Zhang Wei Memorial Pavilion

Zhang Wei Memorial Pavilion

The Zhang Wei Memorial Pavilion is a classic site of red tourism.

The Zhang Wei Memorial Pavilion is located within Longshan Middle School on Longshan Mountain in Luofeng County. Longshan Middle School is a well-known school in Shanwei City. It was established in the sixth year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1741 AD), making it 250 years old. Longshan Middle School not only has a long history but also a glorious revolutionary tradition. During the Great Revolution, the Agrarian Revolution, the War of Resistance Against Japan, and the Liberation War, our Party carried out many revolutionary activities at Longshan Middle School. On the school campus stands a pavilion known as the “Zhang Wei Memorial Pavilion.” This pavilion was originally where Comrade Zhang Wei wrote his farewell letter before his execution. After liberation, the people of Luofeng renovated this pavilion in memory of the revolutionary martyr and named it the “Zhang Wei Memorial Pavilion.”

The pavilion is supported by four large red pillars and houses a stone tablet inscribed with a brief biography of Zhang Wei, along with stone benches and tables. The area around the pavilion is shaded by ancient banyan trees and kapok blossoms, creating a pleasant scenery. In July 1928, Zhang Wei, a follower of Peng Pai and leader of the Guangdong Peasant Movement, was arrested by counter-revolutionary forces in Nantang, Luofeng. In prison, reactionary officials tried to extract confessions through both temptation and torture, but Zhang Wei remained resolute and fearless in the face of death. Realizing that they would gain nothing from him, the reactionaries executed him in August of the same year. Before his execution, Zhang Wei wrote a letter to his mother from the pavilion at Longshan Middle School, which read: “Mother, I am going to die. I die for the revolution, and my death is honorable.” This is the enduring letter left behind by the martyr Zhang Wei.

In 1919, during the May Fourth Movement, Zhang Wei led students from the First Higher Primary School of Luofeng, along with classmates who had returned from Shantou and Guangzhou, in anti-imperialist and patriotic propaganda activities. Faced with unequal treaties, he indignantly declared: “We are the awakening lions of the East, the great Chinese nation!” Taking Peng Pai as his role model, Zhang Wei treasured Peng’s writings and eagerly joined the “Socialist Study Society” organized by Peng. In July 1922, guided by Peng Pai’s principles, Zhang Wei initiated the establishment of the “Luofeng Youth Advancement Society,” calling on young people to follow the path of revolution. In April 1923, when Peng Pai was preparing to establish the General Peasant Association, Zhang Wei actively participated in the peasant movement he led. To ensure that power was given to the peasant association, Zhang Wei engaged in arduous struggles. In February 1925, during the Eastern Expedition launched by the Guangdong Revolutionary Government against the warlord Chen Jiongming, Zhang Wei was appointed as the leader of Group 44. In April, the Luofeng Special Branch of the Communist Youth League of China was established, with Zhang Wei serving as secretary. He also held the position of executive committee member of the Luofeng County Party Department and was elected as an executive committee member of the County Peasant Association. In October, he became the acting county magistrate, demonstrating exceptional administrative talent. During 1927, he personally took part in three armed uprisings, leading efforts to seize political power and declaring the establishment of the County Provisional People's Government. In the same year, he was elected as the Secretary of the Luofeng County Committee of the Communist Party. In August of the following year, Zhang Wei was killed by the enemy at the age of 26. As he walked to the execution ground, he shouted: “Comrades, fight to the end—the final victory belongs to the workers and peasants.”

Shanwei City, Guangdong Province

Zhang Wei (1904–1928), originally named Zhang Xianda, was from Siwang Town, Pingnan County.

Zhang Wei studied from a young age. In 1924, he was admitted to the Presbyterian Middle School in Wuzhou. During his time at the school, he was influenced by progressive ideas and joined the student organization “Promotion Society,” participating in student protests in Wuzhou. As a result, he was expelled by the school authorities before graduation (Presbyterian Middle School was then run by foreigners). Zhang Wei then went to Guangzhou with other progressive classmates. In June 1925, following the “Shaji Massacre,” he joined the anti-imperialist struggle. In March 1926, he returned from Guangzhou... More details about Zhang Wei ++