Former Site of Mingming Bookstore, a Transportation Hub

Former Site of Mingming Bookstore, a Transportation Hub

Former Site of Mingming Bookstore, a Transportation Hub

Located in Lane 2, Zhengjie, Donglong Town, present-day Guigang City, it was the shop premises of Mei Zhugong, an underground Communist Party member. The building is a two-story brick-and-wood structure with a gable-and-hip roof, featuring a longitudinal rectangular floor plan. The shopfront faces west onto the street. There are two sets of wooden beams at different heights between the upper and lower floors, with the lower beam supporting a partitioned layout divided into three sections by vertical latticework. From 1939 to 1944, it served as an underground transportation hub established and used by Huang Zhang, head of the Guangxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. During the Liberation War period, the underground party operated the "Mingming Bookstore" here, secretly selling publications by the Party and on democracy, and using it as a communication liaison station for guerrilla forces in Guixian and Wuxian counties.

Huang Zhang, also known by his courtesy name Wenbo, used the aliases Huang Yuan, Lü Er, Lü Shanshou, and Lin Ai. He was born on October 20, 1901, into a poor farming family in Xishan Township, Guixian County, Guangxi. Huang Zhang was intelligent and quick-witted from a young age. After graduating from elementary school, he was unable to continue his education and worked as a shop assistant in medicine and grocery stores in Luzhai Town, Binyang County, and Nanning. Known for being diligent, dexterous, and clever, he earned the praise of his employers. An elderly traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who ran a pharmacy even decided to train him as a doctor. Huang Zhang was deeply grateful but declined the kind offer because he believed that curing the ills of society was more urgent than treating physical ailments. … More details about Huang Zhang ++