Former Residence of Yang Tingbao in Nanjing

Former Residence of Yang Tingbao in Nanjing

The former residence of Yang Tingbao in Nanjing is a cultural tourism attraction.

Former Residence of Yang Tingbao in Nanjing

The former residence of Yang Tingbao is located at No. 104 Chengxian Street, Xuanwu District, Nanjing. It was independently designed and built by Mr. Yang in October 1946.

The residential compound covers an area of approximately one thousand square meters. To permanently commemorate Mr. Yang Tingbao’s outstanding contributions to modern Chinese architectural history, in 1992, the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government designated the Yang Tingbao Residence as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit. Yang Tingbao was one of the founders of modern architectural education in China. He trained a large number of architectural professionals for the country and can be regarded as a master of modern architectural history.

The courtyard is lush with trees, planted with pines, toon trees, and loquats, all tall, verdant, and offering dense shade. There are also several vegetable plots with green, thriving leaves. At the end of one plot stands a stone-railings well. The northern courtyard wall features a small greenhouse and a cluster of slender bamboos, their shadows casting a poetic charm. The courtyard gate is made of iron, double-leafed, and faces west along the street. In the southwest corner of the courtyard are two small rooms that originally served as the gatehouse and are now vacant. Following a cement path about ten meters long, flanked by holly, and turning north leads to the residence building, which is situated in the northeast of the compound. The main building of the residence faces south and is a Western-style three-bay two-story structure. It has a brick-concrete construction, wooden windows and doors, internal stairs, a red flat tile roof, and a beige plastered exterior wall, covering a floor area of 164 square meters. The design is simple, economical, and practical. On the first floor, the hall displays a portrait of Mr. Yang Tingbao, showing him with a gentle smile and serene expression. The west side serves as a living room, and the east side as a study, both still arranged as they were during Mr. Yang’s lifetime. The living room was where he usually received guests; the study was his personal retreat for reading and reflection. The second floor has three bedrooms, all clean, spacious, and comfortable. Additionally, there is a separate kitchen and bathroom building located near the northeastern wall. At the foot of the west gable wall of the residence, there is a stone tablet inscribed with “Yang Tingbao Residence.” The entire compound is currently inhabited by Ms. Chen Faqing, Mr. Yang’s wife who is 98 years old, along with one of their daughters.

Yang Tingbao (1901–1982), courtesy name Renhui, was from Nanyang, Henan. Born into an intellectual family, he was exposed to the art of painting from an early age. In 1915, he entered the Tsinghua College Preparatory School for Students to the United States in Beijing and skipped grades twice due to his outstanding academic performance. In 1921, he went to the University of Pennsylvania in the United States to study. Intelligent and diligent, with extraordinary talent, he won awards multiple times in national architectural student design competitions in the U.S. In 1924, he received the American Government Art Society Award and the Emerson Prize, during which time he interned at the “Cram & Ferguson Architects” firm in the U.S. After obtaining his master’s degree in 1925, he traveled to Europe for further studies. In 1927, he returned to China and, together with Guan Songshe, Zhu Bin, and others, co-founded the “Kiessling & Yang Architects” firm in Tianjin, where Yang Tingbao worked as an architect. In 1940, he also served as a professor in the Architecture Department of Central University. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he held positions such as Vice President of Nanjing Institute of Technology, Head of the Architecture Department, Director of the Architecture Research Institute, Member of the Academic Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Fifth Chairman of the Architectural Society of China. He was re-elected twice as Vice President of the International Union of Architects and served as a representative to the First through Fifth National People’s Congresses. He also held positions such as Vice Chairman of the Fourth Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province.

Yang Tingbao’s architectural style is simple, clear, plain, and practical. He drew on diverse influences, embracing inclusiveness; he was bold in exploring innovation, emphasized adapting designs to local conditions, and stressed alignment with national context, economic feasibility, and aesthetic appeal—making him a distinctly individualistic master architect. The 1983 publication “Collection of Yang Tingbao’s Architectural Design Works” accurately documents the journey of his architectural creations throughout his life and serves as an extremely valuable resource for studying the history of modern Chinese architecture.