Changsha Free Travel

Visited Yuelu Academy, Aiwan Pavilion, Orange Isle, Qingshuitang, and Yang Kaihui's Former Residence in Changsha.

Yuelu Academy. Yuelu Academy ticket is 40 yuan, free for those aged 65 and above.

Yuelu Academy is located at the foot of the east side of Yuelu Mountain on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River in Changsha City, Hunan Province. It is an ancient traditional academy building and one of the four famous academies in Chinese history.

In Chinese history, academies were a unique educational institution. They sprouted in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, continued in the Yuan Dynasty, became widespread in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and were reformed into new-style schools at the end of the Qing Dynasty, lasting more than 1,000 years. Academies had a huge impact on the development of ancient Chinese culture, education, and academic thought. In the Northern Song Dynasty, there were the Four Great Academies, and in the Southern Song Dynasty, there were also the Four Great Academies. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were more than 2,000 academies nationwide. Many famous historical academies are no longer extant, such as Lizheng Academy, Lize Academy, Xiangshan Academy, and Culai Academy. The more widely recognized ten great academies are Songyang Academy, Yuelu Academy, White Deer Grotto Academy, Yingtian Academy, Shigu Academy, Donglin Academy, Wuyi Academy, Ehu Academy, Zhusi Academy, and Wansong Academy.

The education system in ancient China can be roughly divided into government schools and private schools. During the Northern Song Dynasty, among the private schools, the "Four Great Academies" were the most famous. In the Northern Song era, the four great academies of ancient China were Yingtian Academy, Yuelu Academy, White Deer Grotto Academy, and Songyang Academy.

Yingtian Fu Academy, also known as Suiyang Academy, Nanjing Academy, Nandu Academy, and Nanjing Guozijian, is located on the south bank of Shangqiu Ancient City Lake in Suiyang District, Shangqiu City, Henan Province. The academy was founded by Yang Que, a great Confucian scholar from Shangqiu during the Later Jin period of the Five Dynasties. Through the development of his students, by the early Northern Song Dynasty, as many as fifty or sixty students of Yingtian Academy passed the imperial examinations. Later, Yan Shu and Fan Zhongyan of the Northern Song Dynasty both taught there, further enhancing the reputation of Yingtian Fu Academy. In the second year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1009) of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhenzong upgraded Yingtian Academy to a prefectural school, naming it "Yingtian Fu Academy" and officially granting the plaque "Yingtian Fu Academy". In the seventh year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1014), Yingtian Fu (now Shangqiu, Henan) was elevated to Nanjing, becoming the auxiliary capital of the Song Dynasty, and Yingtian Academy was also called "Nanjing Academy". In the third year of Qingli (1043), Yingtian Fu Academy was upgraded to "Nanjing Guozijian", becoming the highest institution of learning in the Northern Song Dynasty and the only ancient Chinese academy upgraded to a Guozijian. The "History of Song" highly praised Suiyang Academy: "The rise of education in the Song Dynasty began in Shangqiu."

Yuelu Academy is located at the foot of Yuelu Mountain in Changsha City, Hunan Province today, hence its name. During the Five Dynasties, two monks, including Zhi Xuan, taught here and initially formed the prototype of the academy. In the ninth year of Kaibao of the Northern Song Dynasty (976 AD), Zhu Dong, the prefect of Tanzhou, based on the monks' educational activities, donated government funds to build and officially establish Yuelu Academy. In the eighth year of Dazhong Xiangfu of the Northern Song Dynasty (1015 AD), Emperor Zhenzong summoned Zhou Shi, the head of Yuelu Academy, and personally wrote the plaque "Yuelu Academy" for the gate. Entering the Southern Song Dynasty, the great Confucian Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi discussed learning here, greatly enhancing the academic status and reputation of Yuelu Academy. Subsequently, through the Southern Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, until the 29th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1903 AD), Yuelu Academy merged with the Hunan Provincial City University to form Hunan Higher School, using the original academy site. In the 15th year of the Republic of China (1926 AD), Hunan Higher School was officially renamed Hunan University. Among the several academies, Yuelu Academy can be said to have suffered the most misfortunes; since its establishment, it was repeatedly destroyed by wars, and rebuilt each time. Yuelu Academy has endured for a thousand years with continuous teaching and learning, maintaining its academic lineage. Yuelu Academy, having lasted a thousand years with uninterrupted lectures, is therefore called the "Thousand-Year School". Yuelu Academy is now a subordinate college of Hunan University.

White Deer Grotto Academy is located at the southern foot of Wulao Peak of Lushan Mountain in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province today. The academy was first built during the Shengyuan period of the Southern Tang Dynasty (940 AD) and is the first complete academy in China. It was established as "Lushan National School" (also known as "White Deer National School") during the Southern Tang Dynasty. It was the only national school established by the central government outside the capital in Chinese history. White Deer Grotto Academy was once called "the first of China's four great academies" and enjoyed the reputation of "the foremost academy within the seas". When Zhu Xi, a Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty, served as the prefect of Nankang Jun (now Lushan City, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi), he rebuilt the academy, taught in person, established the rules and purposes of the academy, and petitioned the emperor for a plaque and imperial calligraphy. This greatly enhanced its reputation, making it an important cultural cradle in China for several hundred years from the late Song to the early Qing, and one of the important birthplaces of Chinese educational culture.

Songyang Academy is located in Dengfeng District, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province today. Because it is situated on the south side of Mount Song, according to ancient geomancy, the south of a mountain and the north of a river are considered yang, hence it is called Songyang Academy. Songyang Academy is a famous institution of higher learning in ancient China. It was founded in the eighth year of Taihe of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (484 AD) and was originally called Songyang Temple. In the Song Dynasty, famous scholars such as Fan Zhongyan, Sima Guang, Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao, Yang Shi, and Fan Chunren all taught here, and the academy flourished during this period. The architecture of Songyang Academy is simple and elegant. The main buildings on the central axis have five halls, with full verandas and corridors. Because of its unique Confucian educational architectural nature, Songyang Academy is known as a "specimen" for studying ancient Chinese academy architecture, education systems, and Confucian culture.

Yuelu Mountain is located on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River in Yuelu District, Changsha City, Hunan Province. It belongs to the Hengshan Mountain range of Nanyue. The ancients listed Yuelu Mountain as one of the seventy-two peaks of Nanyue, called Linglu Peak. According to "Records of Nanyue" from the Liu Song period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, "Nanyue stretches eight hundred li, with Huiyan as its head and Yuelu as its foot." Hence the name Yuelu Mountain. Yuelu Mountain has been a famous cultural mountain since ancient times. Before the Western Jin Dynasty, it was a place for Taoist activities, with structures such as Wanshou Palace and Chongzhen Temple. In the fourth year of Taishi of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty (268 AD), Lushan Temple was founded and is still well preserved today. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Tao Kan built a lodge here for reading. In the Six Dynasties, Daolin Temple was built. In the Tang Dynasty, Ma Sui built "Daolin Hermitage". At the end of the Tang Dynasty and the beginning of the Five Dynasties, two monks, including Zhi Xuan, "thinking of the way of Confucianism," built a schoolhouse for scholars below Lushan Temple, and Yuelu Academy was born based on the expansion of Zhi Xuan's educational foundation.

The couplet at the entrance of Yuelu Academy, "Only Chu has talents, and here they flourish," is very famous. During the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Mingyao served as the head of Yuelu Academy. Disciples asked him to write a couplet for the gate. Yuan said, "Only Chu has talents," and asked the students to respond. While they were pondering, Mingjing (a respectful title for tribute students) Zhang Zhongjie arrived. The crowd told him about it, and Zhang immediately responded, "And here they flourish." This famous couplet was thus composed.

"Only Chu has talents" comes from "Zuo Zhuan: The 26th Year of Duke Xiang," the original sentence is: "Although Chu has talents, Jin actually uses them." "And here they flourish" comes from "The Analects: Taibo," the original sentence is: "At the time of Tang and Yu, it flourished here."

The first half of the couplet "Only Chu has talents, and here they flourish" means that the Chu state has talents. Hunan, as the former territory of Chu, has historically claimed to be the Chu region. The second half is Confucius praising the flourishing talent during the reign of King Wu of Zhou. The meaning of the entire couplet can be understood as: Chu is truly a place that produces talents, and Yuelu Academy is even more a gathering place for outstanding talents.

The characters "Fu" and "Shou" on the walls on both sides of Hexi Terrace are said to have been written by a Taoist monk with a broom in the 13th year of Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty (1808).

Hexi Terrace is a cultural scenic spot in the culture of Yuelu Academy. "Hexi" means viewing the sun, and it was named by Zhu Xi, the famous Neo-Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty.

Yuelu Academy has six special shrines (Lianxi Shrine, Sizhen Pavilion, Chongdao Shrine, Liujunzi Hall, Chuanshan Shrine, and Shenzhai Shrine) dedicated to the ancestors who contributed to the development and construction of Yuelu Academy, located on both sides of the Imperial Library Building behind Yuelu Academy.

Lianxi Shrine honors Zhou Dunyi, known as Mr. Lianxi. Zhou Dunyi was a famous philosopher, recognized by the academic community as the founder of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism and also the founder of Huxiang culture, known as the first person after Confucius.

Sizhen Pavilion honors the two great scholars of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. They were philosophers, educators, poets, and founders of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chongdao Shrine honors the famous Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty and Zhang Shi, the head of the academy. Liujunzi Hall honors six people who made contributions to the academy. Chuanshan Shrine honors the famous scholar Wang Fuzhi of the late Ming Dynasty. Shenzhai Shrine honors Luo Dian, the head of Yuelu Academy.

Zhu Xi (Zhu Wengong), honored in Chongdao Shrine, was a synthesizer of Neo-Confucianism. Zhang Shi, styled Jingfu, was a synthesizer of the Huxiang school. In the third year of Qiandao of the Southern Song Dynasty (1167 AD), Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi held a joint lecture at Yuelu Academy, debating the doctrine of "Zhonghe" (the Mean and Harmony). After this lecture, Yuelu Academy formed the Zhu-Zhang academic tradition that lasted more than 800 years, gradually becoming the center of Huxiang culture.

Liujunzi Hall, also known as Mudao Shrine, honors six people with contributions to the academy: Zhu Dong (Prefect of Tanzhou [now Changsha] in the Northern Song Dynasty), Li Yunze (Prefect of Tanzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty), Zhou Shi (Head of the Academy in the Northern Song Dynasty), Liu Gong (Southern Song Dynasty pacification commissioner and prefect of Tanzhou), Chen Gang (Ming Dynasty rebuilder of the academy who set up a special shrine for Zhu and Zhang, highlighting the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucian tradition of the academy), and Yang Maoyuan (Ming Dynasty prefectural vice magistrate of Changsha Prefecture).

Chuanshan Shrine honors Wang Fuzhi, the most famous thinker and philosopher in the world in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the spiritual source of Huxiang culture, and together with Gu Yanwu and Huang Zongxi, known as the three great thinkers of the Ming-Qing transition. Along with Hegel, he is called the twin stars of Eastern and Western philosophy. Wang Fuzhi studied with his father and brothers from childhood. In his youth, he actively participated in anti-Qing uprisings. In his later years, he lived in seclusion on Shichuan Mountain, writing books and calling himself the sick old man of Chuanshan and the hermit of Nanyue. Scholars thus called him Master Chuanshan.

Shenzhai Shrine, also known as Luo Head Shrine, is dedicated exclusively to Luo Dian, the head of Yuelu Academy. Luo Dian, styled Huiwu, also known as Shenzhai, was born in Xiangtan, Hunan. He became a Jinshi in the 16th year of Qianlong (1751 AD) and served as a vice minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. In the 47th year of Qianlong (1782 AD), he was appointed head of Yuelu Academy, presiding over it for 27 years, making significant contributions to talent cultivation and infrastructure construction.

Yuelu Academy is a base for the dissemination of Huxiang culture. Visiting Yuelu Academy, I learned that Mr. Lianxi Zhou Dunyi, whom I visited at Lianxi Academy in Rucheng, is the founding father of Huxiang culture.

Huxiang culture has exerted significant influence in the course of Chinese history, especially in modern times.

Huxiang culture refers to a historical and cultural form with distinct characteristics, relative stability, and inheritance relationships. The culture of Hunan during the pre-Qin and Han dynasties should be included in another historical and cultural form: Chu culture. Qu Yuan's poetry art and the historical relics from Mawangdui both have distinct Chu cultural features. Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Tang, and Song dynasties, due to historical changes and development, especially several large-scale migrations in the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, the population, customs, fashion, and ideology of Huxiang people underwent major changes, thus combining and constructing a new regional cultural form called "Huxiang culture."

The essence of Huxiang culture is: worrying about the world, daring to be the first, never yielding, and being inclusive.

The pre-Qin and Han Chu culture had an important influence on the Huxiang culture constructed after the Song and Ming dynasties and is one of the sources of Huxiang culture. After the gestation of ancient Chu culture in the pre-Qin period and the refinement of Central Plains culture in the Song and Ming dynasties, Huxiang culture produced in modern times praises such as "Half of China's talents are from Hunan," "Nine out of ten revival generals and ministers are from Hunan," "Half of modern Chinese history was written by Hunanese," and "No army without Hunanese." Famous late Qing ministers Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Hu Linyi were all Hunanese.

Aiwan Pavilion was first built in the 57th year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1792 AD) by Luo Dian, the head of Yuelu Academy. It is known as one of the four famous pavilions in China, along with Zuiweng Pavilion in Chuzhou, Anhui (1046), Huxin Pavilion in Hangzhou's West Lake (1552), and Taoran Pavilion in Beijing's Taoran Pavilion Park (1695).

Aiwan Pavilion was originally called Hongye Pavilion (Red Leaf Pavilion) or Aifeng Pavilion (Loving Maple Pavilion). Later, Bi Yuan, the Governor-General of Huguang, renamed it Aiwan Pavilion after Du Mu's poem: "A winding path goes far into the mountain, where white clouds rise and there are homes. I stop my carriage and sit to enjoy the evening of maple trees, whose frosted leaves are redder than the February flowers."

Aiwan Pavilion has experienced many vicissitudes. It was repaired several times in the Tongzhi, Guangxu, and Xuantong periods of the Qing Dynasty. In the autumn of the third year of Xuantong (1911), when Mr. Cheng Songwan, the Hunan educational inspector, presided over the restoration, he engraved the couplet written by Luo Dian on the pavilion pillars: "At dusk the mountain path is red and relaxed; five hundred peaches newly planted. The gorge clouds are green and dripping; a pair of cranes await the cage." The restoration of Aiwan Pavilion was also recorded on a stone stele. It is known as the "Fanghe (Releasing Cranes) Stone Carving" or the "Ernan Poetry Carving," with two seven-character poems written by Zhang Nanxuan of the Song Dynasty and Qian Nanyuan of the Qing Dynasty when they visited Yuelu Mountain. The stone carvings were later moved to the hexagonal thatched pavilion at the south end of Qingfeng Bridge. Before liberation, the pavilion was in disrepair and surrounded by wilderness. After liberation, the Party and government repaired it five times.

When Mao Zedong was studying at the First Normal School in his youth, he often went to Yuelu Academy with Luo Xuezan, Zhang Kundi, and others, and gathered with Cai Hesen under Aiwan Pavilion to discuss the current situation and seek truth. For this reason, when Aiwan Pavilion was rebuilt in 1952, Li Da, president of Hunan University, wrote to Chairman Mao requesting that he inscribe the pavilion name. Chairman Mao gladly accepted the request.

I booked a hotel on Changsha Rice Noodle Street, which is very close to Qingshuitang.

The next day, I visited Orange Isle, Qingshuitang, and Yang Kaihui's Former Residence.

Since it's hard to park at Orange Isle, I took the subway there.

Orange Isle is an open scenic spot where you can buy sightseeing car tickets: 40 yuan/person, half price 20 yuan/person for those over 60, or you can choose to walk for free. There is a distance from the scenic spot entrance to the young Mao Zedong statue.

Changsha shrouded in rainy clouds. Both times I went to Changsha encountered rainy weather.

Orange Isle, the Xiangjiang River flows northward. In rainy weather, one cannot see the scenery of "all mountains red, forests dyed in layers, the river green and clear, hundreds of boats competing, eagles soaring in the sky, fish swimming at the bottom."

The statue of young Mao Zedong on Orange Isle is super creative. "I ask the boundless earth, who controls the rise and fall? Young classmates in their prime, full of spirit; scholars in their prime, full of drive. Pointing to the land, inspiring words, treating the powerful like dirt."

Although it was rainy, because it was the May Day holiday, there were still many tourists.

Does Chairman Mao see his familiar Changsha as it used to be?

From Orange Isle, I took the subway to Qingshuitang Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui's Former Residence. Qingshuitang Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui's Former Residence is in the same venue as the Changsha History Museum of the Communist Party of China.

The Changsha History Museum of the Communist Party of China comprehensively and systematically displays the glorious history of the Changsha local Party organization leading the people in heroic and extraordinary revolutionary struggles, difficult socialist construction, magnificent reform and opening up, and the rapid development of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, as well as its brilliant achievements.

The following picture shows the sculpture of Mao Zedong and He Shuheng attending the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in the hall of the Changsha History Museum of the Communist Party of China. The sculpture depicts the scene on the evening of June 29, 1921, when Mao Zedong and He Shuheng took a boat from the Xiangjiang River dock in the west of Changsha to Shanghai to attend the First National Congress of the Communist Party.

No. 22 Qingshuitang, Changsha, is the former site of the Xiang District Committee of the Communist Party of China and the former residence of Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui.

In July 1921, after returning to Changsha from the First National Congress of the Communist Party, Mao Zedong and He Shuheng established the earliest provincial-level branch of the Communist Party of China on October 10 - the Hunan Branch of the Communist Party of China. In the autumn of that year, Yi Lirong rented this house as a secret office for the Hunan Branch and a place for Mao Zedong and his family to live. In May 1922, the Xiang District Committee of the Communist Party of China was established, with the district committee office still here. Mao Zedong led the Xiang District Committee to carry out workers', peasants', and student movements in the Xiang area. This was also the first real home of Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui, where they lived together the longest. From 1921 to 1923, Mao Zedong, Yang Kaihui, Xiang Zhenxi (Yang Kaihui's mother), Mao Anying, and Mao Anqing lived here together.

Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui's bedroom.

Yang Kaihui's mother Xiang Zhenxi's bedroom.

The stone carving of Mao Zedong's poem "He Xinlang: Farewell to a Friend" erected at Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui's former residence.

"He Xinlang: Farewell to a Friend"

Waving my hand, I say goodbye. How can I bear our sorrowful looks and bitter words? In your eyes and brows, all is grief; hot tears are about to fall but stop. I understand the misunderstanding in my previous letter. The past is gone like clouds and mist. No one in this world knows you better than I do. If I am sick, does heaven know?

This morning, frost is heavy on the eastern road. The half-moon shines on the pond, so desolate. The whistle breaks my heart; from now on, I'll be a lonely traveler. Let this cut the threads of sorrow. It should shake the Kunlun like an avalanche, or sweep the universe like a typhoon. Together we will soar again like a pair of birds.

In November 1923, Yang Kaihui gave birth to her and Mao Zedong's second child, Mao Anqing. When the baby was just one month old, Mao Zedong had to go to other places for revolutionary work. Naturally, they felt a reluctance to part, but for the sake of revolutionary work, they resolutely separated. At that time, Mao Zedong wrote this poem to Yang Kaihui. The poem contains both the sorrow of parting and lofty aspirations, fully demonstrating the revolutionary couple's noble spirit of dedicating themselves to the lofty cause and enduring separation, and their grand ideal of completely smashing the old world.

The aluminum-magnesium alloy statue of Mao Zedong on Mao Zedong Statue Square.

The aluminum-magnesium alloy statue of Mao Zedong was designed by Luxun Academy of Fine Arts and cast by Northeast Light Alloy Processing Plant in Heilongjiang. It was a gift donated by the people of Heilongjiang Province to the people of Hunan in 1968 to build a revolutionary memorial site for Mao Zedong, and it has been well preserved to this day.

Qingshuitang has a stele corridor of Mao Zedong's poetry, couplets, and calligraphy. The stele corridor was first built in 1993, with 89 pieces of white marble stele inlaid, engraved with 92 works of Mao Zedong's poems, couplets, and calligraphy.

In Chairman Mao's "Butterflies in Love with Flowers: Reply to Li Shuyi" written on May 11, 1957, the line "I lost my proud Yang" is here "I lost my Yang Hua." Li Shuyi was a good friend of Yang Kaihui in middle school, and her deceased husband, martyr Liu Zhixun, was introduced to her by Yang Kaihui.

According to historical records, Chairman Mao's original poem was "I lost Yang Hua, you lost Liu." The poet, in the process of drafting, was suddenly inspired to change "Yang Hua" to "Proud Yang," and specifically explained, "A woman revolutionarily lost her head; how can she not be proud?" The word "proud" instantly turned grief into admiration.

Leaving Changsha for Yueyang, on the highway I saw a road sign for Yang Kaihui's Former Residence and made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go.

In Kaihui Town, Changsha County, Yang Kaihui's hometown includes Yang Kaihui's Former Residence, the Yang Kaihui Martyr Life Achievement Exhibition Hall, and the Yang Kaihui Martyr Cemetery.

The tomb of Yang Kaihui and her mother Xiang Zhenxi in the same grave. After Yang Kaihui's mother Xiang Zhenxi passed away in 1962, following Chairman Mao's instructions, the coffins of Yang Kaihui and Xiang Zhenxi were moved from their original location to the center of the cemetery, and they were buried together in the same grave.

The original tomb of martyr Yang Kaihui.

On November 14, 1930, after martyr Yang Kaihui died a heroic death, the people of Bancang (now Kaihui Town, originally called Bancang Town) transported her body back overnight and buried it here. When Comrade Mao Zedong learned of Yang Kaihui's death in Jiangxi, he was extremely grieved, wrote a letter of deep mourning, and sent back 30 silver dollars. The local people built a tomb and erected a monument in the names of Mao Zedong's three sons (Anying, Anqing, and Anlong). When the Yang Kaihui Martyr Cemetery was built in 1969, following Chairman Mao's instructions, the original coffin of martyr Yang Kaihui was moved from here to the center of the cemetery, and a pavilion was built here in memory. The stone tablet with the inscription "Brilliance shines long on the hearts of later generations" was respectfully erected on July 1, 1959, by the Kaihui People's Commune to commemorate martyr Yang Kaihui.

The Yang Kaihui Martyr Cemetery also contains the cenotaph of Mao Anying and the joint tomb of Mao Anqing and Shao Hua.

Visiting the Yang Kaihui Martyr Life Achievement Exhibition Hall, I learned that Shao Hua is the younger half-sister of Liu Siqi, the wife of martyr Mao Anying. Liu Siqi's father, Liu Qianchu, died in 1931, and Liu Siqi was an orphan of a martyr.

The wedding photo of Mao Anying and Liu Siqi.

The wedding photo of Mao Anqing and Shao Hua.

Chairman Mao with Mao Anqing and Shao Hua.

Mao Anqing's family of three.

The Yang Kaihui Martyr Life Achievement Exhibition Hall displays the life story of Yang Kaihui's growth and revolution.

Yang Kaihui, style name Xia, courtesy name Yunjin, was from Bancang, Changsha, Hunan (now Kaihui Town, Changsha County), the daughter of Yang Changji. In the winter of 1920, Yang Kaihui married Mao Zedong. In early 1922, she joined the Communist Party of China and became Mao Zedong's assistant.

Yang Kaihui's father, Yang Changji, went abroad to study in 1904 with the ambition of saving the country and the people. Yang Kaihui spent her childhood under the care of her mother, Xiang Zhenxi.

In 1908, Yang Changji wrote from abroad instructing Yang Kaihui's mother to send her to school. Subsequently, Yang Kaihui broke the precedent and entered Changsha No. 40 Elementary School. At that time, there was no precedent for girls to attend school in Bancang. Yang Kaihui pioneered and became one of the first female students in this school and also the youngest student in the class. After studying at Yanggong Temple Primary School for three semesters, she transferred to Chuineng School, which was five li away from Bancang. Shortly after the Xinhai Revolution, Yang Kaihui returned home to persuade her illiterate mother to also go to school, and she and her mother transferred to Hengcui Girls' School, more than 20 li from home. Her mother studied in the vocational class, and she studied in the attached primary class. The mother and daughter studying at the same school was once a much-told tale. Later, when Hengcui Girls' School was to move to Changsha, Yang Kaihui transferred to the First County Girls' High School near Malinqiao, where she studied until graduation.

In 1913, Yang Changji returned from abroad and taught at Hunan Provincial First Normal School in Changsha. Yang Kaihui accompanied her mother to accompany her father, who had returned from studying abroad, moving from the countryside to Da'etang in Changsha. Yang Changji attracted aspiring students with his profound knowledge and noble character. Mao Zedong, Cai Hesen, Xiao Zisheng, and others often visited the Yang family to ask their teacher various questions about saving the country and the people. It was during this period that Yang Kaihui first met Mao Zedong. From moving to Changsha until Yang Changji's death, Yang Kaihui did not attend school again but studied at home under her father's guidance. When Mao and others came to the house to consult her father, she would always bring a small bench and sit nearby, listening to their discussions on scholarship, morality, the rise and fall of dynasties, and the truth of saving the country and the people. Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui gradually became familiar.

Yang Kaihui's father Yang Changji and mother Xiang Zhenxi.

In June 1918, Yang Changji was appointed professor at Peking University, and the whole family moved north. In the autumn of the same year, to organize members of the New People's Study Society to go to France for work-study, Mao Zedong came to Beijing for the first time, visited his teacher Yang Changji, and stayed briefly at the Yang family. Through his teacher's introduction, he became an assistant in the Peking University Library. Although Mao was only a temporary guest at the Yang family, his contacts with the younger sister (Yang Kaihui) increased. Every morning, Mao insisted on washing with cold water to strengthen his body, even in the depths of winter. This made Yang Kaihui deeply admire him from the bottom of her heart. It was at this time that Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui began to fall in love.

On December 8, 1919, Mao Zedong led the "Expel Zhang (Jingyao)" delegation to Beijing for the second time and also stayed at the Yang house. Soon, Yang Changji fell ill; Yang Kaihui attended him day and night at the bedside and read books and newspapers for him. Every issue of "New Youth" was a must-read, from which Yang Kaihui absorbed many new ideas and new morals.

In January 1920, Yang Changji unfortunately died of illness. The educational circles in Beijing and Changsha held memorial services for him. Mao Zedong, half as a student and half as a son-in-law, participated in the vigil and helped with the funeral arrangements. After her father's death, Yang Kaihui returned to Hunan with her mother and brother.

After returning to Changsha, Yang Kaihui, with the care of her father's old friends, entered the missionary Fuxiang Girls' Middle School with the help of Li Shuyi's father. She shared a dormitory with Li Shuyi, who later became the wife of martyr Liu Zhixun. While at school, Yang Kaihui did not attend chapel services, violated school rules, often went out for student movements, organized lecture teams on the streets, and promoted the student union's ideas. Consequently, she was soon expelled from the conservative Fuxiang Girls' Middle School.

In the winter of 1920, Yang Kaihui joined the Chinese Socialist Youth League and became one of the first league members in Hunan. At the end of that year, she married Mao Zedong.

After the failure of the Great Revolution, Mao Zedong went to lead the Autumn Harvest Uprising and conduct the Jinggangshan base area struggle. Yang Kaihui, alone with her children, participated in organizing and leading armed struggles in Changsha, Pingjiang, Xiangyin, and other places, developing Party organizations and persisting in revolution for a full three years. In October 1930, Yang Kaihui secretly returned to Bancang to visit her mother and children, but was discovered by warlord spies and arrested at her home in Bancang. Yang Kaihui refused to renounce the Party and resolutely opposed declaring her separation from Mao Zedong. On November 14, 1930, Yang Kaihui died a heroic death at Zhiziling outside Liuyang Gate, at the age of 29. When Mao Zedong, who was commanding the anti-encirclement campaign in Jiangxi, learned of Yang Kaihui's death, he sent a letter to the Yang family saying, "Yang Kaihui's death: a hundred lives cannot redeem."

Yang Kaihui's Former Residence, first built in 1759. Yang Kaihui was born here on November 6, 1901, and spent her childhood and youth here. In 1930, Yang Kaihui was arrested here.

The private school in Yang Kaihui's Former Residence. In 1890, after Yang Jichang (Note: likely Yang Changji) failed the imperial examinations, he set up a tutorial school at home, beginning his teaching career.

In 1982, during the renovation of Yang Kaihui's bedroom, her manuscripts were discovered in the cracks of the wall.

In the cemetery, there are tombs of martyrs such as Yang Kaiming (Yang Kaihui's cousin) and Yang Kaiying (Yang Kaiming's sister). Chairman Mao's family and Yang Kaihui's family both sacrificed many relatives' lives for China's revolutionary cause.

The cemetery also contains the tomb of Yang Kaihui's father and Chairman Mao's teacher, Yang Changji.

The Yanggong Temple in Bancang.

Yanggong Temple was first built in the 29th year of Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, originally a temple to worship the Yang Si General (a folk water god). During the Guangxu period, it was turned into a private school, and at the end of the Guangxu period, it was changed to a government-run No. 40 Elementary School (the predecessor of Kaihui Elementary School). In 1908, Yang Kaihui studied here; in 1929, Mao Anying also studied here.