Lixi Pavilion

Lixi Pavilion

Lixi Pavilion is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Lixi Pavilion was once the most luxurious Western-style mansion in Suzhou. Yao Yecheng, Chiang Kai-shek’s second wife, was a native of Suzhou and once lived here with her adopted son Chiang Wei-kuo. Chiang Wei-kuo began his schooling in Suzhou as a teenager and spent over seven years at Nanyuan. The main building is a three-story, three-bay structure made of blue bricks. From the front, the building is supported by several thick granite colonnades, giving it quite an imposing appearance. The surrounding area is shaded by ancient trees, and the interior is also richly decorated. “Lixi Pavilion” is also known as “-Hall.” The main structure is a three-story, three-bay blue brick Western-style house, covering a construction area of 1,442 square meters, with two main gates at the front and back. Around the main building are three lotus ponds of varying sizes, adorned with rockeries and pavilions, and the garden is planted with various fruit trees such as peach, plum, apricot, pear, and loquat, as well as a variety of flowers.

The first floor is where Chiang Wei-kuo once “played chess, sipped tea, and relaxed.” Step through the five-meter-wide wrought-iron and glass gate of Building No. 7, and enter this mysterious structure. The lobby is spacious and grand, with vintage yet luxurious furnishings and lighting fixtures in the popular Western style of the Republican era. Today, in the “-Hall” Lixi Pavilion, there are luxury rooms and suites, and there is even an ambassador suite on the attic floor, featuring chandeliers, patterned chairs, and an old fireplace, all exuding an elegant and stately atmosphere.

The building displays historical photos of Yao Yecheng, Chiang Wei-kuo, and others, as well as oil paintings depicting scenes from the past and some explanatory texts. From these, we learn that the small courtyard beside the staircase on the first floor was once where Chiang Wei-kuo played chess and games with his childhood sweetheart; the east side of the second floor was Yao Yecheng’s room, while the west side consisted of a row of rooms for Chiang Wei-kuo. On the third floor, Chiang Kai-shek sometimes stayed here as well.

Yao Yecheng, Chiang Kai-shek’s concubine. Coming from a humble background, she lost her parents at an early age and had no means of support. After marrying, her husband’s opium addiction forced her into a life as a maid in a brothel. She later met Chiang Kai-shek by chance and became the only one among his four wives and concubines without any official status.

In the 13th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1887 AD), Yao Yecheng was born in Nanzhao Town, north of Yezhangjing River in Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province, and later moved to Zhuangbin Township south of the river. Yao Yecheng’s nickname was A’qiao, and her father was named Yao Abao. The Yao family originally came from Anhui but fled to Jiangsu during wartime. After several generations, their genealogy refers to them as... Detailed information about Yao Yecheng++

Chiang Wei-kuo (October 6, 1916 – September 23, 1997), childhood name Jianhao, courtesy name Niántáng, was Chiang Kai-shek’s second son (later said to be his adopted son; his biological father was actually Dai Jitao, and his birth mother was Japanese nurse Shigematsu Kaneko). He held positions such as head of the Armored Forces Department of the Kuomintang, commander of the Tank Regiment, chief of staff and deputy commander of the Armored Forces Command, commander of the Armored Forces, vice president of the Army Command and Staff College, secretary-general of the “-Conference”; he achieved notable results in military strategic research and was revered by the Taiwan military as a “military strategist.”

He authored works such as “Fundamental Principles of Military Science” and “An Overview of National Strategy”... Detailed information about Chiang Wei-kuo++

Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975), given name Zhōngzhèng, courtesy name Jièshí. Childhood name Ruìyuán, registry name Zhōutài, school name Zhìqīng. His ancestral home was in Yixing, Jiangsu, but he was born in Fenghua, Zhejiang. He was a prominent political figure and military leader in modern China, serving as president of the Whampoa Military Academy, commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, chairman of the National Government, president of the Executive Yuan, chairman of the Military Affairs Commission of the National Government, Generalissimo of the Republic of China, supreme leader of the Chinese Theater of the Allies in World War II, president of the Republic of China, and more.

Chiang Zhong... Detailed information about Chiang Kai-shek++