Site of the Xiaobian Peasant Association

Site of the Xiaobian Peasant Association

The Site of the Xiaobian Peasant Association is located in Xiaobian Village, Chang’an Town, Dongguan City, and consists of three structures: the Cai Clan Ancestral Hall at Qiyi Hall, the General Mountain Temple, and the Cai Clan Ancestral Hall at Dexin Hall. These three buildings were originally constructed around the years 1580, 1680, and 1850, respectively. Among them, the Cai Clan Ancestral Hall at Qiyi Hall was renovated in 1937, and the General Mountain Temple was renovated in 1984. The Cai Clan Ancestral Hall at Qiyi Hall features a brown stone platform, blue bricks, white tiles, stone carvings of auspicious clouds on the roof ridges, vivid stone lions on both sides of the front pillars, and exquisitely crafted wooden carvings and lifelike murals under the beams. With high and airy spaces, excellent lighting, and ventilation, it is a typical example of traditional clan ancestral hall architecture in the rural areas of Lingnan. The Cai Clan Ancestral Hall at Qiyi Hall covers an area of 525 square meters, the General Mountain Temple covers 522 square meters, and the Dexin Hall covers 600 square meters.

During the period of the Great Revolution, the peasant movement in Xiaobian flourished under the leadership of figures such as Cai Ruping and Cai Rixin. In October 1924, the Xiaobian Peasant Association was established, with Cai Tingqian and Cai Manfu serving as leaders. In November of the same year, the First District Peasant Association of Dongguan County was formed, with Cai Ruping as the chairman, Li Haidong as the vice-chairman, overseeing villages including Xiaobian, Jinsha, Yongtou, Xianxi, and Wusha, and boasting several hundred members. A peasant self-defense army was also established, consisting of over 30 members, with Li Haidong also serving as its captain. On the day the Peasant Association was founded, the meeting was held in a ancestral hall at the foot of General Mountain in Xiaobian, with a red flag bearing a plow emblem flying in the wind. The venue was surrounded by slogans such as “Down with the local tyrants and evil gentry,” along with cartoons exposing the exploitation of peasants by landlords and gentry. Revolutionary songs like “Down with the imperialists, overthrow the warlords” echoed loudly through the venue, while cheers of “Warmly celebrate the establishment of the First District Peasant Association” energized the crowd. Members proudly wore round badges featuring a bronze plow and red flag, as well as cloth armbands marked “First District Peasant Association,” and joyfully participated in the assembly. At that time, Communist Party members Peng Pai and Ruan Xiaoxian, attending as special envoys of the peasant movement, traveled specially from Guangzhou to join the founding conference of the First District Peasant Association and delivered speeches, praising the establishment of the Xiaobian Peasant Association as setting an example for the peasant movement in Dongguan. Cai Ruping also spoke at the event. In the evening, a celebration gathering was held where Peng Pai performed a Cantonese comedy sketch that amused the audience, and Cai Ruping performed a double act that exposed the ugliness of imperialism and warlords, earning warm applause from the attendees.

At that time, the office of the Xiaobian Peasant Association was located at Dexin Hall. The office of the First District Peasant Association of Dongguan County and the peasant self-defense army shared space at Qiyi Hall, while the Strike Cultivation Committee under the leadership of the Peasant Association was stationed at the General Mountain Temple. After its establishment, the Xiaobian Peasant Association focused on maintaining public security, punishing lawbreakers, and caring for the welfare of peasants. It supported schools, allowing children from poor families to attend for free, and provided care for widows, orphans, and the elderly through the Peasant Association. At the same time, the Association led peasants in rent and interest reduction efforts and struggles against local tyrants. It also emphasized training key personnel. From January 1 to April 3, 1925, the Kuomintang Central Committee held the Third Peasant Movement Training Institute in Guangzhou, and the Xiaobian Peasant Association sent several individuals, including Cai Li and Cai Zhao, to study there. Through their studies, they not only deepened their understanding of the peasant movement but also mastered the basics of military struggle, further consolidating the Xiaobian Peasant Association. The years from 1924 to the autumn of 1926 marked the growth period of the Peasant Association. As one of the earlier regions in Dongguan to establish a Peasant Association, Xiaobian became a central hub of the peasant movement in the county. In April 1927, as the Great Revolution shifted from its climax to failure, Communist Party member Cai Rixin was executed, leading to the suspension of activities of the Xiaobian Peasant Association and a temporary suppression of the peasant movement in Xiaobian. During the Anti-Japanese War, the General Mountain Temple also served as one of the activity sites for the Dongjiang Column.

In 1996, the Cai Clan Ancestral Hall at Qiyi Hall and the General Mountain Temple were designated as part of the first batch of town-level cultural heritage protection units by the People’s Government of Chang’an Town, Dongguan City. In 1999, the Cai Clan Ancestral Hall at Dexin Hall was listed as part of the second batch of town-level cultural heritage protection units by the same government.

(Xie Baocai, Chang’an Town Cultural Station; Guo Xiaolei, Chang’an Town Propaganda Office)

Chang’an Town: Located at the southernmost tip of Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, Chang’an Town borders the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone to the east, faces the Pearl River Estuary to the south, connects to the ancient Humen Fortress to the west, and leans against the scenic Lianhua Mountain to the north. It is traversed by the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway, National Highway 107, and Provincial Highway C358, making it the southern gateway for transportation between Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Shenzhen. Covering a total area of 83 square kilometers, the town administers 13 village (residents’) committees, with a registered population of over 35,000, a migrant population of more than 600,000, and over 30,000 compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

After more than 20 years of development and construction since the reform and opening-up, Chang’an Town has initially achieved the transition from agriculture to... More detailed information about Chang’an Town++