Wu Daotai’s Former Residence

Wu Daotai’s Former Residence

Wu Daotai’s Former Residence is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural relics protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

Wu Daotai’s Former Residence in Yangzhou

Built in the 24th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1898), Wu Daotai’s Former Residence originally covered an area of 30 mu, with the buildings occupying about 7,930 square meters. It is divided into five sections, comprising over a hundred rooms (commonly referred to as “ninety-nine and a half rooms”). The eastern part of the residence originally had a garden and an ancestral hall. Since the library building was modeled after Ningbo’s Tianyi Pavilion, and the second, third, and fourth axes were entirely replicated after the office complex of the Ning-Shao-Taio Dao (administrative region), Wu Yin sun specially hired craftsmen from Zhejiang to construct the residence in Yangzhou, and most of the main construction materials were also sourced from Zhejiang. This grand-scale architectural complex features exquisite structure and intricate carvings, making it a unique example of ancient official architecture in Yangzhou and one of the three renowned historic residences in the Jiangnan region. It holds significant historical and artistic value. It is now a national key cultural relics protection unit.

Wu Daotai’s Former Residence is a large private residence jointly owned by the two households of Wu Yin sun and Wu Yun sun, sons of Wu Yin sun, who funded its construction. Wu Yin sun, the owner, served as the Dao (regional administrative head) of Ning-Shao-Taio, the Judicial Commissioner of Guangdong, and later became the Provincial Governor of Gansu and Xinjiang, acting as the Governor-General of Xinjiang, and the Provincial Governor of Zhejiang, among other positions. The Wu family originally had a study named “Youfu Reading Hall,” and later built the “Cehai Tower” as their library, which once housed 8,020 types of books totaling 247,759 volumes—making it the best-preserved private library in China. Influenced by the Wu brothers, many of their descendants achieved academic excellence. Notable figures include: Wu Zhengyu (courtesy name Puchu), who served as the Chief Engineer of the Shanghai-Nanjing and Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo railways under the Ministry of Communications during the Republican era; Wu Zhengzhu (courtesy name Baixian), a professor at Nanjing University; Wu Zhengkai (courtesy name Qiumen), a renowned physical chemist, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Chemistry Division, and senior academician, who participated in the development of China’s first atomic bomb; and Wu Zhengyi (courtesy name Baijian), a distinguished botanist, member of the Biology Division of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and senior academician. They have brought honor to their hometown of Yangzhou in their respective fields and made significant contributions to China’s scientific and cultural endeavors.

Address: No. 45, Taizhou Road, Guangling District, Yangzhou City (near the Ancient Canal)

Type: Historic Site / Historical Architecture

Recommended Visiting Time: 1–2 hours

Opening Hours:

7:15-17:30

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units