Struggle for hundreds of years, set sail for a new journey

Recently, the reporter visited Niangniang Palace, the former site of Changxindian YebanTonshu School, located at No. 145, Changxindian Street. There used to be a tall gate in front of the palace. On the forehead of the palace was a stone plaque engraved with "The First Palace of the Imperial Palace". To the west is the tall and magnificent main hall with a platform that can accommodate two to three thousand people. There are five matching halls in the north and south. This is now the location of Changxindian No. 1 Primary School. In the small courtyard of the current school, only the north hall of the Niangniang Palace has been preserved.

The north hall of the Niangniang Palace used to be the place where classes were held in the popular school for night shifts workers. Now the special exhibition"Eye of the Storm" is set up. The west wall displays the banners of"Celebrating the Victory of the Changxindian Strike" and "Aid toHong Kong Seamen". The walls are followed by "ride on a donkey to parade", "workers night shift popular school class", "celebrate the establishment of the Changxindian Railway WorkersAssociation", "celebrate the victory of the Changxindian RailwayWorkers Strike", and "Changxindian in the Great Strike of the JinghanRailway Workers". The east wall is memorabilia of the popular school for night shifts workers.

The former site of the popular school for night shifts for workers carries the tragic history of the early Chinese labor movement and the courageous "February 7spirit". On May 6, 1919, after the May Fourth Movement broke out, Changxindian railway workers organized the National Salvation Ten People's Group and the Federation of All walks of life in the Niangniang Palace to support the struggle of patriotic students and held demonstrations, street lectures, boycotts of Japanese goods and other activities. On December 14, people from all walks of life in Changxindian held a "National Assembly" in Niangniang Palace to protest the shooting and killing of Chinese students by the Japanese Residents in Fuzhou, and passed resolutions to punish Japanese and boycott Japanese goods. Six students from Peking University Civilian Education Lecture Group attended and delivered speeches.

At the beginning of 1920, the popular night school founded by workers Shi Wenbin, Tao Shancong and others moved from Beiqiang Hutong to Niangniang Palace. Peking Universitycivilian education lecture group led by Deng Zhongxia and others often came here to promote and give lectures and inspire workers' consciousness. On May 1, 1921, the railway workers of Changxindian held a May Day celebration at theNiangniang Palace and established the Changxindian Railway Workers Association of the Jinghan Railway. Both the Changxindian Railway Workers' Strike in 1922 and the Changxindian Workers' Participation in the Beijing-Han Railway Workers'Strike in 1923 were held in Niangniang Palace.

In this period of history, it is worth mentioning that in August 1922, the Changxindian Workers' Club submitted 8 requests to the Beijing Railway Administration to improve living conditions, but the authorities did not receive a reply. On August 23, Deng Zhongxia announced a strike order. On the 24th, more than 3,000 workers gathered in front of the Niangniang Palace to hold a strike meeting to cut off traffic between the North and the South. The authorities sent troops to suppress it, but the workers were not afraid. With the support of Zhengzhou, Jiang'an labor unions and workers from all walks of life including Jingsui, Jingfeng and Zhengtai, the strike was victorious. At the celebration meeting, Deng Zhongxia concluded: This victory has shown our strength of unity. We cannot be satisfied. We have only taken the first step, and the second step has not yet been taken. We must unite and move forward. After the meeting, more than 3,000 workers held a massive demonstration. On the first locomotive bound for Wuhan after the resumption of work, the workers hung a red flag "to celebrate the victory of the Changxindian strike" and fluttered all the way to Hankou.

The victory of the Changxindian Railway Workers' strikes greatly inspired the fighting spirit of the working class and became the starting point of the Northern Railway Workers' strike. The tide of strike struggle suddenly rose in the eyes of the storm in Changxindian and swept across Jingfeng Road, Jingsui Road, and Zhengtai. Road and other northern railway main lines, the wind roared, thunder roared, and the first labor movement climax roared.

In 1949, the gate tower and main hall of the Niangniang Palace were demolished due to the collapse and rebuilt as the campus of the No. 1 Primary School in the center of Changxindian Town. In 1988, the South Pei Hall was also demolished due to severe damage. Only the North Pei Hall remains on the existing site. The former site of the popular school for night shifts for workers is one of the sites of the "February 7" strike in Changxindian. In 2013, the former site of Changxindian's “February 7th” strike was announced by the State Council as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Service tips

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 8:00-15:00 (12:00-13:00 closed for sanitation, no entry at 14:30) The old site is located on the campus. If the opening hours need to be adjusted temporarily due to the arrangement of teaching work, there will be notice in advance

Address: No. 145, Changxindian Street, Fengtai District.

Transport: Take No. 329, No. 339, No. 391, No. 459, No. 896, No. 897, No. 952, No.983 to Changxindian South Exit Station, and walk about 200 meters to arrive.

How to make an appointment: Follow the WeChat official account of "Beijing Fengtai" and click on"Venue Appointment" at the bottom of the homepage.

Translated by YAO Yuhou

Edited by WANG Jingyan