Wulang Family School – the Former Guerrilla Tax Station at Dapianmei

Wulang Family School – the Former Guerrilla Tax Station at Dapianmei

Wulang Family School – the Former Guerrilla Tax Station at Dapianmei is located in Dawei, Dapianmei Village, Dalingshan Town. GPS coordinates: 22°54'05.7", 113°48'43.6", elevation 31 meters.

The site faces west to east, covering an area 11.6 meters long and 14.1 meters wide, with a total area of approximately 163 square meters. It is a Qing Dynasty structure consisting of one courtyard, one entryway, and four parallel rooms.

In December 1943, after the establishment of the Dongjiang Column of the Guangdong People’s Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces, the column headquarters decided to set up a Western Route Taxation Headquarters to break through the economic blockade imposed by Japanese and puppet troops and ensure supplies for the troops. Sub-taxation stations were established across various locations. The Dapianmei Tax Station was one of the sub-stations under the Dongguan Central Station of the Western Route Taxation Headquarters. During the day, tax officers went to market towns such as Lianping, Dashan, Datang, and Yangwu to collect taxes, returning to the station in the evening to deposit the funds, which were then forwarded to the Western Route Headquarters. In addition to tax collection, the officers also conducted anti-Japanese propaganda in local villages, organized resistance groups such as Farmer Resistance Associations, Youth Resistance Associations, and militia units, encouraged civilians to assist the guerrillas in gathering and relaying intelligence, and motivated people to enlist and join the fight.

In the winter of 1945, when the Kuomintang launched the civil war in an attempt to seize the fruits of the anti-Japanese victory, the democratic anti-Japanese regime in Dalingshan Mountain went underground, and the tax station could no longer operate openly. The officers also went into hiding. In June 1946, when the Dongjiang Column withdrew northward, the tax station was disbanded.

The site was designated as a Dongguan Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Dongguan Municipal People’s Government in January 2004.

Dapianmei Village: Dapianmei Village is located about 3 kilometers southwest of the Dalingshan Town government seat. It borders Longjiang Village and Ailinkeng Village to the east, connects to Dalingshan Village to the south, leans against Jinjizui Reservoir to the west, and adjoins Baihuadong Village and Taigongling Village to the north. The village covers a total area of 2.6 square kilometers, including 150 mu (approximately 10 hectares) of cultivated land and 1,300 mu (approximately 86.7 hectares) of forested land. The Hou-Da Road runs from northwest to southeast through the central part of the village.

Legend has it that Dapianmei Village was established during the Shunzhi era (1457) of the Ming Dynasty. There was once a 700-mu stretch of flat fields to the west of the village. As the village was built at the far end of these fields, it was originally named “Datianwei” (Big Field End). It was later renamed “Dapianwei” (Big Flat End)… More information about Dapianmei Village++