Former Residence of Ruan Xiaoxian

Former Residence of Ruan Xiaoxian

The former residence of Ruan Xiaoxian is a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a classic red tourism attraction, and a patriotic education base.

The former residence of Ruan Xiaoxian is located in Xiatun Village, Yihetown, Dongyuan County. In 1989, it was designated as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the People's Government of Guangdong Province, and was re-approved and announced by the provincial government in July 2002.

The former residence of Ruan Xiaoxian was originally built during the Qing Dynasty, underwent its first restoration in 1996, and was refurbished and improved by the end of 2004 with ancillary facilities such as protective walls, drainage systems, and landscaping. The architectural structure is a three-courtyard Hakka-style dwelling covering a site area of 2,000 m², with a building floor area of 630 m². Its design features strong Hakka architectural characteristics and style, offering high artistic and aesthetic value.

Comrade Ruan Xiaoxian (1898–1935) joined the revolution early on, became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1921, and held various positions including Secretary of the Communist Youth League Guangdong Regional Committee, Party Affairs Committee Member of the CPC Guangdong Regional Committee, Executive Committee Member of the Guangdong Peasants Association, Secretary of the Peasant Movement Committee, Member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Peasant Movement, Alternate Member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, Member of the Central Review Committee, Director of the Central Audit Committee, Head of the Central Local Organization Department, Secretary of the CPC Gannan Provincial Committee and Political Commissar of the Gannan Military District, and Executive Member of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Soviet Republic. On March 6, 1935, he died a heroic death while leading his troops to break through the Nationalist army’s “encirclement and suppression” campaign in southern Jiangxi. Comrade Ruan Xiaoxian was an outstanding proletarian revolutionary and loyal communist fighter of the Communist Party of China. His life contributed immortal achievements to the cause of the liberation of the Chinese people.

The former residence of Ruan Xiaoxian is 20 kilometers from downtown Heyuan, with convenient water and land transportation. It can accommodate up to 100 visitors at a time and has parking space for over 50 vehicles.

The former residence of Ruan Xiaoxian consists of the Datangmian Old House and the Ruan Xiaoxian Study. The study is located about 200 meters southwest of the Datangmian Old House. The Datangmian Old House is where Ruan Xiaoxian was born and was renovated in 2009. It faces south and is built in a three-courtyard, four-wing layout with a rear wing, characteristic of enclosed Hakka-style dwellings. The central section has a five-bay width and four-courtyard depth, with a total width of 53.1 meters and a total depth of 67.0 meters, covering an area of approximately 3,558 square meters. The architectural layout is asymmetrical, with three wing rooms on the right side of the central ancestral hall and one on the left. Extending from the front of the left wing room is a three-story watchtower with rammed earth walls. The rear wing has two three-story watchtowers on either side, each one bay wide—left tower is two stories high with rammed earth walls, while the right tower is three stories high, with the first two stories being rammed earth and the third story constructed of blue bricks. The building has a flush-gable roof with clay-tiled roofing, decorative eaves with prism-shaped dentil patterns, and exterior walls made of rammed earth. Shooting holes are set at the second-floor level. The inner lower walls are rammed earth, while the upper sections are built with blue bricks and mud bricks, making it a wood-and-earth structure. The entrance gate is concave-shaped, with granite door jambs and lintels, spanning two levels. The corridor beams are exquisitely decorated with floral, bird, and auspicious animal motifs, and the moon beams feature gilded painted bas-reliefs. Wooden pillars directly support the purlins, with lion-shaped pedestals.

The Ruan Xiaoxian Study is where Ruan Xiaoxian studied and lived during his childhood. It was renovated in 2004 and faces southeast. The building consists of a two-courtyard, two-wing layout forming a three-courtyard residence, with a total width of 15.3 meters and a total depth of 37.0 meters, covering a construction area of 566 square meters. It has a flush-gable roof with clay-tiled roofing and decorative eaves with prism-shaped dentil patterns. The walls are made of rammed earth, and the structure is wood-and-earth. The door frame, door jambs, pillars, and steps are made of granite. The wooden components have simple decorations. Granite window frames are embedded in the outer walls.

The former residence of Ruan Xiaoxian is not only a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and one of the few red tourism sites in our city, but also a revolutionary historical and cultural heritage and precious spiritual wealth for the people of the entire county. Designating it as a Guangdong Provincial Patriotic Education Base is of great significance for carrying out patriotic education activities, enhancing the patriotic sentiments of the public—especially the youth—in the new era, promoting and cultivating national spirit, as well as transforming historical and cultural resources into economic advantages to foster the economic development of our county.

The former residence of Ruan Xiaoxian was announced as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Guangdong Provincial Government in July 2002 and as a Dongyuan County Patriotic Education Base by the Dongyuan County Party Committee and County Government. In October 2006, it was designated as a Patriotic Education Base by the Heyuan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government.

Scenic Spot Location

Xiatun Village, Yihetown, Dongyuan County, Heyuan City, Guangdong Province

Ruan Xiaoxian (1897–1935), originally named Xichao, courtesy name Jianbei, art name Ruizong, also known as Chaoyi, was from Heyuan County, Guangdong Province. As a child, he studied in his hometown. In the autumn of the 7th year of the Republic of China (1918), he was admitted to the Mechanical Department of the First Provincial First-Class Industrial School of Guangdong. During his school years, he received enlightenment education in Marxism-Leninism, extensively read progressive publications such as New Youth, actively responded to the May Fourth Movement in Beijing, and organized the Guangzhou Secondary and Higher Schools Student Federation with progressive students such as Zhou Qijian, serving as an executive committee member and leading student movements in the Guangzhou area.

In 1921, Ruan... More details about Ruan Xiaoxian++

Xiatun Village: Located in Yihetown, Dongyuan County, Heyuan City, Xiatun Village is surrounded by undulating mountains to the north, the flowing Dong River to the south, and clusters of Hakka dwellings to the east, with an average elevation of around 220 meters. It is a scenic and traditional Hakka ancient village with simple folk customs. For centuries, villagers have primarily engaged in farming, cultivating 1,079 mu of paddy fields, 660 mu of sloping land, 220 mu of orchards, over 280 mu of fish ponds, 33,096 mu of forested mountain land, and maintaining two reservoirs. The meandering Dong River flows gently past the village, and the lush green bamboo along both banks adds a touch of elegance and brightness to this picturesque riverside village in the south... More details about Xiatun Village++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units