Sanjiang Old House – the former residence of Xu Shuwei

Sanjiang Old House – the former residence of Xu Shuwei

Sanjiang Old House – the former residence of Xu Shuwei is a cultural heritage site protected at the municipal level in Wuxi.

Sanjiang Old House – the former residence of Xu Shuwei, also known as Meiliang Xiaoyin. Located in Xiaoshu Bay in the southeastern part of Wuxi City, it was the home of Xu Shuwei, a renowned physician and imperial scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Xu Shuwei, courtesy name Zhike, also known as Baisha or Jinquan, lived during an unknown period. In the fifth year of the Shaoxing era (1135), he ranked fifth in the imperial examination, served as an academician of the Hanlin Academy, and strongly advocated for resisting the Jin and restoring the Central Plains. Later, seeing that Emperor Gaozong of Song had settled in the south without the will to launch major campaigns, favored treachery over loyalty, lost national sovereignty, and humiliated the state — coupled with the overwhelming situation — he retired here. He planted three tethering trees, which gave the house its name "Sanjiang" (Three Tethers). Xu was an expert in traditional Chinese medicine, dedicated to medical studies, and enjoyed a far-reaching reputation for his medical skills, while never charging a fee. His works include *Classified Proven Prescriptions for Universal Relief*, two volumes of *Songs on Cold Damage*, and thirty-six illustrations of *Zhang Zhongjing's Pulse Methods*. Among them, the ten volumes of *Classified Proven Prescriptions for Universal Relief* were included in the *Complete Library of the Four Treasuries*.

The original residence had over thirty rooms, but due to the passage of time, only one entrance and two courtyards remain. In 1982, the local government carried out renovations.

On November 11, 1983, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit by the Wuxi Municipal People’s Government.