Hui Shui Lou

Hui Shui Lou

Hui Shui Lou is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Guangdong Province.

Hui Shui Lou in Huizhou is the ancestral home of General Ye Ting. The building was constructed in the 5th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty by Ye Chengfa, the great-great-grandson of Ye Tesheung. It features the traditional Hakka architectural style of "three halls and two wings." Hui Shui Lou is located in Zhoutian Village, Qiuchang Subdistrict, Huiyang District, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province. It was built in the 5th year of the Daoguang reign (1825) by Ye Chengfa, the fifth-generation ancestor of the Ye clan from Zhoutian, and is the ancestral home of General Ye Ting. It is a municipal-level cultural heritage site in Huizhou. Nearby historical relics include the former site of Tengyun School, the former residence of General Ye Ting, and Yuying Building.

Hui Shui Lou was built in the 5th year of the Daoguang reign (1825) by Ye Chengfa, the fifth-generation ancestor of the Ye clan from Zhoutian, and features the traditional Hakka architectural style of "three halls and two wings" enclosing a walled compound. It covers a land area of 2,000 square meters, with a built-up area of 1,395.6 square meters. The structure faces east and is positioned along a west-east axis. The single-unit depth is 19.09 meters, and the width is 9.6 meters, with the building itself occupying approximately 183.3 square meters. The entire structure is rectangular, with earthen walls on the exterior. The front has one main door, and the windows feature Western-style plaster decorations. Hui Shui Lou was designed to accommodate over 100 residents, but with social development, all have since relocated. Currently, no one lives in the building. Years of natural disasters, water damage, and lack of maintenance have led to parts of the structure becoming dilapidated and hazardous.

Revolutionary Site

Hui Shui Lou, the former site of the Zhoutian Branch of the Communist Youth League, became significant after the failure of the Great Revolution when the Party shifted its focus to rural areas. In the summer of 1928, Communist Party member Ye Fensheng conducted underground activities at Xiangshan Rural Normal School, developing the Communist Youth League organization and recruiting progressive youth Ye Wenhua as the first member. After joining, Ye Wenhua was tasked with returning to his hometown, Zhoutian Village in Danshui, during the summer vacation to run evening classes, promote revolutionary ideals, and recruit new members. He initially brought in Ye Jixiang and Liao Siguang. Later, he recruited around twenty to thirty more members, including Ye Qingrong, Liao Yumei, Liao Foru, Liao Rongsheng, Ye Zhenyun, Ye Yingfang, Ye Ruimei, and Ye Qin, establishing the Zhoutian Branch of the Communist Youth League. The branch was housed in Hui Shui Lou, with Ye Wenhua and Ye Jixiang serving as successive secretaries. After its establishment, the Zhoutian Branch took on crucial revolutionary tasks and played an active role in the struggle. Using Liao's residence as a base, the branch operated evening literacy classes, organized peasant associations, and spread revolutionary ideas. They also established secret liaison stations to shelter and assist leaders of the Provincial, Special, and County Party Committees who entered the mainland from Hong Kong. Later, they set up an underground communication station, with Youth League members facilitating contact between the Danshui District Committee and the Huizhou underground Party communication hub, transferring and safeguarding intelligence and documents. In addition, the Zhoutian Branch supported the Party's propaganda efforts by opposing the Nationalist army’s “encirclement and suppression” campaigns against the Red Army and Soviet areas, resisting oppression and exploitation by landlords and gentry, and mobilizing the masses to resist rent and taxes. Utilizing market days in Danshui and temple fairs in Zhoutian and Shakeng, members organized speeches, distributed leaflets, and held events to persuade Nationalist soldiers to defect while advocating for land revolution and the establishment of a Soviet government. They also ventured into rural areas to encourage young people to join the Red Army and guerrilla forces, mobilizing the public to donate comfort items for the troops. To support the anti-encirclement efforts in the Soviet areas, the Zhoutian Youth League organized youth to cut down telegraph poles, sever wires, destroy roads, and burn bridges. Night raids were frequently carried out to sabotage enemy transportation and communication lines, attacking and harassing enemy forces.

Planned to Become a Generals' Museum

Hui Shui Lou in Zhoutian Village, Qiuchang, Huiyang District will be developed into the Zhoutian Generals’ Museum. The public is invited to contribute historical documents and artifacts related to the revolutionary history and revolutionary figures of Zhoutian Village. The submission period runs from now until the end of August this year. High-value submissions may be rewarded accordingly.

According to announcements, the collection will primarily include documentary materials, oral accounts, and physical artifacts. Documentary materials should authentically record and reflect the revolutionary struggle history of Zhoutian Village (including present-day Zhoutian, Guanshan, and Shuangtian Villages) and the revolutionary deeds of figures during the Xinhai Revolution, Agrarian Revolution, War of Resistance Against Japan, and Liberation War. These may consist of historical books, manuscripts, newspapers, magazines, and paper archives. Oral accounts refer to testimonies and memoirs provided by witnesses and informed individuals. Physical artifacts include personal belongings, daily utensils, agricultural tools, calligraphy and paintings, letters, old photographs, certificates, medals, and other items used by Zhoutian natives who participated in these revolutions, were martyrs, or contributed to the cause.

Zhoutian Village: Zhoutian Village embodies the “millennial Hakka culture, century-old red legacy,” and overseas Chinese heritage within a single village. It is the site of the former residences of Ye Yalai, Ye Ting, and Liao Siguang. Known as a village of revolution, it produced six generals across modern bourgeois and proletarian revolutions, along with over forty proletarian revolutionary martyrs. The Ye Ting Memorial Park, standing proudly in Zhoutian Village, is a national patriotic education base, integrating Hakka culture, overseas Chinese culture, red culture, and natural ecological resources into a classic coastal red tourism destination. In May 2014, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development awarded Zhou... More details about Zhoutian Village++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites