Former Residence of Zhou Enlai in His Childhood – Memorial Museum

Former Residence of Zhou Enlai in His Childhood – Memorial Museum

The Former Residence of Zhou Enlai in His Childhood – Memorial Museum is a classic red tourism destination, as well as a base for patriotic education and national defense education.

The Former Residence of Zhou Enlai in His Childhood – Memorial Museum is located on Wenhua Street, Yinzhou District, Tieling City. It is established based on the Yinguang Academy, which was founded during the Qing Dynasty by Hao Yu. During the late Qing Dynasty’s reform movement, an elementary school was set up within the academy grounds, and today the site is a key cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province. In 1910 (the second year of the Xuantong reign), 12-year-old Zhou Enlai once studied here.

Yinguang Academy is the only well-preserved Qing Dynasty academy in Northeast China. In September 1979, with approval from the CPC Liaoning Provincial Committee, the Tieling Prefectural Committee converted Yinguang Academy into the “Former Residence of Zhou Enlai in His Childhood – Memorial Museum.” A major renovation was carried out in 1995, fully restoring the site to its original appearance in 1910. After years of development and construction, the museum now covers an area of 8,800 square meters, including a built-up area of 3,500 square meters. It consists of three interconnected courtyards: the central courtyard houses the Yinguang Academy and exhibits on its history, including the study room where young Zhou Enlai once studied. The west courtyard serves as the main exhibition area, featuring three exhibition halls: New Life Begins – Zhou Enlai in Tieling in 1910; Second Hometown Sentiment – Zhou Enlai’s Inspection of Tieling in 1962; and Historic Statesman – Exhibition on Zhou Enlai’s Achievements. The east courtyard is a scenic area, including gardens and stele corridors. The museum displays nearly 1,000 photos and artifacts, three cultural facilities (Kuixing Pavilion, Paper Furnace, Stele Forest), two sets of simulated silicone sculptures, and four sets of miniature sculptures.

The Former Residence of Zhou Enlai in His Childhood – Memorial Museum is a comprehensive landscape integrating ancient academy culture, revolutionary history, and the legacy of great figures. It serves as an important base for people to receive patriotic and revolutionary tradition education. It has welcomed over 300,000 visitors from more than 20 countries and regions. State and Party leaders such as Yang Shangkun, Li Peng, Wang Renzhong, Zhang Aiping, [name omitted], Fei Xiaotong have all visited the museum, inspected the site, and provided guidance. They also inscribed words such as “A School for Cultivating Revolutionary Generations,” “A Platform for Patriotic and Revolutionary Tradition Education,” and “Educating the Public and Inspiring Future Generations with the Noble Character and Glorious Achievements of the Older Generation of Proletarian Revolutionaries.” The museum currently receives over 30,000 domestic and international tourists annually.

The museum has been successively awarded the titles of “Liaoning Provincial Patriotic Education Demonstration Base” and “Liaoning Provincial CPC History Education Base.” In December 1998, it was designated as a “Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Base” by the Provincial National Defense Education Committee, and in April 2007, it was re-designated as a “Liaoning Provincial National Defense Education Base” by the provincial government.