The Former Site of the South Hunan Students' Federation in Hengyang, Hunan

The former site of the South Hunan Students' Federation was originally built in 1902 during the Qing Dynasty as the Floating Bridge Guild Hall. Under the influence of the May Fourth Movement, revolutionaries like Xia Minghan, Jiang Xianyun, and Huang Jingyuan initiated the establishment of the South Hunan Students' Federation (abbreviated as South Hunan Students' Union) in Hengyang. Through a resolution by various sectors, the Floating Bridge Guild Hall was allocated for its use. The former site is the most intact and well-preserved local base for patriotic revolutionary movements of young intellectuals in China. It was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in the seventh batch and is managed by the South Hunan Students' Federation Memorial Museum. The architectural layout follows the typical guild hall style of southern China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, featuring a five-bay width and two rows of buildings, covering an area of 900m² with a floor space of 700m². The structure employs a post-and-lintel framework with small blue-gray tiles, and the main building has a double-eaved gable-and-hip roof. The partition walls are made of fir wood panels, adorned with carved doors and windows, exuding a simple yet elegant charm. In the early days of the Chinese Communist Party, proletarian revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong, He Shuheng, Li Da, Deng Zhongxia, and Yun Daiying frequently visited Hengyang. They disseminated Marxism-Leninism at the South Hunan Students' Federation, established and developed Party and Youth League organizations, and educated and mobilized young students to integrate with workers and peasants.