Former Residence of Wei Yuan in Nanjing

Former Residence of Wei Yuan in Nanjing

The former residence of Wei Yuan in Nanjing is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The former residence of Wei Yuan is located at No. 20 and No. 22 Longpanli, Nanjing. Wei Yuan (1794–1857) was a successful candidate in the imperial examination during the Daoguang era, an outstanding thinker, historian, and poet in China, as well as a close friend of the patriotic official Lin Zexu. His monumental work, the Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms, eventually expanded from 60 volumes to 100 volumes, brimming with a strong sense of patriotism. It had a positive influence on later reform movements and the Xinhai Revolution, becoming an immortal cultural heritage of China.

The former residence of Wei Yuan, originally called “Hugan Thatched Cottage,” was later renamed “Xiaojuan’a,” taking the title of a piece from the Book of Songs, where “juan” means curved and “a” means grand. Built with brick and wood, the structure consists of three courtyards and nine rooms. Wei Yuan spent the latter half of his life here, writing and completing the Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms. More than 80 members of the Wei family lived here over time. When the Taiping Rebellion failed, legend has it that Xiong, one of the concubines of the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan, took refuge in the Wei residence. Three years later, she entered Buddhism, taking the dharma name “Jueyi,” and turned half of the house into a nunnery named “Pudu Nunnery,” also commonly referred to as “Imperial Princess Nunnery.” Later, the Wei family’s fortunes declined gradually. By the 1950s, most of the residence had been demolished, leaving only two tiled houses. The stone plaque inscribed with the name “Xiaojuan’a,” personally written by Wei Yuan, was also destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. After the death of Wei Yuan’s great-granddaughter, Wei Tao, in 1992 — who had no descendants — the residence became public housing and has since been restored as the Former Residence of Wei Yuan. It is now listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Nanjing.

Wei Yuan (April 23, 1794 – March 26, 1857) was an Enlightenment thinker, statesman, and literary figure of the Qing Dynasty. Wei Yuan was a progressive thinker, historian, and a patriotic scholar who firmly opposed foreign aggression. Like Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan was among the most visionary figures of the Opium War period who sought to “open their eyes to the world.” He was resolutely against invasion while also emphasizing the importance of understanding and learning from Western science and technology as key strategies to counter aggression. Wei Yuan had extensive knowledge and wrote many works, including Book of Ancient Meanings on the Classics, Book of Ancient Meanings on the Poetry, Silent Record, The Original Meaning of Laozi, Sacred Martial… More details about Wei Yuan++

Further reading:

· Eighth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province