Loyalty as a Rock: the Story of Zhou Fashu

In the late autumn of the Year of the Dragon, a journey carrying family memories and revolutionary history began in Dalu Village, Zhangtai Township, Wencheng County, in the mountains of southern Zhejiang. Through in-depth interviews with Mr. Zhou Lin, the second son of Zhou Fashu, and his comrades, this book restores the legendary life of Zhou Bida, the 26th grandson of the famous Southern Song Dynasty Prime Minister and an underground member of the Communist Party of China. In 1939, Zhou Fashu established a party branch in Wailukeng (today's Dalu Village) and served as secretary, leading the villagers to carry out underground struggles. He organized militia training, established an intelligence network, and escorted important confidential documents, showing extraordinary courage and wisdom on the battlefield behind enemy lines. The book particularly records the thrilling deeds of "delivering straw sandals to the cave", as well as his "crossing the blockade in disguise" and "delivering information late at night", showing the image of an underground worker who not only adheres to revolutionary ideals but also cares about his family. Through the memories of Zhou clan members, readers can see how Zhou Fashu transformed Zhou Bida's family motto of "loyalty, literature and virtue" into revolutionary practice. The precious historical materials included in the book include the only remaining portrait of Zhou Fashu in Chinese tunic, a dripping cave in Dalu Village, a stone tablet on the "Old Site of the Special Committee of the Communist Party of China for Southern Zhejiang and Qingjingli County Committee Traffic Station", etc. This biography, proposed by Mr. Zhou Yan, president of the Zhou Bida Research Association, is not only a record of individual lives, but also a tribute to thousands of unknown heroes. As the public welfare pavilion donated and built by Zhou Lin, son of Zhou Fashu, at the entrance of the village shows: the spirit of revolutionaries will eventually blossom and bear fruit on the land they have protected.