan, he promoted admitting female students and implementing coeducation. Against strong opposition, in September 1921, he admitted eight female students free of charge, setting a precedent for coeducation in secondary schools in Chaozhou.

　　Li Chuntao placed great emphasis on school cleanliness. He instructed the staff to sweep and whitewash all areas, cover toilet bowls with wooden lids, ensure no flies in kitchens or toilets, and keep pathways clear of spit and leaves. The overgrown weeds and brambles in the northwest corner of Jinshan and near the ammunition depot were cleared under his personal supervision as he led school workers to turn the wasteland into a recreational haven for teachers and students. At the time, Chaozhou had no electric lighting, so Li Chuntao established a power plant at the school, managed with student participation, installing over a hundred electric lights, greatly improving teaching conditions.

　　Actively Defending the Haifeng Peasant Movement Sacrificing a Young Life for Belief

　　After graduating and returning to China in 1921, Peng Pai became the head of the Haifeng County Education Promotion Office, committed to educational reform, and repeatedly invited Li Chuntao to teach in Haifeng. In early 1922, after working at Jinshan Middle School for half a year, Li Chuntao went to Haifeng to serve as a Chinese language teacher at the First Higher Primary School. In Haifeng, Li Chuntao not only actively defended the local peasant movement and fully supported Peng Pai’s efforts, but also introduced extracurricular reading materials to students, told various revolutionary stories, encouraged students to care about social issues, and called on them to “strive for a happy life for humanity!”

　　In late August 1922, Li Chuntao left Haifeng for Beijing to teach, giving lectures on materialism at China University, Minzhong University, and the Women’s Higher Normal School, where he was highly popular with students. During his time in Beijing, he also wrote The Haifeng Peasant Movement and Its Leader Peng Pai, which was published on January 30, 1924, in the first issue of Volume 2 of the China University journal Morning Light.

　　In late November 1925, after Zhou Enlai became the Administrative Commissioner of the Eastern Guangdong Region, he recommended Li Chuntao to serve as the president of the Lingdong MinGuo Daily. Li Chuntao personally wrote important commentaries and articles, vigorously promoting revolutionary ideas and actively advancing the democratic revolutionary movement in the Chaomei region. When reactionary elements in Jieyang kidnapped Yang Shigui, a leader of the Chaoshan labor movement, Li Chuntao exposed the crime of the Kuomintang right-wing in the Lingdong MinGuo Daily, effectively supporting the Party’s efforts to rescue Yang Shigui. Not long after, Li Chuntao was removed from his position as president of the newspaper.

　　In 1927, following the April 12 Incident in Shanghai, on April 14, the Chaomei Garrison Headquarters lured Li Chuntao and others under the pretext of discussing work, and on April 27, forcibly stuffed them into sacks, stabbed them to death with bayonets, and dumped their bodies into the sea off Shijiaotai in Shantou. Li Chuntao was only 30 years old. The martyr Li Chuntao was hailed by Zhou Enlai as a “Bolshevik outside the Party.” On April 5, 1955, a Revolutionary Martyrs Monument was erected in Chaozhou, with Li Chuntao listed at the top.

　　Someone once asked Peng Pai: Li Chuntao studied with you in Japan, was a good friend, and did many things together. You know his thoughts, words, and actions very well — why didn’t you recommend him to join the Communist Party? Peng Pai replied: This issue was discussed with Director Zhou (Zhou Enlai, who was then the Political Director of the Eastern Expeditionary Army during the Eastern Expedition). Director Zhou’s opinion was that it was more beneficial for Li Chuntao not to join the Communist Party — he could do things that Communist Party members could not. And indeed, the things Li Chuntao said, wrote, and did were more likely to gain support and approval from all walks of life, which was very advantageous for the revolutionary cause.

In January 2011, the People’s Government of Chaozhou City designated the former residence of Martyr Li Chuntao as a municipal cultural relic protection unit.

In 2011, the former residence of Martyr Li Chuntao was announced as a cultural relic protection unit of Chaozhou City.