Former Site of the Huizhou Office of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions

Former Site of the Huizhou Office of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions

The former site of the Huizhou Office of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangdong Province.

The former site of the Huizhou Office of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions is located at No. 9 Dushi Lane, Qiaoxi Subdistrict, Huicheng District. The building faces west and is constructed with blue bricks and tiled roofing. It features a two-courtyard structure with a central patio, comprising eight rooms and two halls, covering an area of about 300 square meters. This site was also the former office of the Huizhou Office of the Guangdong Provincial Peasants Association, the Huizhou Local Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and the Huizhou County Peasants Association.

Since modern times, under the organization of progressive intellectuals, the labor and peasant movements in Huizhou became an important part of Guangdong’s broader movements. In May 1919, workers in Huizhou participated in the May Fourth Movement. After the first National Labor Congress, convened by the Chinese Labor Secretariat in Guangzhou in May 1922, trade union organizations in Huizhou gradually developed into significant social forces. In January 1923, China’s first county-level peasants’ association—the Haifeng General Peasants’ Association—was established. In May, the peasants’ associations of Haifeng, Lufeng, and Huiyang counties expanded to form the Huizhou Peasants’ Federation. By July, this federation grew further into the Guangdong Provincial Peasants’ Association, overseeing associations in six eastern Guangdong counties with over 130,000 members. In October 1925, after the National Revolutionary Army’s second “Eastern Expedition” captured Huizhou, a garrison office was set up to promote labor and peasant movements. Soon after, Communists and Youth League members within the army formed the Huizhou Branch of the Chinese Communist Party, becoming key leaders of the local movements. On October 26, 1925, Huizhou’s first trade union—the Barbers’ Union—was established. This was followed by the formation of ten other unions representing shipbuilding, tailoring, postal workers, oil industry, tea houses, and restaurants (including pastry shops), with a total membership of 2,896. In January 1926, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions established its Huizhou Office to lead labor movements across eight counties: Huiyang, Zijin, Boluo, Heyuan, Longchuan, Heping, Lianping, and Xinfeng. By April 30, the office oversaw 30 unions with 7,885 members. On July 16, 1926, the Federation dissolved the Huizhou Office due to changing circumstances, handing leadership of the labor movement to local worker representative assemblies.

In 1925, the Guangdong Revolutionary Government launched two Eastern Expeditions of the National Revolutionary Army. During this period, the peasant movement in Huizhou strongly supported the army’s efforts. On January 13, 1926, the Guangdong Provincial Peasants’ Association established its Huizhou Office, with Zhu Qi as director and Lu Yaomen as secretary, to unify leadership over peasants’ associations in the region. In September 1926, He Youti took over as director, and the office appointed special commissioners and propagandists for various counties. The office guided the peasant movements in eight counties—Huiyang, Boluo, Heyuan, Longchuan, Zijin, Heping, Lianping, and Xinfeng—helping develop local associations, protect farmers’ interests, and resist oppression and exploitation by landlords and gentry.

The former sites of the Huizhou Office of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the Huizhou Office of the Guangdong Provincial Peasants’ Association are well preserved. They bear witness to Huizhou’s revolutionary history during the Great Revolution period. In 1978, the Huizhou Municipal Government designated the site as a municipal cultural heritage relic, and in 2015, it was listed as a provincial cultural heritage site by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites