Hechuan Tao Xingzhi Memorial Hall

Hechuan Tao Xingzhi Memorial Hall

Hechuan Tao Xingzhi Memorial Hall is a classic red tourism attraction.

Yucai School was an important site where the Southern Bureau conducted work among the educational and cultural circles during the War of Resistance against Japan.

On July 20, 1939, the Yucai School founded by Tao Xingzhi opened at the Ancient Sage Temple on Phoenix Mountain in Caojiezi, Hechuan, Chongqing. Its students were war-displaced children from 15 provinces. The school taught according to the students’ interests and strengths, and in addition to core subjects, offered groups in music, drama, literature, and more. Tao Xingzhi clearly defined the school’s mission: “To use the principles and methods of life education to nurture outstanding children among the displaced, and to develop them into talents for the War of Resistance and national reconstruction.”

In accordance with Zhou Enlai’s instructions, the Southern Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party established a directly affiliated underground Party branch at Yucai to help Tao Xingzhi run the school well. Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying, Dong Biwu, Wu Yuzhang, Deng Yingchao, and others left their footprints at Yucai School, while Jian Bozan, Ai Qing, Dai Ailian, Tian Han, Shi Liang, and He Luting once taught here. Of the 600-plus Yucai teachers and students, over 300 joined the underground Communist Party organization. During the 1947 Chongqing student movement, Yucai students played a pivotal role.

The Tao Xingzhi Memorial Hall, located at the former site of Yucai School, features a classical Chinese architectural design that combines commemoration and exhibition, as well as education and tourism.

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