Former Residence of Rao Guomu

Former Residence of Rao Guomu

The Former Residence of Rao Guomu is a cultural tourism attraction and a provincial-level nature reserve.

Upon entering the gate of the “Dayou Farm,” walk uphill past the banyan tree at the fork in the road. About forty to fifty meters away from the buildings of the Southern Bureau and the Office, beside a small path, stands a small building made of red bricks. The owner of this building was Rao Guomu, the landlady of the Southern Bureau and the Office, as well as the proprietress of the “Dayou Farm.” Rao Guomu was a patriotic, middle-aged intellectual woman with a comfortable family background. As early as the early 1930s, instead of seeking a comfortable life and with the desire to “do something beneficial for the public” and to save the nation through industry, Rao Guomu purchased 300 acres of barren hillside valley deep in the Hongyanzi area and founded the “Dayou Farm.” In the early days of establishing the farm, in order to manage and operate it well, Rao Guomu built this small red building that blends Chinese and Western architectural styles on the small grassy area in the center of the farm, and settled down here with her three children.

The building covers an area of about 70 square meters, with a construction area of 180 square meters and a total of 10 rooms. From the outside, it appears to have two floors, but internally it actually has three. Architecturally, the building has a distinctive feature: the staircases leading up to each floor are hidden inside a room, and there is also a door. People who are unfamiliar with the layout may not find the staircase for some time. The staircase leading to the second floor of the Office building is similar.

In the spring of 1939, due to the bombing of their offices and accommodation in the city by Japanese aircraft, leaders of the Southern Bureau such as Qin Bangxian and He Kaifeng, who had moved in earlier to the “Dayou Farm” in Hongyanzi, temporarily lived and worked in this building. Throughout the eight years of the War of Resistance, Rao Guomu often invited comrades from the Southern Bureau and the Office to enjoy tea and flowers, drink wine under the moon, compose poetry, and engage in literary exchanges here. Because the building is located beside the essential pathway leading from the outside to the Office, it also served the purposes of protecting the safety of the Southern Bureau and the Office, concealing underground Communist Party members, progressives, and patriotic youths coming to Hongyan, and providing cover for them. Some underground comrades who came to report or seek instructions from the Southern Bureau would often first say they were looking for “Madam Liu” (Rao’s husband’s surname was Liu) of the “Dayou Farm,” and then Rao Guomu would escort them to the Office or notify someone from the Southern Bureau to make contact. The third floor of this building once served as one of the liaison points between the Southern Bureau and the underground Party organization. In May 1946, before the comrades of the Southern Bureau and the Office moved to Nanjing, Dong Biwu wrote a poem for Rao Guomu: “For eight years of success in the rear base, Hongyan provided a foothold with little distress. The residence exudes refined taste in gardens, busy planting flowers and bamboos for guests.” This was to express gratitude for her support and assistance to the Southern Bureau and the Office. During her days in close contact with the Chinese Communists, and under the influence and help of the comrades of the Southern Bureau and the Office, Rao Guomu gradually transformed from a patriot into a communist. In 1948, during the most difficult times for the underground Party in eastern Sichuan, she joined the Communist Party of China. After the liberation, she held positions such as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and a standing committee member of the All-China Women’s Federation. She passed away in Beijing in 1960 and is now buried in Hongyan.

Currently, the ground floor of the Former Residence of Rao Guomu hosts the “Exhibition on the Life and Achievements of Rao Guomu” organized by the Hongyan Revolutionary Memorial Hall. The second floor is arranged as a historical restoration display for visitors. The plaque at the entrance of the “Former Residence of Rao Guomu” was inscribed by a veteran comrade of the former Southern Bureau and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee – Comrade [name omitted].

Source of Information: Chongqing Hongyan Cultural Development Management Center; Author: Liu Liqun