Chongqing Guiyuan

Chongqing Guiyuan

Chongqing Guiyuan is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Guiyuan, located at No. 65 Zhongshan 4th Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing (formerly No. 107 De’anli), is now the Guiyuan Exhibition Hall of the Chongqing Hongyan Revolutionary Memorial. The garden covers a total area of 800 square meters. It features a one-and-a-half-story Sino-Western brick-and-wood building facing south, approximately 13 meters wide, 13 meters deep, and 11 meters high, covering a ground area of 273 square meters. Upon entering, there is a hallway and cloakroom, with the living room to the right. Behind the living room are two small rooms used as the secretary’s office and restroom. To the right is the dining room, and behind that is the kitchen. The upstairs contains bedrooms, which are symmetrically arranged relative to the downstairs rooms. At the back of the building, several single-story rooms to the north serve as the guardhouse, with the garage on the left. Guiyuan was originally the property of Guan Jiyu, who was part of Kong Xiangxi’s network (at the time, Guan was the head of the Finance Ministry, later promoted to vice minister and then minister). In December 1937, after the Nationalist government relocated to Chongqing, Chen Cheng rented it as his official residence. The following year, when Zhang Zhizhong was transferred from being the Hunan provincial chairman to become director of the First Bureau of the Chief of Staff of the National Military Council (in charge of military affairs), he arranged with Chen Cheng to rent Guiyuan instead, due to its proximity to the Bureau, and continued to reside there until the victory of the War of Resistance.

On August 28, 1945, Mao Zedong traveled from Yan’an to Chongqing for negotiations. Considering Mao’s safety, Zhou Enlai borrowed Guiyuan from Zhang Zhizhong, making it the primary site for activities by Mao, Zhou, and others during the negotiations between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang. Mao’s main mission in Chongqing was to negotiate, and he had six face-to-face meetings with Chiang Kai-shek. During the negotiations involving designated representatives Zhou Enlai, Wang Ruofei, Wang Shijie, Zhang Qun, Zhang Zhizhong, and Shao Lizi, Mao was sometimes also present. Although most discussions were held at Chiang Kai-shek’s former residence at No. 101 De’anli, informal contacts often took place at Guiyuan. Guiyuan remained the center of the entire negotiation process from beginning to end. After 43 days of talks, an agreement was finally reached. At 6 p.m. on October 10, 1945, the signing ceremony of the famous Double Tenth Agreement (also known as the Summary of Talks Between the Government and the CCP Representatives) was held at Guiyuan. Zhang Zhizhong was a renowned general from the Whampoa clique, having participated in the January 28th Incident resistance in Shanghai in 1931 and served as commander-in-chief during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937. He was a close friend of senior CCP leaders such as Zhou Enlai, and for a long time played the role of mediator amid the complex relationship between the two parties, consistently striving to maintain unity between them and exerting a positive stabilizing influence. In 1977, an exhibition was held at Guiyuan, which was then opened to the public. It was designated as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit in July 1980 and was announced as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council in 2001.

Address: No. 65 Zhongshan 4th Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing (next to Qiujing High School)

Type: Former Residence of a Celebrity

Recommended Visiting Time: 1–2 hours

Phone: 023-63862467

Opening Hours:

9:00-16:30

Ticket Information:

Free admission. Entry is free, but visitors must collect a ticket.

Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976), also known as Runzhi (originally Yongzhi, later changed to Runzhi), with the pen name Ziren. A native of Xiangtan, Hunan, he was the leader of the Chinese people, a Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist, and theorist, and one of the principal founders and leaders of the Communist Party of China, the People’s Liberation Army, and the People’s Republic of China, as well as a poet and calligrapher. From 1949 to 1976, Mao served as the paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China. His contributions to the development of Marxism-Leninism, military theory, and… More details about Mao Zedong++

Chen Cheng (1898–1965), courtesy name Cixiu, childhood name Dexin, also known as Shisou, was from Gao Shi Township, Qingtian. After graduating from his local Yangzheng Primary School, he attended the 11th Provincial Normal School in Lishui. In 1918, he transferred and graduated from a provincial physical education school after just one month. Coinciding with his father’s old friend and fellow townsman General Du Zhiyun being elected as a member of parliament, Chen sought help and, using a forged Lishui Middle School diploma, sat for the Baoding Military Academy entrance exam under a false name, but failed due to poor performance. However, through Du Zhiyun’s intervention with the examiners, he entered the preparatory class of the 8th Artillery Class of Baoding Military Academy. In 1920, during the Zhili-Anhui War, the military… More details about Chen Cheng++

Zhang Zhizhong

(1890–1969)

Born on October 27, 1890, in Chaohu, Anhui Province, into a poor family. He studied at a private school, worked as an apprentice, a reserve soldier, and a policeman. After the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, he went to Shanghai to join the student army. In 1912, he entered the Second Reserve Officers' School of the Army, and upon graduation, advanced to the Second Class of Infantry at Baoding Military Academy. After graduating in 1916, he was assigned to serve as a probationary officer in the “Anwu Army” of Anhui, then went to Guangzhou to join Sun Yat-sen and participated in the 0 Movement. Later, he served as chief of staff of the Third Independent Brigade of the Sichuan Army, assisting the Guangxi Army… More details about Zhang Zhizhong++

Zhou Enlai was a Marxist, proletarian revolutionary, politician, military strategist, and diplomat. He was one of the main leaders of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Republic of China, one of the founders of the People’s Liberation Army, and Premier of the People’s Republic of China (1949–1976). Originally from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, he was born in Huai’an, Jiangsu. After graduating from Nankai School in Tianjin in 1917, he went to Japan to study. He returned to China in 1919, joined Nankai University in September, became a leader among Tianjin students during the May Fourth Movement, and co-founded the progressive group Awakening Society with other activists… More details about Zhou Enlai++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units