Lenin Cave (Donglan Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute)

Lenin Cave (Donglan Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute)

Lenin Cave (Donglan Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute) is a cultural relic protection unit of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and a classic red tourism destination.

Lenin Cave

Lenin Cave (Donglan Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute), originally named Beidi Cave, got its name from the Beidi Temple located inside. It is situated on the mountainside of Lunying, 4 kilometers south of Wuzhuan Town. The cave is 45 meters high, 64 meters wide, and 137 meters deep. In March 1922, Wei Baqun organized a revolutionary alliance here, and in September 1925, Wei Baqun, Chen Bomin, and others established the first Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute inside the cave, training 276 key activists for the peasant movement across counties along the Youjiang River. The institute played an outstanding role in promoting Marxism-Leninism and training peasant movement leaders, leaving a profound impact. In February 1930, upon the suggestion of Zhang Yunyi, Commander of the Red Seventh Army, and approval by the Donglan County Workers’ and Peasants’ Democratic Government, Beidi Cave was renamed “Lenin Cave.” In 1963, it was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of the autonomous region. In 1978, during the 20th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Central Committee Vice Chairman - personally inscribed the words “Former Site of the Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute,” which were engraved above the cave entrance.

Originally named Beidi Cave, it is located in Boxue Village, Wuzhuan, Donglan County, Guangxi, 38 kilometers from the county seat and 4 kilometers from Wuzhuan Town. It is a natural karst cave, with a 64-meter-wide entrance, 43-meter height, and 137-meter depth. The cave is spacious, bright, dry, and flat, capable of accommodating thousands of people. In March 1922, Wei Baqun organized a revolutionary alliance here and issued the “Letter to Compatriots.” In September 1925, Wei Baqun, Chen Bomin, and others set up the first Donglan Peasant Movement Training Institute inside the cave. In February 1930, Zhang Yunyi, Commander of the Red Seventh Army, visited Wuzhuan and proposed renaming it “Lenin Cave” due to Wei Baqun’s promotion of Marxism-Leninism there. On June 26, 1962, it was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, referred to as the “Former Site of the First Guangxi Donglan Peasant Movement Training Institute.” In 1977, the autonomous region allocated funds to renovate Lenin Cave, restoring it to its 1925 appearance and setting up display cases. In 1978, the Central Committee Vice Chairman - inscribed the words “Former Site of the Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute,” which were enlarged and carved above the cave entrance. In 1995, it was designated as a patriotic education base of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Donglan County’s Lenin Cave is located near the foot of Lunying Mountain in Boxue Village, Wuzhuan Town, Donglan County, approximately 38 kilometers from the county seat. Originally named Beidi Cave, it is a hall-like natural cave with a 40-meter-high entrance, 64-meter width, and 137-meter depth. The walls and ceiling are relatively flat, and the floor is level, able to accommodate over a thousand people. The interior is dry, bright, and spacious, while the mountain fields lie outside the cave entrance, with another range of rocky hills across the fields opposite the entrance. In the 14th year of the Republic of China (1925), Wei Baqun, a leader of the Right River Peasant Movement who had returned from studying at the Guangzhou Peasant Movement Training Institute, established the first Donglan Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute here to train peasant movement cadres. Wei Baqun served as director, Chen Bomin as administrator, and Huang Daquan, Huang Shulin, Deng Wuwei, and others as instructors. The “Peasant Movement Institute” largely followed the curriculum of the “Guangzhou Peasant Movement Training Institute,” offering courses such as “History of the Soviet Revolution,” “History of the Chinese Revolution,” and “Peasant Association Charter.” Both teaching and learning emphasized the integration of theory and practice. The 276 students came from various ethnic groups—Han, Zhuang, and Yao—of counties along the Right River, including Donglan, Fengshan, Baise, Lingyun, Fengyi (now Tianyang County), Silong (now Tiandong County), Silin (part of today’s Tiandong County), Guode (part of today’s Pingguo County), Du’an, Hechi, and Nandan. After graduation, many became key figures in local peasant movements, leading to the establishment of numerous peasant associations that significantly advanced the Right River peasant movement. Many of the students later joined the Red Seventh Army.

In the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930), upon the proposal of Zhang Yunyi, Commander of the Red Seventh Army, and approval by the Donglan County Workers’ and Peasants’ Democratic Government, Beidi Cave was renamed Lenin Cave. In 1963, Lenin Cave was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Guangxi. In 1978, the interior was restored to its original layout during the Peasant Movement Training Institute era. Above the cave entrance is an inscription personally written by Central Committee Vice Chairman -, reading “Former Site of the Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute.” The central area served as the classroom, with a couplet on either side of the podium: “The landlords and gentry treat the working masses as food on a plate; the working masses see the landlords and gentry as targets.” Above the wall behind the podium hung portraits of Lenin and Sun Yat-sen. A prominent couplet in front of the platform read: “No cause is more joyful than revolution.” The horizontal scroll read: “Unity, Mutual Aid, Struggle, Sacrifice.” On both sides of the classroom were student dormitories, while the back housed the instructors’ quarters and kitchen. In line with the spirit of frugality, desks, stools, beds, and partitions were all woven from locally produced bamboo—simple yet practical. On the platform to the left of the cave, a series of display cases exhibited photos and materials from the peasant movement of that time.

The Former Site of the Guangxi Peasant Movement Training Institute (Lenin Cave) was designated as a key cultural relic protection unit of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in February 1962, listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council in 2006, and proclaimed a patriotic education base of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region by the regional Party Committee and Government in December 1995.