Site of Feng Yunshan’s Former Residence

Site of Feng Yunshan’s Former Residence

The site of Feng Yunshan’s former residence is a cultural tourism attraction.

The site of Feng Yunshan’s former residence is located in Heluodi Village, Xinhua Town, Huadu District, Guangzhou. Feng Yunshan’s ancestral home was originally a large house built in the “nine halls and eighteen courtyards” style. After the Jintian Uprising in 1851, it was burned down by Qing troops, leaving only parts of the foundation walls, which are about fifteen to sixteen meters deep and wide. In front of the residence there used to be a pond called Jiurutang, with a base made of lime concrete, covering an area of about two mu, but it no longer exists. Not far from the front, there used to be a pool in the nearby small river called Shijiao Pool, with clear water. It was the place where Hong Xiuquan performed baptisms with Li Jingfang, Feng Yunshan, and others when he founded the “God Worshipping Society.” By the mid-1960s, it had been filled in and turned into paddy fields. Now, only a mountain stream remains.

Feng Yunshan (1822–1852) was born here. In his early years, he worked as a private tutor for several years. In 1843, he co-founded the “God Worshipping Society” with Hong Xiuquan and engaged in revolutionary activities. The following year, he went with Hong Xiuquan to Guixian County in Guangxi, then entered the Zijing Mountain area to carry out revolutionary propaganda, organizing local poor farmers and charcoal workers to join the “God Worshipping Society,” and recruiting Yang Xiuqing, Xiao Chaogui, and others as key members. When the Jintian Uprising broke out in 1851, he was appointed Deputy Preceptor of the Vanguard Army and led the Rear Army as its commander. In December of the same year, he was named the South King in Yong’an Prefecture and tasked with formulating government decrees such as the “Taiping Military Ranks,” “Taiping Ritual System,” and “Taiping Calendar.” In June 1852, he was wounded in battle in Quanzhou, Guangxi, and died at Suoyidu.

In July 1962, it was designated as a cultural relics protection unit by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province.