Former Residence of Yu Zehong

Former Residence of Yu Zehong

The Former Residence of Yu Zehong is a national AAA-level tourist attraction, a cultural relic protection unit of Changning County, and a classic red tourism site.

Former Residence of Yu Zehong

The Former Residence of Yu Zehong is located on the mountainside of Da Wotuo, Group 2, Zehong Village, Meidong Town, Changning County. It is 2 kilometers from Meidong Town and 48 kilometers from Changning County. The site is accessible by road.

Yu Zehong (1903–1935) was a native of Changning County. He joined the Communist Youth League in 1922 through the introduction of Yun Daiying and became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1925. From 1927 to 1930, Yu served in Wuhan as the Propaganda Minister of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC, among other positions. He then worked in Shanghai as the Secretary to the Organization Department and the Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee. In Tianjin, he served successively as the Propaganda Minister of the Northern Bureau of the CPC and the Shunzhi Provincial Committee. In 1931, he traveled from Shanghai to Jiangxi to assist Deng Xiaoping. Later, he participated in the Long March with the Central Red Army. In February 1935, during the Long March to Zhaxi in Yunnan, Yu Zehong served as the Propaganda Minister of the Sichuan-South Special Committee of the CPC (later renamed the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Border Region Special Committee of the CPC); he also acted as the Political Director of the Sichuan-South Guerrilla Column of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army (later renamed the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Border Region Guerrilla Column of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army). In July 1935, he was appointed Secretary of the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Border Region Special Committee of the CPC and Political Commissar of the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou Border Region Guerrilla Column of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. On the night of March 14, 1935, he led his troops to his hometown, staying at the Former Residence of Yu Zehong and surrounding homes, mobilizing relatives and locals, and issuing their manifesto. Female Red Army soldier Li Guiying once hid in the Former Residence of Yu Zehong for several months, evading multiple searches. Later, the residence became the office of the Meidong District Committee of the CPC and a liaison point for the Red Army guerrilla column. During this time, the residence was raided by enemy forces six times, and four family members were detained. In early December, due to successive military setbacks, he led his troops in a transfer and was fatally shot on the morning of December 15 on Wan changpo in Jiang’an County. His remains were buried on the eastern hillside of the county town. In 1955, Yu Zehong was recognized as a revolutionary martyr by the State Council. In 1958, the People’s Government of Changning County relocated his remains to the Changning County Martyrs' Cemetery.

The Former Residence of Yu Zehong is simple and elegant, exemplifying the traditional architectural style of southern Sichuan. With a history of over 200 years, the house covers an area of about 500 square meters, comprising 21 earthen-and-wood-structured tile-roofed rooms. It is surrounded by mountains and dense bamboo forests. In 2005, it was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Changning County.

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