Wenhsüehshe

(Literary Society), a revolutionary organization in Hupei Province, China. It was founded in 1908 and existed under different names until January 1911, when, for conspiratorial purposes, it took the name Literary Society. Its members were soldiers.

The activity of Wenhsuehshe was directed by only two of the three programmatic slogans of the T’unmenghou—the overthrow of the Manchu monarchy and the establishment of a republic in China. With the Kungchinhou it played a major role in the preparation and execution of the Wuch’ang revolt in 1911, which was the beginning of the Hsinhai Revolution. In 1912 the Wenhsuehshe proclaimed its dissolution, and many of its members entered the T’unmenghou.