Nanjing Li Hongzhang Ancestral Hall

Nanjing Li Hongzhang Ancestral Hall

The Nanjing Li Hongzhang Ancestral Hall is a protected cultural heritage site of Nanjing.

Nanjing Li Hongzhang Ancestral Hall

Li Hongzhang (1823–1901), a successful candidate in the imperial examination under the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang Emperor. In the third year of the Xianfeng reign (1853), he organized local militia forces to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. In the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign (1865), he was appointed acting Viceroy of Liangjiang, and in the ninth year of the Tongzhi reign (1870), he succeeded Zeng Guofan as Viceroy of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang, holding authority over foreign affairs, military, and economic matters. He initiated modern military industries and established the Beiyang Navy. Consistently advocating appeasement and surrender, he signed a series of unequal treaties with foreign invaders. In the 26th year of the Guangxu reign (1900), after the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing, he was appointed the full-power plenipotentiary and signed the Boxer Protocol on behalf of the Qing government.

The Li Hongzhang Ancestral Hall was built during the Qing Dynasty and is commonly known as the Li Gong Ancestral Hall. Located on Sijie Lane in Nanjing, it was constructed in 1901 at a cost of 8,000 taels of silver. The ancestral hall stretches 144 meters in length and 58 meters in width, covering an area of 8,120 square meters. The entire architectural complex faces south and is divided into eastern and western sections. The eastern section is the ancestral hall itself, consisting of five courtyards from front to back, with side rooms on both sides. The western section includes residences, as well as a garden complete with a fishpond, pavilions, towers, corridors, and more. Both sections have their own screen walls, separated by a central pathway. The main hall faces south and exudes an imposing aura, standing no less than 10 meters from floor to roof. Eight large red pillars stand prominently in the center, and the roof beams and brackets are carved and gilded. The building covers a construction area of 305.9 square meters, featuring a single-eave flush-gable roof with small clay tiles and a post-and-lintel timber frame. The raised beams are painted vermilion and gilded, shining brightly as if newly done. A pair of flying phoenixes are dynamically elegant, and the gold-leaf paintings reflect the hall’s noble status. Eight years later, a small urban railway was built just outside the western wall of the Li Gong Ancestral Hall. The main hall was listed as a cultural heritage site of Nanjing in 1992. However, due to significant damage to the overall layout of the buildings, it has been difficult to restore them quickly.

In 1901, after Li Hongzhang passed away, the imperial court ordered the construction of ancestral halls in over ten provinces where he had lived and worked. The one in Nanjing was established on Sijie Lane, costing 8,000 taels of fine silver. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the ancestral hall—built just a decade earlier—was repurposed by Huang Xing, then the acting governor in Nanjing, to establish the Tuozhi School. This school trained talents in Mongolian and Tibetan languages in preparation for developing the frontier regions of Mongolia and Tibet. After the failure of the Second Revolution, the school was closed. In the 1930s, it served as an elementary school, and later functioned as the Medical Department of the Nationalist government. In 1992, after the Li Gong Ancestral Hall was elevated to a protected cultural heritage site of Nanjing, efforts were made to gradually restore it to its former glory. Some later-added structures were removed, and the Jinling Painting Academy was relocated there.

Li Hongzhang (February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901), also known by his courtesy names Shaolian and Yishou, and aliases Li Zhongtang and Zhangtong, was a prominent statesman of the late Qing Dynasty. He served as Viceroy of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang Trade, and was granted the hereditary title of First Class Marquis of Suyi. Li Hongzhang, along with Zeng Guofan, Zhang Zhidong, and Zuo Zongtang, was known as one of the “Four Great Statesmen of China’s Late Qing Revival.” Together with Bismarck and Ulysses S. Grant, he was referred to as one of the “Three Great Figures of the 19th Century World.” During his tenure, Li Hongzhang suppressed the Taiping Rebellion, participated in the Self-Strengthening Movement, actively advocated for the establishment of a modern navy, and founded the Beiyang Fleet. Ultimately, however, he had to sign the Sino-French Treaty of Tientsin as a diplomatic representative... More information about Li Hongzhang ++