The event "Following the Footsteps of the Labor Movement, Preserving the Red Flame" was held on August 13 in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, marking the opening of the former site of the Southern Branch of the Chinese Labor Union Secretariat. This site, one of the city's most precious early red labor movement relics, has undergone comprehensive restoration, upgrading, and exhibition renewal, now officially opening to the public on a regular basis.
Guangzhou was one of the earliest and most developed regions for the labor union movement in China. In August 1921, the Southern Branch of the Chinese Labor Union Secretariat was established in Guangzhou. Before the formation of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Southern Branch operated as a public agency under the leadership of the Guangdong branch of the Communist Party of China, organizing and guiding the labor movement, gradually laying the foundation for workers' movements in Guangzhou.
The former site of the Southern Branch is located in Yuhua Lane, an old street in Yuexiu District, housed in a three-story red brick building. On the day of its official opening, a "guided walk-through plus layered immersive performance" event was held. Visitors toured the exhibition halls on the first to third floors, immersing themselves in the brilliant history of the labor movement in southern Guangdong.
In recent years, Yuexiu District has adhered to the principle of "prioritizing protection, strengthening management, excavating value, effective utilization, and revitalizing cultural relics." On the basis of preserving the original architectural style to the greatest extent possible, the district has carried out protective restoration and adaptive reuse of the Southern Branch site. Based on collected historical photographs and on-site traces, the interior's red mud large brick flooring was restored, and roof tiles similar in size, thickness, and specification to the originals were replaced.
A representative from the Yuexiu District Federation of Trade Unions in Guangzhou stated: "We will regularly conduct activities here, such as lectures on the history of the labor movement, dissemination of red culture, ideological education for workers, and promotion of the spirit of model workers. This will unite and guide the majority of workers to take on responsibilities and strive for excellence in the new era."
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