Former Residence of Lü Simian

Former Residence of Lü Simian

The former residence of Lü Simian is a cultural tourism attraction.

The former residence of Lü Simian is located at No. 8-10 Xinsheng Lane, Shizijie, Hualong Lane, Changzhou City. Lü Simian (1884–1957), courtesy name Chengzhi, was a native of Changzhou and a renowned modern historian. The residence is a Qing dynasty-style building with a flush gable roof, facing south, consisting of four courtyards and 21 rooms in total. The first courtyard serves as the entrance, facing Shizijie; the second courtyard contains a three-room main hall, with a rear turned-up veranda. The third courtyard is a guest hall, featuring a front courtyard planted with flowers and trees, with one bedroom on the east and one on the west. Lü Simian was born on the first day of the second lunar month in the tenth year of the Guangxu reign (1884) in the western bedroom, where he lived and studied in his childhood. The fourth courtyard has a two-story building with three rooms on each level. On the eastern side of the courtyard, there is an additional wing room connected to the eastern bedroom, where over 20 boxes of books, calligraphy, paintings, and daily items collected by Lü Simian are preserved. A horizontal plaque in rosewood inscribed with “Former Residence of Lü Simian” was written by Zhou Gucheng. It is a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit.

His ancestors came from a scholarly family in Changzhou, Jiangsu, known as a “family of scholar-officials for generations,” with a history of “four generations passing the imperial examinations” and “five sons achieving scholarly honors.” His great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all studied and served as officials, which immersed Lü Simian in a rich scholarly atmosphere from an early age. He began his education in a private school as a child. At the age of twelve, due to financial hardship, his parents took over his education in historical texts. By fifteen, he was admitted to Yanghu County School. At sixteen, he began studying ancient historical classics independently. Under the strict guidance of his parents and teachers, he studied diligently, worked hard, and delved deeply into scholarship, eventually becoming a leading scholar. Starting in 1905, he taught successively at Soochow University (Dongwu University), Changzhou Prefectural Middle School, Nantong National Studies Specialized School, Shanghai Private First-Class Commercial School, Shenyang Higher Normal School (later renamed Northeastern University), and the First Provincial Teachers College of Jiangsu Province, among others. He also served as an editor for the Zhonghua Book Company and the Commercial Press. From 1926, he served as a professor in the Department of Chinese Literature at Guanghua University in Shanghai, later becoming a professor and head of the History Department. In 1941, after the Shanghai International Settlement fell to Japanese occupation and Guanghua University relocated inland, he returned home with his family and devoted himself to writing. After the victory in the War of Resistance, he returned to Guanghua University. After 1949, he became a first-class professor in the History Department of East China Normal University, a council member of the Shanghai Historical Society, and a member of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Lü Simian left behind a wealth of academic works for future generations. His book Vernacular Chinese History is considered the most comprehensive and authoritative textbook on national history. His historical insight and integrity were truly unique in China. Mr. Yan Gengwang ranked him alongside Chen Yinke, Qian Mu, and Chen Yuan as one of the “Four Great Historians” of the previous generation. Lü Simian approached his studies with seriousness, practicality, honesty, humility, and prudence. He also had unique insights into classical studies, philology, and literature. In his later years, he aspired to read through the Daozang (the Taoist canon) and study Taoist thought, hoping to pave the way for future scholars—though he unfortunately did not live to fulfill this ambition. He passed away on October 9, 1957, at Huadong Hospital in Shanghai at the age of 74. Years later, his daughter Lü Yiren recalled some things about her father, saying: “Leo Tolstoy took an era with him, but I always felt that my father took a moral standard with him.” What Lü Simian left to future generations is not only an immensely rich historical legacy, but also his moral character, sincere patriotism, deep concern for the nation, the country, and society, as well as the exemplary conduct of a teacher and dedication to education. In his book Cultural Talks of China, Qian Mu lamented that China needed a group of independent and fearless scholars, who remain undisturbed even in seclusion, to preserve the lifeblood of Chinese culture and lay the foundation for a new national culture. Lü Simian was undoubtedly such a cultural visionary.