Yuan Dushi Temple – Site of Dongguan County General Labor Union

Yuan Dushi Temple – Site of Dongguan County General Labor Union

Yuan Dushi Temple – Site of Dongguan County General Labor Union is located in the north area of Dongguan Middle School, Guancheng Subdistrict. GPS coordinates: latitude 23°02'45.4", longitude 113°45'15.9", elevation 50 meters.

In 1926, labor union organizations emerged rapidly across Dongguan. By December, 35 unions had been established in Guancheng, with a total membership of 8,034. Shilong saw the formation of 40 unions with 5,266 members, and Taiping had 18 unions with 1,817 members. The county had 3 labor union federations, 93 grassroots unions, and 15,117 members in total, marking an increase of more than sixfold compared to the first half of 1925.

In January 1927, the Dongguan Local Executive Committee of the Communist Party of China, responding to the evolving needs of the labor movement, unified the three independent labor union federations in Guancheng, Shilong, and Taiping into a centralized organization, establishing a central base for the county’s labor struggle. On January 18, the Dongguan County General Labor Union was officially founded at Yuan Dushi Temple, the former meeting place of the Guancheng Labor Union Federation. Chen Zhaokui served as chairman, with Lai Chengji, Li Runsen, Tan Ming, Chen Manzhang, You Tongshi, Li Guiwang, Yang Zaiwen, Jiang Quanxi, and Zhang Di as executive committee members.

After its establishment, the County General Labor Union mobilized workers to resist the oppression and exploitation of capitalists and fought back against attacks by the Kuomintang. It also organized evening schools for workers, training a large number of worker leaders, and set up worker training programs taught by Communist Party members such as Chen Zhaokui and Li Henian, with dozens of union cadres participating. To maintain social order and protect workers’ interests, many grassroots unions formed worker patrols, creating an organized workforce under the leadership of the Communist Party. The expansion of union organizations and the growing membership greatly advanced the labor movement in Dongguan.

Yuan Dushi Temple was demolished in 1953, and buildings such as student dormitories for Dongguan Middle School were constructed on the site. It was demolished and rebuilt again in the 1980s, and is now an open space to the left of the Gonggong Shrine in the north area of Dongguan Middle School.