Former Residence of Zhao Yuanren

Former Residence of Zhao Yuanren

The former residence of Zhao Yuanren is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The former residence of Zhao Yuanren is located at No. 15–22, Lane 16, Qingguo Lane. Zhao Yuanren (1892–1982), a descendant of Zhao Yi, was a renowned modern Chinese linguist, musician, and philosopher. The residence was built during the Xianfeng era (1851–1861) by his great-grandfather Langfu, who was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations during the Qing Dynasty and served as prefect of Jinhua. In the 27th year of the Guangxu reign (1901), when Zhao Yuanren was nine years old, he accompanied his parents from Tianjin to bring back the coffin of his grandfather Zhiyi (who had served as prefect of Jizhou in Zhili) to Changzhou. He then lived in this house, where his father Hengnian taught him classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Zuo Zhuan. He spent his childhood and adolescence here. Today, two courtyards of single-story buildings and two courtyards of two-story buildings remain, with ten rooms on each floor, all featuring traditional Chinese gable-and-hip roof wooden structures. In 1981, when Zhao Yuanren was 89 years old and returned to his hometown, he once rested here. His daughter Xinna accompanied him on the organ while he sang his famous composition "How Can I Not Think of Her." He passed away in the United States the following year. In December 1987, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural heritage protection unit.

On June 5, 2006, the former residence of Zhao Yuanren was announced as part of the sixth batch of protected cultural heritage sites of Jiangsu Province.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Jiangsu Province