Zhou Libo’s Former Residence

　　Zhou Libo’s former residence is a typical farmhouse with distinctive features of the mountainous countryside in Yiyang. It has six bays and five rooms, built with a brick-and-wood structure and covered with small blue tiles. It was constructed by Zhou Libo’s grandfather in the late Qing Dynasty. The wings on both sides served as living quarters, while the central area functioned as a communal hall. In front of the house lies a pond, and behind it are bamboo groves and tea tree-covered hills, which remain lush and green all year round, creating a beautiful and fresh environment. On August 9, 1908, Zhou Libo was born in this tranquil and elegant farmhouse. From his birth until he graduated from elementary school, he lived with his parents in the old Zhou family house. It wasn’t until he turned 16 and was admitted to the First Middle School of Changsha that he left his hometown to embark on his revolutionary journey.

　　Zhou Libo’s father, Zhou Xianti, was a poor rural teacher who had served as a general affairs officer at Longzhou Academy and as the principal of Zhou Family Feiying Primary School. He passed away in 1942. Zhou Libo was the third among his brothers. His original name was Shao Yi, with the courtesy name Fengxiang. It is said that before giving birth, Zhou Libo’s mother, Liu Zhaozhen, had a beautiful dream in which she saw a magnificent phoenix flying around the woods behind their house and finally perching on a tea tree. Upon waking and giving birth to a boy, the couple was overjoyed and named him Fengxiang. Shao Yi was his formal given name, where “Shao” indicated his generational rank and “Yi” signified “a phoenix arriving as an auspicious omen.” “Libo” was the pen name Zhou Shao Yi later used when publishing his literary works. “Libo” is the transliteration of the English word “liberty.”

　　Due to years of neglect, the old Zhou family house had become dilapidated and could no longer bear the weight of time. Now, the Yiyang Municipal Government has listed it as a municipal-level cultural relic protection site. In the winter of 2001, funds were allocated for renovation, with efforts made to restore it to its original appearance. Several exhibition rooms have since been set up in the former residence to showcase the writer’s lifelong dedication to the revolution and his literary works created for workers, peasants, and soldiers.

　　Zhou Libo (1908~1979)　　 People’s Writer Zhou Libo (1908–1979), originally named Zhou Shao Yi, was from Dengshiqiao, Heshan District, Yiyang City, and a renowned writer. In 1932, he joined the League of Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai and also became a member of the Chinese Communist Party. In 1939, he went to Yan’an to teach at the Lu Xun Academy of Arts and later transferred to work at the Liberation Daily. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he compiled his field interview records and diaries from his time in the war zones, producing a series of reportage literature works. In 1946, he participated in land reform in Yuanbao Town, Zhuhe County (now Shangzhi County), Songjiang Province (now Heilongjiang Province), where he wrote the outstanding full-length novel “The Tempest,” which reflects the land reform movement in the history of modern Chinese literature... Details+