Former Site of the Political Department of the Eastern Expeditionary Army

Former Site of the Political Department of the Eastern Expeditionary Army

The former site of the Political Department of the Eastern Expeditionary Army is a cultural relic protection unit of Wuhua County.

The former site of the Political Department of the Eastern Expeditionary Army is located at the ancestral hall of the Zeng family, situated beside Shizhutang in the Cross Street of Huacheng Town, Wuhua County. Built in the late Qing Dynasty, the ancestral hall is a quadrangle compound-style structure featuring five bays in width, three courtyards in depth, with walls made of lime-sand rammed earth, floors of either lime-sand or stone bricks, and a flush gable roof. It covers a construction area of 420 square meters. The gate wall and hall walls are inlaid with exquisitely crafted stone reliefs depicting figures and stories, featuring unique compositions.

In February 1925, during the first Eastern Expedition against the warlord Chen Jiongming, the Political Department of the Eastern Expeditionary Army was stationed here in Huacheng Town, the county seat of Wuhua. Zhou Enlai, the head of the Political Department, resided in a staff dormitory of the county government not far from this site. The Expeditionary Army extensively mobilized and engaged with the masses, encouraging teachers and students of Wuhua Middle School to join the revolutionary cause, exposing corrupt officials, cracking down on local despots and gentry, appointing the democratic figure Wen Qifan as the county magistrate, and establishing the Democratic Revolutionary Government of Wuhua County.

The existing building is relatively well-preserved.

In 1994, it was designated as a cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Wuhua County.

Huacheng Town: I. Overview: Huacheng Town is a key town in the northern part of Wuhua County, Guangdong Province, covering an area of 247.48 square kilometers. It administers 34 administrative villages and 3 neighborhood committees. By the end of 2005, the town had over 33,000 households and a population of more than 112,000. II. Geographic Location: Huacheng Town is located in the northern part of Wuhua County and the southwest of Meizhou City. National Highway 205, the Guangzhou-Meizhou-Shantou Railway, and the Meizhou-He River Expressway run east-west across the territory. It is 27 kilometers from the county seat (Shuizhai), 76 kilometers from Meizhou City, and serves as a strategic corridor connecting Meizhou with the Pearl River Delta region. III. Historical Background: Huacheng is... [More detailed information about Huacheng Town++]